It was eight years ago at an art meeting I hosted at my studio that I muttered the words for the first time, "I'm going to change my medium to oil". Now that doesn't seem too big a deal, right? I mean after all artists do this all the time. After spending 17 years working with Colored Pencil, a medium that I had become very familiar with, deciding to paint was a huge deal for me. Did I mention that I've never had a painting class? By the way that's not something I'm proud of. It's just the way it was. Though I had not entered a large amount of competitions I had won some first place awards as well as a few others with Colored Pencil. After making the decision to switch to Oils I decided to set a few goals for myself and use these goals as a gauge to determine my accomplishments. First to grow as a painter, which I have and continue to do so. Then to enter my new work in exhibitions and competitions and win, which I have as well. I began to plan for the near future to be accepted to the Ann Arbor Art Fair in Ann Arbor Michigan which has always been haled as one of the best shows in the country. This year I have been very honored to be invited into the art fair as their featured artist. I'm writing this post not to brag or boast but to thank the many people in my life that support and encourage me. Their positive energy inspires me and feeds my creativity. Thank you all. I have so much more to do and to learn and more goals to set. I've always taught my students to compete with themselves and not with others because there's nothing more gratifying than to reach a personal goal. The taste of success is so much sweeter.
