A year ending with great firsts

This has been quite a year of firsts...after entering a contest in Artist's Magazine, TWO of my encaustic works were selected to be published in an art book entitled Incite 2: The Best of Mixed Media, published by F&W Books, to be sold everywhere and also by North Light Bookshop. The works chosen were some of my favorites, 'Memory Garden' and 'Keeper of Secrets,' and the opportunity to be published has been a very exciting one. From the book opportunity arose another great chance for exposure; a reduced ad rate in SW ART Magazine's December issue, which is normally very expensive; I went ahead and went for it, publishing a full ad with my contact info and 'Keeper of Secrets' as the image run in the ad.

On the mural front, I painted a 15 foot mural entirely on aluminum/polycore panels, which took about three months but came out great. This prevented many trips to Portland (Tigard) and although a little clumsy at times, was a manageable project in my garage.

Last but not least, I checked out the local chapter of SCBWI, the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, and found the local chapter to be a great resource for breaking into the world of publishing. I met a few writers, as well as Sue Ford, the local chapter head of this society and an internationally published author. I was so excited to meet all these folks, and thought I would positively keel over when Sue said that 'Keeper' could be a cover! With Christmas approaching and lots of time to work on creative projects, I am brainstorming new paintings, and ways to branch out my portfolio to contain children's art/art geared towards children's books. I am also creating a portrait of my daughter with Gingko leaves, there is a whole story behind the Gingko, it's strength and fickleness, and I think it will make a good story. I am so grateful to all of my peers and family, and proud of my friends who have also had a great year of firsts in their art careers.