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Flower Art Still Life Watercolor

2007 Art Plan: Balance

Michelle's Rose

Watercolor on Arches paper, 8 x 10.5″
(To enlarge, click image, select All Sizes)

Since I posted my 2006 art accomplishments I’ve been giving a lot of thought to my art plan for 2007. In December I decided my goal would be to have a one-woman show by the end of 2007. But within a couple weeks of saying that, I already had one scheduled for March so I had to come up with something else. I thought about my art plan during a long day and night of matting and framing my paintings from ’06 (including the one above that began as a watercolor class demonstration of painting glass).

While doing nothing but art business the past two days, I kept thinking that all I really want to do is paint, draw, explore, play, investigate, dream, learn, experiment, write about art on my blog, read art books, look at pictures, hang out in my studio, visit other artists’ blogs and share the fruits (and challenges) of being an artist.

It reminded me how important balance is. Not enough and you fall over, too much and things are boring and static. So… my art plan for 2007 is:

Continue my explorations, follow my inspirations, investigate, learn, and play all while maintaining enough balance to take good care of myself and the people I love. That means doing enough art business but not so much that it intereferes with doing art. My plans will evolve as the year does. I don’t need to turn my art into a job with rules and deadlines and schedules and business plans. I already have a day job for that.

Art is the center of my life, the thing that brings me joy and meaning (and struggle and challenge), the reason I’m alive, the question that can only be answered with another question, and another. It’s more fun than just about anything else I can think of (or at least anything that can be done for hours at a time). I can’t wait to get started!

25 replies on “2007 Art Plan: Balance”

Jana,
This is one of my all time favorite Jana paintings. The glass is SPECTACULAR! I think that I remember an EDM post by you about painting glass and metal reflections. I don’t think I copied it at the time, so I will search for it now and add it to my notes for 2007. I just can’t even begin reflections!

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OMG! HOW INCREDIBLY AWESOME!! The delicate petals, light through those petals, reflectings, shadings — Jana — This is one of your very best!!! It’s GLORIOUS! LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!

Super plan — and I so agree — balance is the key — the trick is finding it and maintaining it! (says she whose work life is insane!) …

Good, good luck with your plans, mia cara! I’ll be right there cheering you on!

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Jana – what a great watercolour to start a New Year.

I very much like the sound of your plan – it’s what I did last year except I made a conscious decision then to go for the nourishment over sales. A balanced approach is a very sensible – and allows you to open doors that otherwise you might have had to pass by.

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Lovely post…are and words. I love reading about your balanced plan. Making space for those we love and the art we love (plus paying the rent) is all important business in living.
This is a really lovely painting!

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What can I say but bravo! ANd ditto for me. I couldn’t have said it better myself. Balance is where it’s at. Shows and the business may be good for self esteem and pocketbook, but the excitement of the blank page and the ideas rushing in – that’s what it’s about- and that’s what must always be maintained. THe rose, well, that’s pretty scrumptious too. And the red hair I see – yum.

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The painting is stunning, but your accomplishment for year 2006 are staggering! Good for you! I’m very amazed that you can keep you art such a priority and still have a normal job. And date! Something I really need to work on!

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I loved what you said about a question that can only be answered by another question. Your words are always inspiring, Jana. And gosh, this painting is grand. Rendering glass must be one of the hardest things to do. The “France” at he bottom made me smile.
To art — our raison d’être!

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Jana, this is so very beautiful. I looked at it last night, but didn’t have time to comment and woke up at 2am thinking how lovely it is. You mentioned that you used to project one of your own photographs and trace the outlines on your paper—is that how this one is done? The paint application and the colors are just exquisite!!

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Wow! I’m stunned by all the compliments. Thanks everyone. I’m glad you liked it.

Laura, Yes I did trace this one from my photo, but I don’t remember if I used a light box or my artograph opaque projector. I bought both of those tools just before I joined EDM and pretty much stopped using them once I regained my drawing ability. Every now and then I’ll still use the lightbox for things that have to be pretty exact when I’m in a hurry. I know that if I took my time I could get the drawing right without them–I did that with a drawing of a horse last summer–it came out fine. But sometimes I’m impatient and I just want to get to the painting which to me is the most fun, so I’ll trace the basic shapes.

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