Reflecting on 2024 and Looking Forward to 2025

As we count down the days of 2024, I can't help but reflect on the last 12 months, on the paintings I created, the people I've met throughout the year and the many new experiences I've had.

Before I dice into some of my thoughts on 2024, I'd like to take a moment and thank all of you for subscribing to this newsletter, and for the support throughout the year, whether it's through a kind word or purchase of an art piece. I truly appreciate each and every one of you.

From a painting perspective, my goal for the year was to focus mostly on 12x9 inch paintings. In 2023 I painted a lot of smaller paintings and I felt it was time to take a step up in size in 2024. I also wanted to focus more on details and create more realistic paintings without going for a hyper realistic looks.

As I look back on my paintings this year, I feel like I accomplished what I wanted to. With a few exceptions, most paintings from 2024 are 12x9. The landscapes I painted I spent a lot of time on and I feel happy with the finished product and the detail. The “Palmer Water Tower” painting, "Feels Like Christmas," the "Lunch Mountain Cabin" and “Soaring Over Matanuska Peak” are a few examples where getting the details right was important to me.

I also ventured into non-landscape paintings. “My Beauty In The Buff” and the two cat paintings are a few examples of non-landscape paintings I attempted this year just to expand my horizons a bit and try something new. The goal with these was also to achieve a realistic looks without being hyper realistic and to prepare for more portraits and animal paintings.

I also spent quite a bit of time on flowers. Forget-me-not's, Lupine and Fireweed all featured in paintings throughout the year. I've found that these type of paintings also look great as greeting cards, so these paintings provide a great opportunity to share the beauty of Alaska with others.

I also started experimenting with painting on black paper. “Rearview Radiance” and “Feels Like Christmas” were both painted on black paper. The painting process is different, but the results are impressive and I intend to continue to use black paper for certain paintings in the new year.

Yet, for every painting completed, there's at least two ideas that I did not have time to start. For example, there are at least a handful of paintings based on scenery from Hatcher Pass I'd like to tackle. There are several more Alaskan flowers paintings I did not get around to. There are numerous other scenery paintings from around Alaska that are also on my list. I also didn't get around to painting as many Christmas Ornaments as I wanted to (I started too late).

2024 was also the first time for me displaying my art in the community. Through the Palmer Museum's Artist of the Week program, I was able to showcase my paintings at the museum for a week in August. While there during that week, I met a number of people from different walks of life and made new connections in the art community that will open new opportunities in the future.

"My Beauty In The Buff" also hung on display at Blaine's Art in Anchorage during the month of November, which presented me with several opportunities to connect with other local artist. It also won it's category at the Alaska State Fair.

But, the highlight was the response to my painting "Feels Like Christmas" that I completed in the weeks just before Christmas. Not only did I get an opportunity to meet the fine family that lives in the "Gingerbread House" but it was also heartwarming to see how many others feel the same way about the tastefully decorated house that warms our hearts every winter. The response was overwhelming! To those of you still waiting to get prints and greeting cards, once the holidays are over, the webstore will be back online. More to come in that!

Which brings us to 2025. What can you expect from me in 2025?

First of all, all the things I didn't get to in 2024, I am going to try to get back to this year. In other words, lots of scenery from southcentral Alaska, as well as flowers and such.

I'm also planning on painting larger paintings in 2025. Up to this point, 12x9 is the size I've limited myself to, but I'll be jumping up from that a bit this year. I'll still be painting 12x9 size and smaller paintings, it'll just be a mix of sizes. Of course, large paintings take longer so the larger they are, the fewer paintings I will have time for, so we'll see where we end up.

I also intend to reapply for the Artist of the Week program at the Palmer Museum this coming summer (assuming they continue with the program) and there are already plans for a month-long display in October. In addition, I expect to have another painting at Blaine's later in the spring. I'm also considering making more of an effort to get out to the various art fairs etc. throughout the year. If any of you have suggestions about events where you'd like to see my art, don't hesitate to let me know.

I have also received several requests for different formats, such as post cards, canvas prints, refrigerator magnets etc. Once January comes along, I'll start exploring different sources for some of these and I'll share more about what I'm thinking once I get further down that road. Along the same lines, I'm exploring how print on demand companies can help plug some holes for those of you that live outside the United States. Shipping internationally can get expensive very quickly, but I know from limited testing this past year that with print on demand from local printer, expensive shipping and customs charges can be virtually eliminated. More to come on that later.

Finally, expect to see more here through this newsletter about my painting progress. I'll be sharing how my most recent paintings, “Rearview Radiance” and “Feels Like Christmas”, came to be and the process of painting both of these. Expect to see the first post in this series in early January.

Thank you again to all of you and I hope to see more of you all in 2025!