Reflections on 2012

Wow, 2012 is over and it's nearly time to think about my goals and plans and word for 2013.

Looking back over some blogposts I wrote in early January 2012 about my plans/dreams/schemes for this year I can see that sometimes we just don't have enough time to do all the things we'd like to do.

The highlight of the year was my American Adventure and my art classes at Squam with Kelly Barton and Sarah Ahearn.  I had an awesome time meeting up with some online arty friends too.

I was part of the 30x30x30 Challenge Exhibition and completed 30 paintings in 30 days and sold 21.

I also joined my friend June Stevens for an exhibition and sold two paintings.

I loved the Life Book 2012 online course and my girls have improved....

I learnt so much from going to a local art class each Wednesday with mixed media artist Neil Elliott.

An article I wrote was published!

My word for 2012 was Courage and these are the goals I achieved from the list I wrote in January:

• To be the real and authentic me
• To take risks with my creations/art/paintings
• To live my dreams, follow my passions and create an artistic life
• To be part of as many exhibitions as possible.
• To reach out to others, include them in my life and artistic community.
• To say 'Yes' to opportunities
• To get my writing and artwork published.
• To leave the secure environment of my home.
• To travel to USA, Canada.
• To travel alone and with friends.
• To attend a workshop in the States and to make it the most awesome life and learning experience possible.
• To meet people whom I've never met but whom I know and hold a special place in my heart.

How did your 2012 go?  Have you chosen your word for 2013?  We are doing a blog hop and I'd love for everyone to join in.

Catching Up

It's been a couple of weeks since my last blog post as I've been a little busy.  How 'bout you? So I thought I'd show you what I've been up to since then...


I started a new painting - Shell's Shell - still a work in progress...or maybe it's finished....no....no...it needs some bling colours and maybe some confetti dots too...

 

 

I'm organising the Fly Tribe Word Hop 2013 - everyone is welcome to join in - so if you choose one word to be your theme word for 2013 and you blog about how it will impact your life then I would love for you to leave a link to your blog on the Word Hop blog post on Jan 6th.

I've been busy with my family and baking some fruit mince pies...

Kangaroos came to visit...

I got my hair cut...

I'll be back in a couple of days with my Reflections of 2012 blogpost to wrap the year up and then we are on to 2013!!!

Love and hugs to you all, thanks for reading.

Art, Love and Joy

Yesterday I travelled into Perth to meet Wini Dougall, aka Art, Love & Joy, an artist who I met in the Summer 2011 Flying Lessons group who lives in Melbourne, which is a 3-4 hour flight away.  We had a great time wandering through art galleries and shops and having lunch and chatting about art.

What do you think of the green sculpture?  Love it or hate it?

Shells' Sunday Snippets

Here's my week in photos....playing along with {tinniegirl} and {sunday snippets} A collection of photos from your week. No need for words. Let the pictures tell your story.  (Except every now and again...)

 Family celebration of our 25th/Silver Wedding Anniversary.

These family photos are not be used/copied in way, shape or form.  Thank you.

Collaging a Chocolate Box...still working on it....

I've started making my own Smash Book!!!!

Silver Wedding Anniversary

Today is our 25th/Silver Wedding Anniversary!!!

Wow!!!  and Julie Townsend said it would never last.....lol....

Here's the fruit/wedding cake I just iced, family are coming over on Sunday for afternoon tea and I have friends who love fruit cake and then there's me, I love fruit cake too...so it's big but it will get eaten....  :D

We went away last weekend, down south for about 3 hours to Nannup, where we stayed at a bed and breakfast we had been to 17 years ago. We went to the coast, to wineries, breweries, ice creameries, chocolate factories and to a jeweller.

Hubby bought me this beautiful metal art, the African Princess, which I have loved for months and have even painted my own version of her, by Inge Giebeler.

This is the silver ring he bought me from John Miller Designs in Yallingup:

Secrets to surviving (lol) 25 years....apart from the basics of good communication, never going to bed angry.....eating dinner together every night, going out on date nights, giving the other person space and room to do their own thing - hubby loves motorbikes and I love art - so he goes off and rides his bike and I'll stay home and paint, now and again we'll go off on the bike together and have breakfast or lunch out and look in a small town art gallery.

Article Published

A year ago I answered a Call For Articles on Facebook from Gail Stiffe at Women's Art Register - a small art magazine published in Victoria, Australia and wrote an article on Building an Artistic Community and Connections and it was published.

I chose the paintings which had meaning to my community realtions.

The ButterFlyGirl was created for the Summer 2011 Flying Lessons Group - my Fly Tribe - the group of women I met online whilst doing the Kelly Rae Roberts Flying Lessons e-course.

