Spring is FINALLY in Michigan, at least for the moment. I am delighting in the fresh greens and birth of color outside my windows. My heart feels lighter when color lives beyond the studio. Here's a recap of studio happenings since the February newsletter (these are supposed to be monthly, but you'll see why I'm asking forgiveness!):
In March, I hung a
solo show at Stones Throw Theater in Lapeer, Michigan, featuring over 20 siren paintings. Thank you to all who were able to visit and share their support. Special thanks to Tony for facilitating this, and in particular, being such an advocate for the arts. I look forward to working together again.
April kicked off my own 30 day challenge:
30 Dogs 30 Days. For 30 consecutive days, I shared stories from my Painting a Dog a Day experience, stretching all the way back to 2006. It was a wonderful visit with old friends, and reminded me of how grateful I am for readers like yourself (and how much work it is to blog every single day!!). My career is alive due to your business, word of mouth and support via social media and otherwise. I'm closing in on 18 years of being an actively working artist, and that's a milestone worth celebrating. So thank you!
April also ushered in a two person show, this one with Colorado painter
Kate Dardine at
The Art of Custom Framing in Troy, Michigan. "Muses, Myths and Magic" includes over 40 paintings from the two of us, mostly equine works, and will hang through May 24th. It has been inspiring to see my work alongside that of Kate's, who's paintings I have greatly admired for years.
Also, Mom Brag, in April, The Man Child received a MaTilDa Award from Oakland University (akin to a college level grammy) for Chopin's Fantasie Impromptu, which he and a fellow classmate arranged and performed as a marimba duo. He is wrapping up his degree requirements and readying for student teaching in the fall. I will certainly miss watching him perform, but am grateful that Oakland University is close enough for us to still enjoy concerts.
In May I launched my long-awaited
virtual classroom - an online learning environment focused on studio operations, idea fruition and painting skills. My classroom is hosted on
Patreon, a relatively new platform that provides hosting and distribution of creative content to student subscribers. For a mere $5/month, about the cost of a killer cup of coffee, students get exclusive video shorts, q&a, live feeds, in process slideshows, and access to behind the scenes decision making.
I invite you to take a peek - if you have been wanting to study with me or even just see more of the creative process,
my Patreon might be just the ticket (and if you have been wanting to study with me, I have a Saginaw Michigan workshop this October, and one at the Hudson River Valley School of Art next March - info will be added to
my website as it becomes available).
This has also been The Princess's senior year of high school, and the spring ushers in many milestones tying up this chapter. This weekend she dances competitively on stage for the last time, and I'm feeling all the feels. While she and her brothers have ALWAYS inspired me, her passion for dance and movement has directly influenced my paintings the past 5 years, and the memories of it will continue to do so. Meanwhile, there will be some new work coming that honors what she's taught me so far.
And as I ready for her to fly off to college, I accepted a new challenge of my own: yesterday I was voted onto the executive board of the
Detroit Society of Women Painters & Sculptors. This group has been advocating for Detroit area women artists since 1903, and has included some spectacularly talented and powerful minds. I have some ginormous shoes to fill, but lovely women to guide me along the way, and I look forward to learning and growing together as I continue to honor the mission of the group.
In the coming weeks you will see some of the large scale paintings I am creating for
Gallery Orange in New Orleans, along with a couple of special commissioned portraits and an exclusive print sale benefitting an elephant sanctuary. And if there's any way I can brighten up your day with artwork, please
let me know.
Thanks, as always, for following along with my art journey,
Warmly, Kim
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