Happy New Year! I hope 2025 brings all the things you want, wish, desire. Personally, I'll be quite happy to see the back-end of 2024...not my favourite year TBH. And because I truly believe "Thoughts Become Things" let's not dwell on the past and move forward, shall we?
Big Things
- Our trip to the Yukon (FINALLY!) is ON! For my US friends think Alaska (and a little to the right). From Nova Scotia that's 5000km (3000mi). An epic journey for which we are SO. READY. Probably leaving before the May 24 weekend, pending all van (Van Wilider!*) upgrades and we'll be away a few months. Very, very excited.
- I plunged and enrolled in Let's Face It, a year long course/classes/school put on by Kara Bullock which I have added, deleted, added, deleted to my cart a host of times. What made me push the button? The three months of upcoming winter! And I'll have all Fall to resume classes. It focusses ONLY on portraiture/figurative work and I'm here for it.
In that vein, I've had 3 portraits sitting in my studio for THE LAST YEAR (read here). I've added to them, slapped collage on them, removed the faces, re-added their faces and generally fucked around with them for far too long. So I'm pushing through to get them done by Class start (uhm in two days!). The hardest one, the one that's given me conniption fits, made me rethink my strategies and art skills more than a dozen times, is DONE! Well. At least I'm calling her done. And she's pretty darned close to where I wanted her to be. All. Good. The other two? Coming Up.
I'll leave you with these words from Neil Gaiman I came across maybe 20years ago and they are still THE best New Year's wishes I can think of:
May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful, and don't forget to make some art -- write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself.
