One blog post for all of 2023. That’s it. ONE.

Believe me, if I had produced any kind of finished artwork at all, I would have shared it here. But other than spending an inordinate amount of time tinkering with endless colour variations for a new painting that was never completed (see image below), and that one raspberry-coloured self-portrait, 2023’s art output was a bit of a bust.

There are many reasons why the art never really manifested itself, but most of it can be boiled down to two reasons: work and depression. By late 2022, all of my closest friends at the office had moved on to bigger and better things, and I was left with a serious case of “feeling left behind” and lonely, and that really sapped my creativity. What kept me going was the carrot that had been dangled over me for some months: a much longed-for promotion, which I eventually got in the Spring.

And then my job just took over my life! Things were made worse by the fact that the Writers’ and Actors’ strikes had wiped out any employment possibilities for quite a few people in the FX and Animation industry (including my husband), so any job I had, no matter how stressful, was one that I was grateful for and intended to hang onto for dear life.

Also, to be perfectly honest, the self-portraits happened out of necessity, but at this point, I think I may have said everything I needed to say with them. What that New Direction is, I’m still not sure, but it might be something completely different from anything I’ve done before. Stay tuned…!