This was also used for the bloghop...

This is a photo of me in front of one of the paintings I created at the Flora Bowley workshop - workshops are a great way of meeting other creative people.

(I hate that pic - I think I look kinda weird - it's my eyes or something...)

And this painting was one that sold at a local community art festival.

Here's the article I wrote a year ago, my husband and son just read it for the first time on Thursday and they are like What?  What's this?  after reading the first sentence.  I based the article on my experiences and was also thinking of Kelly Rae Roberts and Flora Bowley too.


BUILDING AN ARTISTIC COMMUNITY AND CONNECTIONS


Family unsupportive of your artistic journey?  Friends don’t understand your passion for painting and creating?  It is important to find and connect with other artists who ‘get’ you so you can share your excitement with them.  There are two main ways of building your artistic community - by meeting people in real life and online through art communities and blogging.

My artistic journey started in January 2009 when I went to drawing classes at the local art shop.  I went to learn how to draw not realising that it was the beginning of building an artistic community.  It was at this first class that I met Sandra, the more classes we took together, the more art I created - pastels, watercolour, acrylics, mixed media and collage - the more we clicked with shared creative ideas.

When I first started to draw and paint I joined an online art community to upload my art to show family and friends overseas.  That community had different groups you could join so I did to show off my art.  Members in those groups provided praise and encouragement to me and I found inspiration and friendship too.

You can meet other artists at art classes and workshops as well as local community and learning centres.  Sandra asked me to be take over her group co-ordinator role at the local learning centre.  I met some wonderful people who I was able to teach, mentor and even inspire.  Are you able to organise an art class or invite an artist you admire to teach at a workshop?  Is there a community centre near you where you could invite other artists to meet and work on their art together?

There are many online art communities, I even belong to a couple on Facebook.  Joining an online art community is like going to a party.  First of all you get dressed up - most communities give you your own page where you can upload an avatar of yourself or your art to represent you, you can change the background theme and script as well as add photos of your art and write a little bit about yourself.  Then find the forum and introduce yourself - there is usually an introduction thread.  Listen to others by reading their threads and looking at their galleries.  Participate in the conversation by replying to questions, giving sincere praise and encouragement, compliments and offer helpful positive advice when asked.  Start new threads and post questions too.  Before long people will be responding to your comments and friending you.

Blogging is another way to build your artistic community and connect with others who share your interests.  A blog is a website where you can write about your art, your life - not too personal but enough so people can relate to you,  and add photos too.  Your blog can provide inspiration to others, share some of your techniques, guest writers and interviews with other artists too.  To build your community visit other people’s blogs, become one of their followers, leave positive and sincere comments of praise, encouragement and congratulations.  Read their list of blogs they read and then go visit the blogs that sound interesting to you. People will start to visit your blog, become your follower, leave comments, connect with you and may even buy your art.

This may sound like a lot work but the more you put into building your artistic community the more you will get out of it.  I personally know artists whose careers have expanded from painting and blogging to selling books, providing online courses, sold out workshops - in minutes, products - calendars, bags, statues, frames, mirrors and crockery, online shops with over 300 sales in 24 hours on Cyber Monday.

I started blogging in March 2011 and it wasn’t until a few months later when I took an online creative business course that I consciously started building my artistic community.  Looking back I’ve found that the  benefits of using the above ways to connect with like-minded people include: making new friends, receiving and giving praise, encouragement, inspiration, support and positive and helpful criticism, teaching and mentoring,  information about books, classes and workshops, confidence in myself and my art and a group of people to hold an exhibition with. 

You may have to research and shop around for the community that suits you best and remember that this will take time.  Building your artistic community will help you build your artistic career.  Looking forward to seeing you there.

Online art communities:

http://www.deviantart.com/  US based
http://community.how-to-draw-and-paint.com/  - UK based great for watercolour artists
http://thecompleteartist.ning.com/  - NZ based - great for oil painters.
http://willowing.ning.com/  -  UK based - great for learning how to draw and paint faces, mixed-media art
http://www.facebook.com/groups/171673892903764/  Magically Mixed Art Community

Different types of blog hosting websites:

http://www.blogger.com/  - this is the one I use - simple and easy http://wordpress.com/
http://www.typepad.com/

http://blogchicks.com.au/  - You will find a list of arts and crafts blogs at the Australian Women Bloggers Directory


How to find me:

http://www.shellsinthebush.com/
http://shellsinthebush.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/ShellsintheBush
http://aussiesheila.deviantart.com/
http://willowing.ning.com/profile/MichelleReynolds