NEWSLETTER

It has been over a year now since I sent out an update from my website. It has been on my list of things to do for months now, but for some reason (some of you might relate) I just never got around to it… The end of this year however is close and I have been reflecting on a lot of things recently and given the state of the weather it seems wiser to stay at home and just get some things done. Part of my procrastination is due to the fact that I have done very little painting in 2022. A lot of us have felt the weight of the last few years and I had some additional challenges this year to contend with. Don’t you just love the word “challenges” - it is overused but it does cover a lot of situations. I am not alone in this I know but I was overwhelmed at times and did not have the motivation or capacity to paint.

The good news for me on a personal level is that things are more stable now and I am excited about trying some new things again. I have also moved back into Vancouver and I am delighted everyday to be “back in town”. On another positive note, earlier in the spring I was awarded Senior Signature Status with the Federation of Canadian Artists. I know it sounds corny to say, but I was thrilled when I got the phone call letting me know. I have done a few paintings this fall and am in process with a couple of others (see below). I also recently accepted an invitation to do a spring workshop for the FCA on Abstraction which I am looking forward to. Painting can be hard work and is frustrating at times but art provides a sense of accomplishment and joy in my life and so I intend to make it a priority in 2023.

Speaking of 2023 some of the words I would like to hear less of in the coming year are what I think of as the “UN”words such as UNcertainty, UNprecedented and UNsettled. For many of us much of what we have thought of as normal ( from politics to weather ) has been turned up side down. To think that life will slow down and revert to what “we knew” is naive but my hope is that in the coming year that the degree to which we feel “UNbalanced” by all these events will be less frequent. At the risk of sounding like a pollyanna (or a pageant queen) I am hoping for and wishing for all of us a more peaceful, healthy and joy filled New Year.

Linda