Pink Poinsettia

Pink Poinsettia
Originally uploaded by linfrye

The last day of 2008 ....I spent a fair amount of time this morning thinking about what to say today ... Endings usually make me mighty melancholy!

I've been using Flickr and View From the Oak as my visual and daily diaries, recording the progress of my learning to draw and paint, a bit about my life and what's on my mind. I have been blessed with the kindest, most generous encouragement and incredible friendships through these recordings, and I am ever humbled by such blessings. I thank each of you for your continued support and encouragement....and most of all, your friendship.

I reviewed my art goals for 2008 as well as 2007 -- and found them identical. I read my entries for this day from both years -- and, found them similiar ... painting flowers, sadness that the holidays were ending, hope for the future. And today as I write, I could copy and paste the same sentiments! LOL I'm down with sinus congestion, Mom leaves in 2 days, I've painted flowers!!! Talk about the Circle of Life! LOL

After all the contemplation, though, I wanted to choose one painting that represented my 'year.' So I scrolled through more than 265 paintings ... and, naturally, couldn't choose. There were so many lessons learned, styles and subjects attempted ... and I concluded after all that, for me, the last painting I paint (at least the last one I'm most happy with), would have to be the most representational. In essence, that last painting would/should represent or culminate ALL the lessons, ideas, struggles and joys of the last year --- and in this painting, I think I can claim those very things. So I choose THIS one to represent 2008 --- new lessons from Karlyn Holman, my love of flowers, painting light and form, learning more about negative painting, paths of light, the seasons of my life.

Which painting would you say represents YOUR year?

Art Goals for 2009 -- simply a repeat of 2008 ... with an emphasis, I think, on speed (in other words, QUITE FUSSING SO MUCH AND LET IT ALONE!!!), letting go of trying to 'control' so much, and trying to ACCEPT and work with those 'accidents' that plague us all:

My Art Goals for 2009:

* Sketch/paint daily – It’s the only way I know to improve!

* Practice more faces and figures – I’ve been reluctant to do these – they take more time and thought than I usually have but I really need to tackle this subject, for doing faces tells me when I’m really SEEING and SKETCHING what is in front of me!!

* Practice more landscapes – with my involvement in several plein air groups, I’d like my plein air paintings to improve

* Sketch the everyday - Learn to SEE and PAINT as an artist would – not simply to render the scene – but the feeling and drama of what I love and what I’m painting …

* Continue to work through the many art books on my shelves!

* Practice more values and perspective

* LOOSEN UP!!

* Increase my economy of line and sketching speed - In order to do this, I will have to focus on SKETCHING during the workweek and PAINTING during the weekends when I have more leisure time. I noticed these last two weeks off, that I really NEED that extra time to let the paint dry between washes, THINK and PLAN what I’m doing, etc., and I just don’t have that kind of leisure during the workweek…. So I’ll have to TRY to be satisfied with practicing my sketching and quick paintings at work and spend time on the weekends for more polished paintings.

* Continue to use richer colors – especially DARKS.

* Sketch more things of meaning – and WRITE more in each of my journal entries.

* Study more art theory such as composition, the things that make a painting more dramatic or eye-catching, what makes a good still-life, how to increase the light in a painting, etc., etc.

* I don’t want to focus on particular subjects to paint, but would rather leave that open to painting those things that are ‘meaningful’ in some way.

*And no matter what, get in as much EXERCISE as SKETCHING!!

* And as always: PRACTICE! PRACTICE! PRACTICE

Here's to 2009!!!! HAPPY NEW YEAR!