I love the current series I'm working on. I call it "Specimens" and it combines my Mandala and Roadside Weeds series by being in a circle (sort of) and highlighting the chaos of the plants growing and twisting together. Like in the Roadside Weed series, I look up the medicinal uses for the plants and also see what I can find in terms of folklore of the plant in history - as well as mentions in poetry. I take these bits and pieces of information and write them into the between places in the paintings. I'm also painting little pollinators on separate pieces of paper then collaging them onto the canvas.
The painting below is my most recent finished Specimens painting, Specimens 4, oil on canvas with oil on paper collage, 24" x 24".
I say "currently working on" but in fact my work on that series is on hold while I paint smaller paintings to sell during the holiday season. I'm not sure if that is what I should be doing or not, but I do enjoy selling the smaller paintings for people to use for gift-giving. I don't even have anything from the Specimens series for sale, so this is also income for now.
There are a few plans I'm holding in my head until I can get back into the swing on Specimens - after painting so many tiny paintings the last few months I'm going to switch to a big 48" canvas for at least one Specimens painting. The more detailed plans I'm keeping to myself for now!
One new adventure I'm going to undertake is applying for 2023 art fairs. I have a lot of experience with similar large events in the past - but never really for my own work. By the end of 2023 I hope to have a better hold on what my timeline for the year should look like and better able to make good decisions for 2024. I'm open to art fair recommendations or suggestions for anything regarding my planning. Please leave a comment if you have an idea. <3
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