January...was actually something of a recuperation period for me, after all the rush and burnout of Christmas-time commissions and sales. No masterpieces that month. February turned out a little better. In addition to working on more commissions and teaching, I got to play with my paints and went to see a great watercolor show in Fallbrook. My husband, meanwhile, was working on this very website! He really deserves a lot of credit for my success as an artist. Thank you dear :)

 

March was pretty productive...especially taking into consideration my very much pregnant state at that point!

 

In April, I had my baby girl! Hands down, my best piece yet :)

 

May was a bit short on the painting and sleeping side and very generous on the feeding/changing/being overwhelmed side. I did start a full sheet painting of a girl with a sea shell that is still in progress. The ambition!

 

June brought me a workshop at the Burning House Art Studio (which was fun!) and a "featured artist" pat on the back from Blick.

 

July. Teaching and commissions. One of them was this:

 

August was busy. More commissions, more classes, and getting ready for the solo show in September! The painting below was actually a class demo:

 

The big event in September was FACES, my solo portrait show. A lot of work (especially by my above-mentioned husband, who made almost all the frames from scratch).  Once the show opened, I was able to relax a bit and eventually, paint a few pieces :)

 

In October, I participated in the one and only outdoor event this year, our local Silver Lakes Arts&Crafts fair. I also managed to do a Virtual Paintout painting, among several other small pieces.

 

In November, I had the super-awesome Gratitude Giveaway (most of which happened on my Facebook fan page). It felt good giving back to the people who keep giving me their support and encouragement! I also got quite a few 6x6" paintings done for the 20x20 Small Works show at the Eclipse. I am picking up what's left of them today and will be listing them for sale soon.

 

And December! There has been a lot of packing and shipping, which is good, but also makes me really want an intern for these less than glamorous tasks. Anyone want to be my intern? ;)

So there you go..."12 best of 12" :) Not a bad year at all. May 2013 be even better! Happy New Year!