Resolutions

Resolutions for the new year. They are inevitable. And for me they are an important road map for my energy.

So, to fully commit, I am sharing them here… my main art resolutions:

Do What I Know…
When I started my most recent market scene, I said: “This is going to be my last word on market scenes.” Of course, I don’t mean that. I do mean to take a little break over the winter and revisit the Farmer’s Market when it reopens in the spring.

I will continue with the two bodies of work that I have developed most fully:

…Try What I Don’t Know.
At the same time, I want to expand my horizons into things I have not yet tried or not yet succeeded at. There are two types of paintings that fall into this category:

Yes, pretty much two ends of the spectrum.

I’m going to try Abstract Work in a class with Tesia Blackburn, a well-known and completely delightful abstract painter and teacher in the San Francisco Bay Area. (Here’s a link to her site: Tesia Blackburn.) I don’t know if I’m going to become an abstract painter but I do love moving a LOT of paint around and playing for hours with composition. The abstract métier should help me fine-tune my skills in those two areas.

As for portraits, I’ve been taking a portrait drawing class from Sherry Kwint-Cattoche at Merritt College. And I’ve been whining and kicking my feet every step of the way. I’m rebelling against the constraints of creating a likeness. Far too detailed for me. But I just got a book of portraits by German abstract painter Emil Nolde (half price at the SF MOMA store!) and in some of his paintings I think he’s caught a likeness while still expressing his own aesthetic. I’m going to have to really force myself to work on this idea…it seems like real work. But it seems like something I should be able to do.

Create A Joanne-Style For New Ideas
I’m committing to create at least two new bodies of work. By this time next year, there will be four items under the “Do What I Know” category. Some of the types of work I want to explore are:

One more thing…I’m working harder on getting my work out there. Not just for sales but because I’ve noticed that the more people who see my work, the more I hear about how the work affects others. And this is important. It’s the way I can find out if I’m self-deluded or if I’m communicating what I thought/hoped I was. So, more blog posts. More entries into local shows. And finding a gallery or two where I can show some of my work.

That’s it. Hardly anything. It’s going to be a busy year…but a joyous one. I hope your new year looks as promising. ttyl