December Musings; Goodbye 2024!
How is it almost the end of 2024?! I thought last year whizzed by, but the whole of 2024 has gone so fast its been a bit of a blur! I normally write these blogs religiously every month but this year I have had to miss a few due to work commitments and lack of time.
I’m currently writing this months blog a few days before Christmas as there will be no chance once Father Christmas has paid us a visit, family arrive and the festivities properly kick in! My kids finished school for the Christmas holidays today and the excitement seems to be growing by the minute. I’ve already decided after a bit of blog writing we are going to make mince pies and gingerbread biscuits whilst popping on the Christmas songs. I do love Christmas, but first a bit of blog writing….
To get into my ‘Blog writing’ head I read through 2023’s December blog and it all seems like so much longer than a year ago, both because of the speed it has flown by and comparing where I was then to where I am now! It’s always good to reflect on the year and I quite enjoy reviewing and looking back over what I have achieved over the last 12 months - what can I say, it’s the planner in me!
I also read through the plans and intentions I had in this years January blog as a reminder of my targets for 2024. There were events that didn’t happen such as exhibiting at a local coffee shop, I also didn’t contact any galleries or enter any competitions, and that’s fine as other opportunities arose and I took those instead. What did surprise me was the progress I have made and directions I have taken.
One of the first changes I made for my work was having my pieces professionally framed with non reflective glass; I always thought I would do this, just further down the line. I have mentioned my love of non reflective glass before in previous blogs, and I cannot stress the positive impact this has had on my pieces. I am a convert!
My work is all about the detail and the non reflective glass allows the viewer to see each mark and line. It is costly but for me and the type of work I am currently creating it is an investment, it is reflected my pricing, and I think my pieces deserve and should be displayed in the best possible way. As the artist, if I do not value them and think they should be invested in then how can a potential buyer?! Have I sold it to you yet?
With my newly professionally framed pieces, I exhibited for the first time at Landmark Art Fair in May. Not only did I catch up with several artists I know from previous fairs, I met some amazing new artists and chatted to some lovely people. As well as selling a few smaller pieces and prints, I sold my first ‘big’ piece. The Hummingbird piece had quite an emotional effect on my client for very personal reasons and I loved that she chose it. It Is one of my favourite pieces and I’m so happy its found its new home.
I loved creating the Hummingbird and Tanager series and whilst working on these pieces I used to watch the British birds in my garden and always wondered how aware they were of each other and whether they interacted when in the trees and humans weren’t watching. This led to the British bird minis and the four large pieces depicting British birds during each season. Several minis sold and I received a lot of interest and lovely comments at Art:Surrey in the autumn, and from the feedback I have decided to sell the seasons pieces together as a set rather than individually; they do belong together!
The main focus this year which has been so much work and so much fun has been the book illustrations. After meeting the author Marielle Bayliss almost two years ago we have been developing an idea she had into a series of books. Earlier this year she took the manuscript for the first book along with several of my illustrated pages to her publisher. This led to the signing of a six book contract for 3-5 year olds and many hours of work which I can only describe as a passion project and a joy to be part of.
The illustrations have been my priority since September and I have immersed myself in the Neuron world exploring Neurodiversity through Epilepsy, Autism, DCD, Dyslexia, Tourette syndrome and ADHD. I am currently finishing off the fifth book and will complete the sixth by mid January, leaving me a few weeks to check and tweak the 164 illustrations! It’s been such an amazing experience, a massive learning curve and I have loved it all! I cannot wait until they are all published in April. And yes I would love to illustrate the series for the next age group! Watch this space!
Now that my work is stepping up a notch the work/life balance has become very real! This is amazing but it has also meant I have needed to plan my time and prioritise. I am definitely honing my time management abilities and juggling skills at the moment!
As well as the work side being pretty full on the life side has also increased in its busyness this year. My eldest started secondary school in September and although he has settled in brilliantly it is such a big transition for him and the whole family, what with the increase in homework, exams and snippets of the teen years creeping in! We have also been planning the next phase of our ‘doer upper’ home which includes a new boiler and plumbing, converting the garage into a living room, gutting the spare room so my twins have their own bedroom (sob!) and…. building a studio in the garden (sooo excited!). It’s all plans that should lead to an exciting 2025! I will keep you posted!
2024 has been a year where my work has taken the next step and I am so happy that I took the opportunities when they arose. I am really looking forward to 2025 and all it holds; it has the potential to be busy but a good one!
Hope you had a wonderful Christmas and wishing you all the best for 2025!