Winter blues...

I live in Washington State and that means that winter here is mostly wet, wild and windy. Like many I suffer from the winter blues. Its very melancholy weather and still hard for me to get used to after 9 years. Everyone has their way of getting over it. Some sit in local wine bars, some plan their gardens, others work on their vacation plans.

During the days after Christmas and before the New Year I get over being low in spirits by clearing out my studio and planning for the year ahead. It's always so interesting to reflect over art work of the year, tidy up paints and reread botanical books. I unearth loads of cuttings and pieces of inspirations that I had forgotten about.

Some inspirations linger from the old year. I find I am still in love with pumpkins and have some waiting to be painted. My studio is so cold they have survived well. I still want to conquer using masking fluid and I really want to work on larger pieces of art that are part of themes. My work this year was too random, too spur of the moment.

 

 

I also need to go back and paint flowers. I have neglected blooms in favor of veggies for a while and I need to balance my work. One way I don't see the grey outside is to fill my studio with plants. I know that there are wonderful berries in the hedgerows but I want to see larger, lush bursts of color. So I will spend some time in my local garden center and florist store to see what treasures they for me. I don't always get around to painting the blooms but at least I am able to photograph them for another day. And that reminds me it's also time to reorganize my reference photos.

Then of course it's time to plan for 2016 and the shows and meetings I would like to attend. Usually I go to various sites like the American Society of Botanical Artists, www.asba-art.org and under Exhibitions in their menu bar I read up on lists of upcoming exhibits. Another useful site is www.onlinejuriedshows.com . This planning will give me a good idea of themes for the year.

Hopefully by the time I've worked on these projects the weather will have improved and the sun will be shining and the days will be getting longer. And suddenly 2015 is over and we can start our artwork anew. Happy New Year!