2016 - looking back on my year

   Coolum Beach Panorama - oil on canvas 610 mm x 1210 mm

A few years ago, I compiled a list for the year summarising my activities for the year. I decided to do one for 2016. (The highlighted text indicates a link to the relevant blog post.)

- Exhibitions: Rotary Art Spectacular 2016; Lethbridge 10,000; Botanique 

- I've written 52 Blog posts here on Art Matters - and kept to my plan of posting an average of one per week.

-Recreating Family memories – I painted images from a family album as a  Christmas gift. 

-Red Bubble – my online shop was set up showcasing several products with  images of my work.

-Etsy – new paintings were added throughout the year

-Website makeover – predictably this was a time sink, although it was worthwhile in the  end.

-Experimentation with process videos – ongoing – there's lots to learn...

-Portraits – continued exploration – my Portrait of Dan won a prize at Nundah  Art Exhibition – and experiments with a new surface – Ampersand Claybord 

-Tasmania – a wonderful short, inspiring holiday

-Illustration commission to re-create old photographs for the Highlands House  commemorative booklet.

-Plein air sketching throughout the year – not as often as I would have liked, perhaps something to plan for in 2017.

May your new year be filled with happiness and an abundance of creativity.

Looking back - looking forward

This has been a momentous year for me.  Although I knew that at some stage this year I would be able to make more definite plans to move to Australia, there was no certainty in terms of time.

I seemed to spend large chunks of the year involved with paperwork of one kind or another. Bureaucracy carries the burden of consuming much in the way of the world’s resources in terms of time and paper. So often I would complete lengthy forms only to find that they were misplaced and would have to be supplied once more. Call centres became the bane of my existence. Eventually all was in order, and I could make final plans.

Keeping creative while living in a state of transition is difficult, but fortunately, during the year  I had an important group show,  ConglomerART at artSPACE Durban to work towards.

Sinister Pools triptych each 915mm x 610mm ©Carol Lee Beckx

This was the second show by a group of artists who had completed the Artists’ Professional Practice Course facilitated by KZNSA (Kwa Zulu Natal Society of Artists)The first  exhibition was Big Night Out. The theme of my paintings was landscape - particularly the Drakensberg Mountains of Kwa Zulu Natal, South Africa and the cityscapes of the Drive Home series. The river in the painting above has a very interesting history. I will be writing more about this painting in a future blog.

Giving a workshop on drawing with ink and doing painting demonstrations for a couple of art groups gave me the opportunity to re-kindle my love of teaching. Teaching will certainly be part of my plan for the coming year.

Protea Cyranoides II Pen& ink 117mm X 165mm

©Carol Lee Beckx

Living without a sense of time is disconcerting so I needed to plan how to make best use of the year to prepare for my future.

The first most important step was to create my own website. I used specialist designers, but in actuality, I did most of the design work myself. By nature I have definite ideas of how I want things to look, so it was a case of telling them what I wanted.

Once the  website went live, I could take the next step and start writing a blog – Art matters. I wanted to reinforce my online presence as this is now essential for any artist.

I found that writing has given me a sense of continuity and purpose. Words have helped me work through the many different moods and emotions that a period of transition creates. I have found it fascinating that my readers hail from such different parts of the world – countries that I never expected to find anyone interested in my blog. Thank you for visiting and I hope that you will continue to do so in the New Year.

I wish you peace, happiness and a creative New Year.