welcome!
It’s July and it is hot in Virginia! Thank you so much for joining me. Recently, I listened to an artist interview podcast I received from a good friend. She talked about the accountability a newsletter can offer to help stay organized, motivated, and structured to keep all things art career moving in a good direction. Inspired by that, I am here to share three or four main topics approximately each quarter.
First - sales, news and achievements.
Next - a sneak peek at the studio happenings.
Then - what can we look forward to
Finally - anything noteworthy in Cat news.
Let’s dig in. (or paw-paw in?)
Much has happened this Spring
I received an acceptance email from Create! Magazine! I am a featured artist along with about 40 other artists selected from a group of over 300 submissions. It is an honor to be included with so much talent and skill. Issue #57 is available now through digital subscription on their website, and the hard copy is coming early this Fall. I will let you know for sure when that happens.
I am also very excited to share my new website with you. It was well past due, and I am pleased with the fresh design. Poke around and explore the new body of work! And if you are interested in older pieces, online sales are coming soon.
In June
I won 1st place in the Small Works show exhibited at SWA/Mena Art Gallery in Mena, AK. It was a great show and I am so excited my tiny “Cat Nap” (8in x8in oil on birchwood cradleboard) caught the judges’ attention. It was a confidence boost and felt good. I was very careful with packaging my painting and you know I wrote a thank you card!
Right now I am watching my garden melt in the heat and the cats loafing about in the air con. I am varnishing, framing, and gallery searching. My main focus is giving my best to the look and feel of final presentation of each artwork. This means clean edges, simple raw wood floater frames when needed, ready to hang and enjoy. It kind of feels like a last goodbye as I prepare each one for a long journey out into the world. I want them to find love, and to last at least nine lifetimes.
As I look ahead, I am finishing up my courses with Visual Arts Passage. An online course I found when I first moved to Madison County, VA that has helped me find my art direction again and re-embrace the life long vocation that it is for me. I will be happy and sad to end classes, but I can still participate in the weekly online sketch sessions through #drawinghive. Thursdays at 7pm EST. And so can you! It’s free and open to all through their website.
September
starts with celebrating Artemis Journal’s annual edition.
Looking forward, I am proud to be included in this group of extraordinary artists and writers from all over the Blue Ridge Mountain region and beyond. The launch party will be held at Taubman Museum, Roanoke, VA. I believe on the first Friday of the month. I will surely keep you updated as we get closer.
Did you know?
There are certified veterinarians that can administer acupuncture to pets? Mainly horses, dogs, and yes, you guessed it, cats. My Schmidty and Lucy both go for chronic pain. It is amazing how much it helps. Who are Schmidty and Lucy you ask? Two of my current cats and very much a part of my art making these days. Would you like introductions to the gaggle that has inspired all this? I think a quarterly spotlight might be in their future. Well, thanks for reading through and I hope to hear from you next time!
