Happy New Year! 2021 is off to a good start… I’ve had a chance to get a couple of rides and runs in, and I’m ready to get this party started.
2020 was my second year of running a small business, and while this had its challenges, it turned out to be a good year for me and my family. Thank you so much for your support during the last year. Thank you for reading my writing, following me on Facebook and Instagram, sending me kind messages, buying my work, and sharing my work with your friends and family… all of it helps keep me motivated and supports my artistic practice. Here are some of the things your support made possible in 2020:
My work was selected to be shown in the Prism small group exhibition at Gallery C3 in Charlotte at the beginning of the year.
I made some wellness videos in the spring. When COVID hit the US and lockdowns started, I wanted to share ways to relax and re-center yourself with yoga, drawing and watercolor.
Since I wasn’t able to teach in person, I created my first online course Little Watercolor Square. I learned a lot about the process and really enjoyed it. Thankfully I ended up doing more online teaching and coaching this year, and that has allowed me to reach more people and help more artists improve their skills and find their voices.
ArtPop Street gallery awarded me a billboard with my work on it! Thank you ArtPop Street Gallery, Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, and Lamar Advertising for making this possible.
I won a placement of my work at PTI airport for a year starting in July. This led to my first five-figure sale of a single painting.
Innovation Quarter commissioned me to paint a mural along the Long Branch trail in Winston-Salem this summer. That mural was featured on the front page of the Winston-Salem Journal and I was interviewed about the painting process with WXLV, our local abc station.
The podcast Terrific Tips for Business invited me on for a conversation about running a business as an artist amidst a year of craziness.
My solo exhibition Hold us in the light opened at Elder Gallery of Contemporary Art in November, featuring paintings I made this year. You can see it till mid February.
I donated a portion of my sales to Yadkin Riverkeeper, Second Harvest Food bank and the NAACP. Teaming up with local nonprofits and being able to help in a meaningful way has been one of my favorite parts of running my own business.
Thank you for helping make all of this possible! Let’s make 2021 a great year.