2012: A Year in Review

"Twilight Birch Triptych"

2012 was such a rollercoaster ride for me artistically that I don't know quite where to begin or end. I began the year with a painting in the Duluth Art Institute's Annual Membership Show titled Twilight Birch Triptych which was purchased by a collector from the twin cities. It was a great way to kick off the year, and I began some serious artistic soul searching through the winter months of 2012, producing several paintings which would refine my style and set the course for the work to be produced throughout the year.

Early in 2012 I began working with Sivertson Gallery in Grand Marais, MN. I originally sent up five works on canvas, each approx. 12"x16" in size or so ... to see how my work would fit within their gallery. Long story short, those five canvases were sold there within the first couple months of 2012 and so began the adventure that is too detailed to describe in a short paragraph. Throughout the year, I sent up box after box of canvases only to be asked for more. My strategy of working small and fast seemed to jive with what people were collecting and looking for. While I'm thankful for the many comments and sales, I do know that 2013 will be even more exciting and I have a nice supply of canvases ready to go as I will be working with Siiviis Gallery in Duluth as well as Sivertson in Grand Marais, and I can't wait to see what will become. While I do endeavor to chart my own course artistically, I'm also inspired by collectors and people who appreciate my work and who help give me direction and clarity.

Throughout 2012 I continued to work with Lizzards Art Gallery in Duluth, and many pieces have been sold there and the owner, Jeff, is a great advocate for the arts in the community and also a great person to work with. Because Jeff opened his gallery to me early on in my career, he has a nice retrospective of work, from my early landscapes to my latest work, I love to go there to see how things have changed and progressed over the past year. In December, four pieces were sold, and I'd love to know who received them as gifts and how they feel about them. I may never know, but hearing from people on how my work impacts them is often my favorite part about being an artist.

Tree to Tree opened their gallery to me as well in 2012, selling several cardinal themed canvases and offering a unique place to display my work along the scenic north shore in Two Harbors, MN.

Finally, Blue Lake Gallery asked me to have a show for their annual Art for Earth Day Gallery Hop. I titled the show 'Tremendous Trees' and it was tremendous indeed, I painted at a feverish pace to create over 30 canvases for the show. I continued to work with Blue Lake over the course of 2012, and they are a wonderful gallery with an awesome assortment of 2D and 3D art. I've been thankful for their partnership and assistance and wish them all the best into 2013 and beyond.

I suppose I couldn't end this post without mentioning the summer shows I had the opportunity and to be a part of. Jitters was the first stop on a coffee shop tour. The show at Jitters was titled Urban Oasis and for the first time I set out to paint buildings. While the work was well received, it was difficult to produce and I found myself struggling for the first time through difficult subject matter. A few images from the show can be seen here. The show also featured several landscapes that were deep in color and collected by people from Duluth and Grand Marais. After that show, I hung 25 new works at The Vanilla Bean in Two Harbors for my next show Intimate Landscapes. Again, the work was well received and it was the most successful show I've ever had. The best part about that show was talking to people about the work via email, phone, and in person, several asking for works they had seen and vividly described. I shipped several works and wished the show could go on, but all good things must come to and end, and so after that show I worked feverishly once again to produce several large scale pieces for a show at Beaner's Central Coffeehouse in Duluth titled Awesome Autumn. The show was so captivating, as the walls were painted in warm orange and yellow tones, and the work looked so much like it was supposed to be there.

...and all I can say is a heartfelt thank you to all who have collected my work and encouraged my with kind words, ideas and inspiration. Ed Newman's piece on my work was so much fun to read, The Playlists's feature on my work was so fun to view, the North Shore Art Scene's help in publishing my work online ... along with all the gallery and collector help has made 2012 a year I will never forget.

Happy New Year and all my best!
God bless :)
-A