2020. How excited I was for the start of a new decade, a new chapter. I thought this is THE year everything great will happen. My skills are improving, my work is starting to sell, so plans for 2020 began in earnest. As an artist I encountered many ups and downs along the way as well as personally. When I look back and focus on the accomplishments, wow, so proud of how far this little art business has come in a few years. Learning curves and challenges aside, it was a very amazing year. I’ve also included some personal details to reinforce the busy timeline:

JANUARY
Participated in the Instagram #21daysinmyartworld challenge. 21 prompts in 21 days.
Participated in a live workshop with the great Betty Krause, so fun!
Youngest daughter applies to colleges, all are out-of-state, whaaaah! We were told she probably will be the valedictorian of her class!

FEBRUARY
Participated in the Instagram #28FebruaryFlowers challenge with Amanda Evanston. 28 flower paintings in 28 days.
Taught a watercolor workshop to 10 adorable young ladies. Super fun!
Suffered from a concussion, couldn’t complete all 28 days and lost a lot of days from work and no to all screen devices, grrrr!

MARCH
Participated in the Instagram #MarchMeetTheMaker challenge. 31 about-the-artist prompts for 31 days.
Began an intensive 12-week building a creative business course by Emily Jeffords, it was life changing!
Working from home became a reality for many of us. By day, I’m a graphic designer and working from home was the only safe option for the company and became a great blessing.
My oldest turned 20. I realize that I’m old, but still feel 25 inside. Both kids work at a grocery store. At 17 and 20, they are considered front line workers.

APRIL
Participated in the Instagram #100dayproject. That meant 100 paintings in 100 days. I chose to paint very small 3”x3” in order to achieve this 100 day challenge. I painted 100 skies mostly from my sweetheart’s backyard. The best sunsets live there.
Talk of Prom being cancelled for my daughter’s school is a possibility.

MAY
Newsletter goes out and announces my first launch of the year. 30 mini skies. 18 sold, wooohooo!
Worked on a commission.
Daughter accepted into pharmacy school, omg!! Prom is cancelled. Scholarship night is cancelled. Heck all school activities are cancelled.

JUNE
Collection launch #2 takes place, focusing on female actresses and comedians. 30 more new mini skies. Over half is sold.
Participated in #artistsupportpledge. Sold enough to purchase artwork from another artist. Donated to @Chelseascharity, a CT non-profit that ships art supplies to children around the world.
Daughter graduates high school as valedictorian of her class. So proud of her!

JULY
Completed another commission and continuing to paint a sky painting a day.
Enjoying many fire pit nights and watching sunsets for continued inspiration. Hundreds of photos taken in honor of ‘research’.

AUGUST
Collection launch #3 takes place. Over half of the 40 remaining mini skies are sold.
A nervous mom, daughter goes off to college during COVID. Son begins 2nd year college. Need to sell more paintings, lol!!

SEPTEMBER
Completed a 5-day postcard giveaway while resting on Cape Cod. Many photos taken for ‘research’ purposes and heart-shaped rocks found.

OCTOBER
Plans for Holiday Shop offerings begin. Painting slows down and admin duties ramp up!
Sketch practice became my daily friend and explored various surfaces, loved painting on Yupo paper.

NOVEMBER
Black Friday, Holiday Shop opens. Glad to see the 2020 Calendar became a fast favorite :-)
My daughter came home from school for Thanksgiving and began the rest of her semester remotely. The house is full of energy again.

DECEMBER
Final art gifts were shipped off and Holiday Shop closed Dec 18. Burnout settled deep into my bones. zzzzzzzz

Thank you to everyone who helped, encouraged, commented, cheered me along a very fantastic year of growth and phenomenal change.