Thank you for your part in my Journey

2014 - what a year! So incredibly busy that I have completely fallen out of the blogging habit. Thank goodness my Facebook and Instagram pages are going strong and I have many friends, family and art lovers following along with all my art and photography creations. I want to say thank you…a huge Thank you as we head into the New Year. All the support you have shown me over the last 365 days has been incredible. Supportive, positive, encouraging. My own cheering squad from the sidelines of my studio. It means a lot. Really. It's been my best art year yet; three years now in my studio and all the hard work, long hours, loud music, stacked up canvas, ripped out hair, mistakes, tears and joyful mark making are starting to pay off. I've had 3 big portrait commissions - that's a 100% increase from last year. I've painted 23 paintings - 6 more than 2013 from recollection. I won a prize at the Perth Royal Show, which was the absolute highlight of my year. I've had a painting from last year taken as a rental for 6 months, hanging in the foyer of a luxury apartment complex. I've had queries about more commissions for the New Year and have even been begged to give art lessons, which I have turned down for the time being! I am NOT ready for that (but thank you D.B for your belief in me!) The biggest news is having our exhibition proposal excepted for April 2016! WooHoo! "Light on Life" with two of my talented art buddies. Very, very exciting. Sadly I only had one sale this year. ONE. With 6 exhibitions entered. Wowsers. That has got to change in 2015. I've come close, but close is not close enough, especially since I sold 7 in the 12 months prior to this year. (Dear art lovers - Please support your favourite artists in 2015. As you can read here - art takes time, energy, commitment and yet still does not make near enough money to cover the expenses of all that work!) It certainly has made me doubt myself and my chosen love of portraiture and figurative work. I'm excruciatingly good at doubt, it seems to be my constant shadow. I've been tackling more still life in a quest to rewrite the abysmal sales record of 2014, but Portraiture is still my priority and where most queries for commissions are and given my recent queries, I think 2015 will be the year of the pet portrait…good thing I love an adore all things furry. I have also achieved my 365 photo project…The Adventures of Monet, Manet and Minet Quin, my little arty companions in the studio, finished today. It was a challenge but such fun. Please take a look on my Facebook link... https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.667114653310270.1073741825.270750216280051&type=3 That's it for now…I will try my very hardest to get back to posting more regularly with my paint exploits. It's a brilliant way to keep track of the year and the work coming out of my studio…bare with me whilst I find my voice once more. Wishing you all a wonderful 2015…may it be filled with your dreams and the time to achieve them. Mia x