2020 Was Awesome.

Ok, I’ll just say it.  This has not been the best year in many ways.  Rather than join the chorus citing the crappiness that was 2020, I’d like to focus on some really great things that happened this year and how I made the difficult environment work for my art practice.  

I had long been following an artist who offers a popular course every spring and I decided that 2020 was the year I would do it.  It was an investment but I was feeling directionless in my practice so I thought perhaps this would get me back on track.

The course began just as the kids were being sent home from school due to CoVid so I was juggling art lessons, homeschooling, and studio practice.  I was extremely busy and I found the distraction to be a good thing while life was getting messy.  In the course, we were asked to explore our inspirations, aspirations and examine our past, present and future art.  I had always been an artsy person so I never gave much thought to why I created. I just did.  When I saw beautiful things, I thought that meant I should try to recreate them.  I also loved, and still do, seeing people's reaction to my art.  My hope has always been that my art will stir something in the viewer, whether that be a memory, recognition of themselves, or a total gut-punch of emotion. 

The course moved on for a total of three months of intense learning. The learning curve was steep and yes, there were a few tears along the way!  At the same time, we were living lockdown life where kids no longer went off to school (goodbye daily studio time) and I had a lot more on my plate as women’s domestic burden got a whole lot heavier with the pandemic.  

Artwork completed during my course

After the course was over, I remember thinking how full my brain was and how disorganized my life was now that routine and boundaries were all mixed up. There were times I didn't even know what day it was.  As I often do, I escaped to my studio to process.  The only way I can explain it is to say that the Segment paintings started pouring out of me.  I had the realization that I had not been listening to myself and as soon as I started noticing what I liked, and doing more of it, things just clicked.  Wow, that last sentence seems overly simple compared to how that awakening felt.

Here I am at the end of 2020, noticing, listening, and doing the work.  I know what the Segment paintings are to me and what I see when I look at them; but how the viewer interprets them is up to them and perhaps, that is none of my business.  

Happy New Year to you and yours.