My Year In Paint 2016 | Part Two

Published on December 13, 2016

Hey there! Welcome back to My Year In Paint 2016 series. If you’re just stopping by for the first time be sure to CLICK HERE to see Part One that posted yesterday.

Basically, to cap off 2016 in full color, all this week I’ll be sharing a glimpse of some of the paintings I created month-to-month. I hope that you enjoy this reflection as well and that it encourages you to review your 2016 by the art work you created. I bet you’ll be surprised by what nuggets of wisdom and a-ha moments you’ll find buried in the progression of your marks, subject matter, and approach.

Now here’s the tour of April, May, and June…

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APRIL 2016

April, if it was anything at all, it certainly was lively.

I began with the greatest of intentions to zone in on my drawing skills by following the lead of the lovely Roxanne Coble in her 30 Day Drawing Challenge. But three days in I learned some very unsettling news. Almost instantly I dropped my pens and art journal and ran for my paintbrushes. It felt like the only thing to do to make sense of the dark abyss I was suddenly facing with my torn open, trembling heart.

Goodness I know…it sounds ridiculously dramatic.

Except I sincerely remember feeling this way at the time. FEARLESS® Painting really helped me sort through some difficult news and heal layers of inner debris I had no idea I’d been carrying around.

When you see the painting below in all it’s glory, maybe you’ll understand.

At the time I wasn’t able to share this painting. I showed bits and pieces of it over on Instagram — but it was something that felt too raw, too personal to show in its fullness.

Now, months later, it still possesses great medicine for me — but the vulnerability it stirred up no longer stings the same way.

This is something I really know true about my FEARLESS® Painting practice. It has its own relevance, purpose and even narrative during the time I paint it — but then, after the dust of time begins to build, I am always able to hold it in a different — much softer way. This is also the time when it feels the ripest to share. Especially when the work is deep and so freaking personal, like the painting above.

Also in April, and I don’t remember if it was before/after/during the same time as the early painting — but I had a HUGE BREAKTHROUGH with the painting that I started in February. Basically it was all starting to feel way too heavy. So one night I just took out my scissors and cut a good portion of the painting away and ripped it to shreds.

Talk about cathartic.

Now, this sweet angel hangs out in my studio and definitely is still speaking to me in big ways today.

Gosh, I love her so much — and seriously, what a blessing she was to have around — especially during the time when I was painting through some fierce energy.

I mentioned to you already that I love FEARLESS® Painting — right?!?!!!

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MAY 2016

I kicked off May 2016 in Miami, Florida!!!!

My family and dear friends gathered in Miami to celebrate Phoenix’s fourth birthday! (Yeah, we’re not your typical family.) After a beautiful long weekend swimming in the crystal blue waters and kayaking the Atlantic (!!!!!!!!), we made our way up to West Palm Beach where I hosted my workshop POETIC.

Here’s a look at the demos I created during this absolutely fun workshop with some amazing ladies that I love!

Another great treat about being in Florida was getting to paint side-by-side with my dear friend Mary — just like we used to do when we were teenagers in high school!

Here is some of the work that surfaced…

While I was in Florida I also spent some time exploring some figurative drawings that are going to be the foundation for a workshop I plan to offer in 2017.

Your in luck…I haven’t shared a peek at them until now. Here you go!

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JUNE 2016

June was all about roadtripping, camping, and kayaking!! But of course I squeezed a bit of painting into all of that activity — mostly while in the car, but still!

We began with a day trip to Sedona. Yes, we go there a lot. But this time we were looking to hang out in an area we hadn’t been to before and we found it!

Another weekend we headed up north to Payson, Arizona where we went kayaking at Blue Ridge Reservoir.

The drive up I did some sweet little sketches! Then after our kayaking excursion we broke open a watermelon and did some sketching too! Hello Summer in Arizona!

We capped off June with a camping trip at Willow Spring Lake in Heber, Arizona. We brought our beloved dog Nyla with us too. A couple weeks later in August Nyla passed away. She was 16 years old and we had quite a few adventures together over her long, beautiful life — so it was such a blessing to have one last one.