“Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step“…Martin Luther King Jr.
I have been away for quite a while. So much has happened with me, my family, heck the world in general! I finally left my career at the hospital to become an official full time artist, the Covid panic hit the world, violent chaos, just generalized craziness, sadly.
I kind of put my art career on the back burner for a bit. Honestly, with so much chaos and uncertainty in my life and the lives of some of the people closest to me, I had not choice but to step back. I had to take a bit of a break, because I myself, was at a breaking point.
Around the holidays in 2021, I began to do a lot of thinking and evaluating – about me, my overall life, my career, my art.
I began getting burned out and bored with the art I was making – the more realistic style, the commissions (which believe me, I am so grateful for!) I began feeling like I was working again at my previous job where my soul was being sucked out of me, and I was becoming numb; I was on auto-pilot, and my passion was slowly dying out.
The only time those sparks, those embers, began flaming back up again was when I was working in a more loose, illustrative style; as in the style you relate to an ‘urban sketcher’. The more I thought on it, the more I realized that that was where my real passion was.
I am now concentrating on creating art with a watercolor base/background, and layering on inks, gouache, oil pastels, and color pencils. This style lets my personality shine, it’s not as rigid as my realism pieces, and it lets me step into the role of a storyteller. After all, shouldn’t that be what a piece of art does? Tell a story?
I have literally taken down all my older, previous art in my studio, so currently, my walls are bare; a clean slate waiting for a new, cohesive body of my new illustrative style of work.
I felt like confirmation came in the form of my newest piece, “The Red Little Bridge”, being accepted into the 40th Annual Wilmington Art Association Spring Show and Sale, which is taking place in April. Did I happen to mention this is the official show of the NC Azalea Festival? I am truly grateful to have this piece hanging alongside some of the most talented artist’s artwork in the Cape Fear region.
Not only am I currently working on creating a new body of work ( around 10 to 12 pieces), I am working on replenishing my wall in The Artwork’s beautiful Gallery Verrazzano. All but one piece has sold in this show! The kicker? All of those pieces were also in my more illustrative style of work with watercolors and inks.
Today, I am feeling grateful, my passion for art has been reignited, and I am looking forward to sharing with you all my new illustrative artwork!
Keep your eyes out for my new work!
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