2017 Year in Review
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"Breakthrough," 18 x 36" acrylic and pencil on canvas by Lea K. Tawd
2017 was an intense year, there's no getting around it. The politics alone, plus several natural disasters that affected members of my family and friend circle were enough to cause some crippling anxiety. Toddler transitions and teenager transitions abounded. We were super lucky to have been home--and awake--when our house nearly caught on fire from an electrical issue, so were able to catch it before any real damage was done.
But not everything was bad! I got to participate in the Women's March with a great group of mom-friends and our kids, an experience that super-charged me with a lot of great energy. I had an amazing spiritual experience near the end of the year that inspired me to learn some new skills and intensify my art work (more on that in a future post!). And in between I made several new friends, had the chance to get closer to some old ones, started a meditation practice, and made lots of art.
My year in art was especially exciting. I had more commissions and sales of original paintings than ever before. I spent the year selling my work at Artistic Portland, where I met a lot of new friends and great connections before I had to make the difficult decision to leave at the end of the year. Difficult but good--my time is very constrained and I realized that a co-op gallery isn't the right fit for me when I can't put the hours in that I need to.
I was lucky enough to be able to participate in Alyson Stanfield's Big Table Art Retreat, where I really focused on some business goals and met more new friends! I pushed my knowledge of mixed media with my series of Painting in the Solstice 6 x 6" paintings (and sold all but 2 of them!). Finally, I can say that I made some of my best work to date with "Breakthrough," "Whisper," and "Storyteller."
All of this adds up to being able to offer more of myself to all of you! I am really excited for the upcoming year. I will have more stories to tell you, art work to share with you, and classes to offer you.
Thank YOU for supporting me and my art in whatever way you do. <3
Happy New Year!