So what does 2011 have in store for me?
Well, on Jan. 15th, I submitted my sketchbook for the Sketchbook Project of 2011. I went back and forth all year on whether or not I was even going to participate in the project, but at the last moment, I chose to go for it. I completed my sketchbook in less than 24 hours and shipped it off on the deadline. It was the hardest, most exhausting artistic effort I've ever undertaken, but I was glad that I committed to doing it. The end product may not have been what I had hoped for, but the fact that I finished it was satisfying enough for me. The only regret that I have is that I have no photographic evidence of my efforts -- good thing I paid the extra fee for the Brooklyn Museum of Art to digitally archive it for me!
Beginning in February, my sketchbook will go on tour across the country with 28,837 other artists from 94 countries. I hope to check it once the tour reaches DC or Atlanta. If you'd like to check out my artist profile on the project site, please click here:
Another project I'm participating in this year is one with an esteemed colleague from work, Jim Penny. He approached me last year and told me about his idea of using the full moons of 2011 as the inspiration for a collection of essays and artwork. Each month on the full moon, he would write and I would paint or draw. Then, the next day, we would share what we created and post them on a blog. To see our first efforts, please visit our blog affectionately named My Moon, Your Moon. I feel honored to be a part of such special project and to have my work presented next to Jim's writing. He has a style that is truly his own; his words have the ability to pull you in instantly and expose the experience or memory he is sharing as if it were your own to bear. To read Jim's take on the project, go here.
I do have aspirations for a wonderful 2011. I am currently working my way through Goddess Leonie's Goddess Guidebook to help me sort out and envision what those aspirations are. In the short term, I know I want good health for myself and for my family, a continued desire to learn and grow as an artist, and the ability to recognize and appreciate the blessings that life has to offer. How those wants get translated are the surprises I wait for with the passing of each new moon. Here's to a wonderful 2011.
"For the happiest life, rigorously plan your days, leave your nights open to chance."
- Mignon McLaughlin
