2008 in Review

Daffodil
7" x 5" colored pencil on Pastelbord
Stacy L. Rowan

So it's that time of year for looking back and reviewing progress and accomplishments.

I started out the year posting some objectives. I did well with the first objective of having more fun with my art. The VSD was a large part of that. I worked some on clarifying my intentions, but I don't think it was evident on this blog or in discussions I had about my art. I also did more sketching, although I'd stop short of saying I made sketching a regular practice, and I didn't sketch at all on my vacation abroad. In fact I learned that sketching while traveling with a crowd is near impossible, especially when the crowd is relying on you to be their primary translator! Live and learn.

I also had goals which were based off the objectives, but don't think I shared them here. Since you didn't see the original list of goals, I'll limit my review to the highlights.

Overall, my biggest accomplishments for the year all fall under the catagories of visability and frequency. I showed my art eight times locally in addition to entering two juried shows and one competition. I also started a blog for selling my art and announced it to my mailing list by email. I joined the VSD in May and participated every month since. As I mentioned, I did more sketching this year both in graphite and watercolor. I also started my KMBW (Keeping My Brushes Wet) series of simple still lifes which keeps me painting more frequently and allows me to complete works more regularly. Overall I was very pleased with my productivity and progress this year.

For anyone who hasn't taken the time to look back and focus on their accomplishments, I highly recommend the exercise. Most of the year I am so focused on my next project or objective I move on without a thought to what I have finished. When I sat down with a pencil and notebook and thought back over the last 12 months, I was surprised by how much I had actually got done. It's a great feeling to have when setting goals for next year.

Speaking of which, I'll be back in the next few days to post my 2009 goals. Until then, enjoy your New Year's Eve celebrations and have a happy start to 2009!

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About the image: I finally finished this colored pencil daffodil a few months ago. Some work in progress shots can be seen here , here and here, but I think this is the first time I posted the completed image. I was really pleased with how this came together on the Pastelbord. So much so that I am currently searching my references with a plan for creating a series of cp flower macros. After spraying and framing, I will put this drawing up on my sales blog. Look for it as we get nearer to Spring.