I DID IT! I pushed past doubt & fear and created a colorful, fun mini series!

“Outside of your comfort zone is where the magic happens” - Anonymous

Ok, here’s the deal - I like my comfort zones. I can’t tell you how many times I say “I gotta get out more” and venture to new locations or “I gotta trust my gut” and just be creative. TRUTH - I love honoring and painting your pets, and I think I’m pretty darn good at it ;) - but , I always follow a reference picture so my creativity is basically already laid out for me. When it would come to just putting shapes, color or design ideas down on a canvas I would kinda panic. Could I do it? Are my color choices right? Is this too realistic? Too cutesy? Should I sharpen that line? Let imperfection win? Any doubtful question I could think of I did. Imposter syndrome is real. But I have learned to push through. I was one of 43 artists chosen to create 24 mini’s in a juried art show - the catch? They had to be cohesive in some way and only 6” x 6”. I paint one off’s - never a series, and usually large. I decided on a whim to go out of my comfort zone and submitted my proposal. I mean, if not now, when?

Here it is:

“The world can seem very dim. Hate, prejudice, politics, fear - you name it, it’s there. At some point, we are ALL affected by darkness. The pieces that I choose to create for this exhibit are the exact opposite. In this small piece collection, I plan on using fun shapes and designs in bright, cohesive colors. These pieces, combined with other materials are sure to make us feel full of love, relaxed, happy and alive”

I hope I achieved what I set out to do for anyone who sees this collection - but if not, I did achieve it for myself! Painting relaxes AND empowers me. Art is healing. With everything going on in the world today from countries at war, social injustices and the current political year banter on social media - I think we all could use a little healing in our lives. I know I can. The colors I chose make my heart happy - bright and vibrant. The shapes are definitely fun watching them turn into whimsical flowers and movement and the personalities of the furry ones just plain old make me smile! I truly enjoyed getting out of my comfort zone with these and I hope you enjoy them too.

As always, thanks so much for your support!