Changes on the Horizon

"Becoming," 36" x 36" x 2", acrylics on a cradeled panel, heading to "Motherhood," a juried exhibition at The Anton Art Center in Mt. Clemens, Michigan. Inquiries may come to me. I have been sending almost daily (I know it's not been nearly that regular as of late) newsletters since October of 2006. That's 12 years of regular correspondence. Some of you have been with me through all of this - the Painting a Dog a Day journey, raising funds for animal welfare, the wine label award, my book publications, the Kentucky Derby adventure, a shift in focus to florals, and finally the Sirens. I cannot thank you enough for your willingness to continue to look at what I was painting, to hear my thoughts, and to support me via your feedback, encouragement, and even purchases. And for those of you who hopped on partway through this marvelous trip, thank you for sticking around. I know that a big piece of my continued motivation is the fact that I feel accountable to you, my audience. Because of you, I  showing up to the studio and do the work. Even on the hard days - especially on the hard days - when I don't feel well or particularly when I spend too much time listening to my inner critic. You keep me going. And in return, I share glimpses of my process and creations as a thank you. Clearly things have changed a bit over the past year, as my newsletters have drifted from 3-4/week to 3-4/month. I attribute that to my shifted focus on process and preparation vs creating something crafted to share in the moment. This is a necessary shift, I believe, in order to make authentic paintings that resonate deeply and carry merit beyond conveying a likeness or particular moment in time. I am striving to paint things that are further reaching and deeply personal, and as such, this involves introspection, reflection, and working at imagery that transcends likenesses. The resulting mess inside my brain isn't nearly as pretty to photograph and post - and often what spills from my brushes doesn't immediately make sense even to me. The complexity of the content I am visualizing - women's voices and solidarity - lends itself to weeks of revisions. This is a difficult thing to channel into regular postings, and sometimes the effort of reeling in my spinning thoughts so as to order them into a coherent newsletter is daunting. And I duck out, because to force a shift in direction from mad caped mayhem to a bulleted outline  - or even just a couple of sentences - seems monumental. I want to assure you that the increased silence at my end as of late is not because I no longer care that you are out here. It is because I am listening all the more carefully to what my heart and muse are telling me, and making certain that I hear their voices clearly enough so that when I do understand their message, I am able to properly capture it in paint and then share with you. The frequency of my mailings will be shifting, but I hope the content will be just as relevant and interesting. Because I am no longer creating a finished work daily, I have decided (sadly) to let my membership with Daily Painters lapse - it didn't seem honest to continue with them as my focus had so drastically shifted. I can't say enough beautiful things about this group in particular and all the inspiration they provided during my artistic evolution. I encourage those of you who wish to see regular updates and studio insights to follow my facebook page or instagram feeds in lieu of watching your email inboxes. And for those of you who are content with emails, thank you for that. My business would be nothing without each of you, In some way you have encouraged and helped to spread the word about what I was creating/supporting. I truly hope that this relationship will not change. Art has been my gateway to stepping into life's challenges, and my family will say it is what keeps me sane. I continue my commitment to sharing these bits of real world moments with you each through my newsletter, and most importantly, through my imagery. Thanking you from the bottom of my heart for your support, Love, Kim