No New Year's Resolutions - Artist's musings

So, I finally had a few minutes to myself and started thinking about what's in store for me, my art, my life for 2009. Now I'm not really a person who makes resolutions every year. I mean things like "lose weight" and "get more exercise" and "eat better" are kinda life long pursuits!

But I am very goal oriented. I'd rather focus on positive pursuits, and the three aforementioned resolutions always leave me feeling depressed when I fail miserably. So...let's just take those three for granted and move on! Here goes:

1. Do at least 2 juried art shows. I've only shown my work on the web and in galleries to date, mainly because it's tough having enough inventory to fill a 10x10 tent. (good news/bad news!)

2. Do a few art and crafts fairs. Probably a good place to start, don't you think? I can get my feet wet, so to speak, at little risk and work my way up to the juried shows.

3. Take at least two classes or workshops. I'm very interested in enameling. Have been trying to find a good way to add color to my pieces besides using stones. One of my fellow team members from the Art Jewelry Collective has started enameling and has had great results. Take a look:

http://charmdimsur.etsy.com/

Pretty neat, huh? And they seem to have been sold right away! Nice! So, back to my goals:

4. Develop a separate line of designs for less expensive metal work. One for the high end, one for the middle of the road pricing. Bangles, cuffs, earrings that are fairly simple and fast to make. They might be good for the art fairs. My change- a- bead earrings are doing quite well, and they've even started to sell on Etsy, though I suspect they stand out like a sore thumb on my site because it's not my "usual" style. Like the ones below -

I think if I accomplish all of this, I'll have a very busy year! My personal goals will remain personal....you don't need the details, do you? But you can add "eat better", "exercise more", and "lose weight"! Hey, I'm just saying.....

Toodles,

Gallery Opening

Wow, time flies so fast! I had just gotten back from Europe, now I've had the gallery opening, and next week is Christmas. Yikes! I'm not really ready, but I hope to catch up this weekend. The gallery opening was great. What a thrill for me...it was my first as the featured artist and I have to say, I didn't realize how much work it would be. I had 40 pieces and the installation took two days! By the time the opening arrived, I was exhausted. If you've never done one, let me tell you - the stress is something else. First, getting the pieces ready, then the installation, then worrying "what if no one shows up?" and finally - "what if nobody likes it?" Well, the roof didn't cave in, the gallery was packed, and many pieces went out the door! I was thrilled. Of course, none of this would have happened without the love and support of my girls, the ya ya's.

Then last week we had an Art Stroll downtown, and many artists set up tables on the sidewalks. It was cold, for Florida, low 60's, so the gallery served hot chocolate and tons of cookies, baked by ya yas Audrey and Judy...talk about sugar overload. We sponsored a horse and buggy ride and the children loved it. Again, the gallery was packed. I'm proud to report that my displays have been stripped almost bare. So guess what I'm doing between now and Christmas??? yup, making more stuff to fill the empty spaces. Hey, I'm not complaining!

This is me and DH (dear husband) at the opening, standing in front of "Electra", part of the strong women series.

"Electra"

"Cassiopia" "Pandora's Box"

Well, that's all I have for now. Lots of exciting things going on, and despite the poor economy, Christmas looks to be fun this year with tons of parties, a boat parade, a gallery event tomorrow and food! Lots and lots of food! Eat well, y'all and have a very Merry Christmas! Toodles,