Hello 2012

2011 was a banner year for me and my art. I’d like more of the same for 2012, please!

Looking back at my original plans for 2011, my idea of simplification worked out very well. I focused down on just the things that had worked for me before, and eliminated a lot of fluff. It really paid off.

I meant to start painting bigger paintings in my new bigger studio (especially once I got it lit). As it turns out, I finished several large paintings (triptychs) in 2011, each of which sold as soon as I showed it. That includes my largest painting to date, “Wind Wolves Triptych” at 7.5 feet wide:

Wind Wolves Triptych by Barbara J Carter, 2011, acrylic on canvas, 40x90 inches

I used to write up elaborate “business plans” for my art business each year. In 2011 I did away with this practice. It didn’t really affect what I did or how well things went during the year, but it certainly added to the amount of work I put myself through each January, writing up the plan.

No more of that! Last year I just made a broad outline for my year, with an eye to drastically streamline my process. A big part of the streamlining was only applying to two art festivals for the year, one in the spring and one in the fall. Luckily for me this worked out perfectly. I was accepted into both, and both shows were terrific events for me. Lots of my art went home with people! I hope to repeat it this year, though I am thinking about adding a third show to the mix just in case I don’t get into both of my “usual” shows.

I also participated in a few other exhibitions that came my way. I showed my newest and biggest abstract dot painting “Straightening” in the Open Show at the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery in 2011. I was very proud of this big, ambitious piece and wanted to get it “out there.”

"Straightening" painting by Barbara J Carter, 2011, acrylic on canvas, 3x3 feet

detail of "Straightening"

Alas, getting my painting into that show was hardly a major coup, since the 2011 show was not juried. That means that anyone who showed up with art in hand (and the entry fee) would get their work hung in the show. Not exactly a prestigious, exclusive show for my resume, but at least it got my work out of the studio.

Happily, this painting later sold to a very sweet couple who have bought from me before. One of them admired it, and so the other secretly bought it as a Christmas present. The absolute best way to give art as a present! It was my final sale of 2011. What a great way to usher out a busy but wonderful year.

Here’s hoping 2012 is just as good!

Advertisement