Happy new year! It’s a fresh year and that’s a good time to launch a new website! Hurray! To celebrate I am sharing this brand new little painting called “Northern Lights Party For One”. It shows the Sasquatch enjoying a private viewing of the northern lights in the mountains. To me this image represents a positive outlook on the year ahead, even though we still have challenges to overcome.
Much has happened, and 2020 was a very different and difficult year worldwide. We are still in the midst of a pandemic. Much has been lost, many are grieving loved ones, so much has changed, and the stress is significant and ongoing. I won’t pretend that all is well because it isn’t. However I am making the very best of things and finding unexpected gifts in this year of social isolation and working from home.
I decided last year that I needed to update my website. So I hired Nicole Bottles to make me a new one. Thanks Nicole! If you need web design services or fibre arts or yoga you really ought to hire her! Here is her website:
It’s exciting to get this fresh new set up and to learn all about how to keep it current with my studio happenings. I’m enjoying the learning process which includes becoming more savvy with social media marketing too. I’m revitalizing my studio business and taking more steps along the road of “re-emerging artist”. I feel like I’m constantly re-emerging, having to rebuild my career as an artist again and again. But I never stopped making art so that actually remains a constant. I’ve also been teaching art for over 20 years now. It’s just my public presence and marketing of my work that has waxed and waned over the years. Now it’s time put myself out there and shine!
This goes hand in hand with something I was surprised by during the pandemic while teaching art from home – I actually love making videos! So my YouTube channel is now bursting with art studio videos, including art lessons, demonstrations, pep talks, and time lapse videos of art in progress. This new explosion of videos came about because of my teaching job with the Saanich Adult Education Centre. Our school board decided that we would all work from home and teach virtually through the pandemic to keep the WSANEC (Saanich) community safe. I’m so grateful for that. It wasn’t easy adapting to this new way of teaching, but I have learned a ton of new skills, and found a new creative outlet with shooting and editing video! Please visit my YouTube channel and sample a few of my latest videos. Here is a recent video showing how I made the Northern Lights Party for One painting:
To finish up I’ll say a big WELCOME to my new website! There’s lots of artwork to see, both new and past projects. My blog will have news posts as well as an archive of posts from my previous website. Also new is the Student Portal, which as of today is still in development. This will be a password protected space for my art students to visit and enjoy online galleries, resources and art lessons. I hope you like everything you see here. I hope it gives you a lift and a smile during challenging times.
Best wishes to you for a positive year ahead!
Caroline