Happy Holidays!

So last night I was watching George C. Scott's "Scrooge" and naturally, I started to think back over the year. Like most, I don't like to think of the negative things, but they sometimes are so much easier to recall. Maybe because of the pain and hopefully growth that accompanies any difficult situation. And like most people, I'd rather focus on the positive things that have occurred over the past year. I'd like to take a moment to review these here in the blog, hopefully to provide inspiration and hopefully to make the day a bit merrier before heading down to my studio to paint.

January-May of 2009 was mostly spent on preparing for the "Reflections On A Pond" exhibition at the Middletown Arts Center. I'm very proud of this accomplishment this year and that probably could go without saying. So many people were involved in making this a true success--from our sponsors to the staff and volunteers at MAC to the patrons/artists who enjoyed the 3 day Opening weekend to Kevin and Wanda Macpherson. All were a part of the wonderful positive energy and without them it would not have been what it was. Not only successful in helping us all reach above the usual (whether in our painting or our day to day tasks) it put heads in beds (as a large number of participants were from out of town) and was great exposure for the Middletown Arts Center. My thanks and gratitude to all those who supported my dream of bringing Kevin and his work here to Middletown! Also, thank you to the Board of Governors at the Middletown Arts Center for giving me the "Award of the Year" for this accomplishment as well.

June began the work of cultivating the success of the exhibit into finding another venue to exhibit "Reflections On A Pond" which included forming a marketing plan and then working on the supporting material. One of these materials lead us to working with another good friend, Wayne Johnson. And if you visit the Reflections website you can listen to one of the new marketing ideas. The idea of music to accompany the collection of paintings was initially to create one song that would accompany the montage that we are pulling together for another marketing tool--still in development. It has since grown to many compositions as Wayne has been so inspired by Kevin's work. More details to come as we start to release these tools out to the public. Needless to say I'm very thankful for the work ahead. The website is visited by over 300 people a month and continues to educate fans and friends on the collection.

Shortly following June was the request to exhibit Reflections On A Pond at the Salmagundi Club in New York City (Greenwich Village to be exact). The Salmagundi Club is the oldest art club in the United States, followed by the Cincinnati Art Club (the second oldest Art Club in the USA). It's many prestigious former and existing members present quite an honor for Kevin and Wanda. This exhibition is jammed packed with events including a painting demonstration, weekend workshop and a presentation by Kevin. Also, Kevin will be exhibiting in the Patron's Gallery new work entitled "Portrait of China". These works were created from a painting trip to China that Kevin and Wanda took in Sept. 2009. If you find yourself in NYC in February, please make sure you stop in or join us for an event. This opportunity has kept me busy with PR and agreements and all the details that any event brings. It's shaping up as another fantastic opportunity and I've enjoyed meeting new people and working with everyone involved in this effort!

Work always continues on the "What's next for Reflections" and that work is in high gear and will shift into an even higher gear in January as materials for this are finished and sent out. So, stay tuned!

On my painting experiences this year, I spent a week or so with Kevin and Wanda at his Taos painting workshop where not only was Kevin's instruction and guidance given so generously, but where I met like spirits whose love and passion for painting was so evident and abundant. The week starts out with you painting at the pond, the very subject of the series, as you get the jitters of being there and getting that one painting done out of your system. Then you gather in Kevin's studio (and a gorgeous place it is!) to listen to Kevin's insight on painting, the first of many lessons to be learned and practiced during your week. In the tradition of looking over the past year, I remember returning from my first year workshop totally depressed and wondering if I'd ever get what Kevin was trying to teach me. I could have given up, but I didn't. I wanted to return this year with a determination to do something right! Comparing 2008's results with the 2009's results, I can see such a difference in how I'm painting. At this time, it warms my heart to see this progress and refreshes my commitment to the goals that I'm setting for 2010.

The months that followed the June workshop have been full of hard work and critiques. And I'm happy with the progress. There is more work to be done and I look forward to the next steps on road of improving, continually improving, my work.

I'm thankful to my friend, Steve and Marianne, who allowed me to paint at their home this past year. I'll be there again in the Spring, preparing for yet another Taos Workshop adventure. Goals have been set for what I want to accomplish in the year to come. Without this wonderful location, complete with at pond and gardens, my progress would not be where it is today.

I'm also thankful to all my friends and family, who are probably tired of hearing me talk about art. I appreciate your patience with me. I know I have a one track mind, but hopefully you can enjoy the journey with me as well as my artwork!

I spent some time this year teaching Customer Service to young adults and I'm hopeful that the skills that were taught in these sessions have left a positive mark on the students that I've taught. As I say in the training sessions, these skills are life skills and every encounter whether with family, friends or strangers is a customer service encounter. This training goes beyond just a retail type of customer service but at the values of being and giving respect(ed) and importance, being and making one feel valued and welcomed. It is amazing seeing these young adults walk in unprepared and unaware of these skills and watching them leave with a better understanding on what is needed to not only be able to provide a excellent customer service experience, but be able to face the adversity of life with new skills that will help them succeed. I hope that in some small way, I've helped them accomplish something they have wanted to accomplish this year.

So, this year has been a rather successful one. Progress has been seen, felt and enjoyed albeit not without some or in some cases much frustration. But--oh has it been worth the journey! Thanks to all who are here with me, supporting me and encouraging me along the way. You make it all the more enjoyable. I am looking forward to 2010 and will continue to improve. The intentions of what I would like to accomplish are being gathered and sent out to the Universe. I hope you'll join me along the way. In the meantime, Happy Holidays and have a merry, healthy, happy,and prosperous New Year.