2015 has come to a close and overall it’s been a good year for me in the art world. As long as I’m taking advantage of opportunities and doing things that I’ve never done before, then I feel like I’m progressing.
So what were the big things that happened to me this year?
New Job

This is an uber win and a great way to finish out the year in strength. I left a temporary position in the summer to accept a contract-to-hire position with another company. Arguably this wasn’t the most ideal job but it was better than what I had at the time. Unfortunately it turned out to be the wrong right fit and my contact was not renewed.
But God is faithful and after two months of searching I found a job with a small marketing firm. I started my new job on the first of December and am thrilled to be back in the work force again as a PERMANENT employee! Best early Christmas present ever!
Finally I have some money where I can put some of my earnings toward my passion!
New Venues and Adventures
Again, I’m always on the hunt for new venues and places to show. Social media has played a huge role in networking with other artists and finding out about opportunities to show work. I continued to show at some of the same places but I also branched out to places that I hadn’t been to before.
Gallery Twenty-Two
Not only is Twenty- Two my favorite place to be for figure drawing on Monday nights, they’re also one of my favorite gallery spaces for monthly art shows. Approximately once a quarter, they do a group show and invite artists of all levels to participate. I definitely enjoy partaking in the group shows.
“It’s Not You It’s Me” (Self Portraits)

“Let The Good Times Roll”
“Vertical Katz”
“Witches’ Brew”

My “Angry Kitty” up top
“Facets”
“Love Ya To The Moon And Back”
“We Hold Fast To Our Hope”
Hart Witzen Gallery
In November Hart Witzen Gallery, an established gallery in the NoDa district hosted a Fall Free for All for local artists to show their work. The event was just for one night but there were over 100 participants, and the artists received 100% commission on all work sold!
Hart Witzen did a beautiful job hanging all of the art and the turnout was excellent. There were also artists who owned studios across the street from the gallery who opened up their space in conjunction with the event. Even more art to see!
Mint Hill Arts
Located on Lawyers Road near Matthews Mint Hill Road, Mint Hill is a non-profit art organization that supports local artists. It is a small space that packs a big punch. I joined this organization mid-year and found their annual dues and show entree fees to be very affordable. Mint Hill Arts hosts monthly shows plus two annual juried shows for winter and spring.
“The Perimeter (BottomRight) at BB&T Mint Hill
“Everlasting Love” at the Bill and Ann Litaker Juried Art Show
They also have partnerships with the BB&T Bank’s Mint Hill Branch, Mint Hill Chamber of Commerce and the Town Hall to do offsite exhibits. Members of these groups will select a small number of works from Mint Hill Arts’ current exhibit to be shown in their own space the following month. I’m happy to say that this year I’ve already had four pieces that were selected for display at BB&T and the Chamber of Commerce.
Sold More Originals This Year
This was a good year for selling originals. I sold a total of five original pieces this year although most of the works were no larger than 11″ x 14″. But hey, an original is an original, right? One was a skatedeck, another an old 11″x 14″ that I had for years, and the last three were small original sketches no larger than 6″ x 8.”

“Celebrating The Spirit of David”
“Moon Kisses”
“How Shooting Stars Came To Be”
I’ve been concentrating on making large originals for so long that I overlooked the value of creating smaller works. Smaller works for the most part are easier and faster to produce and for me lately it’s attracted more buyers.
Launched My First Newsletter
This was one of those projects that was long overdue. I finally collected enough email addresses to start a monthly newsletter and for the most part I’ve done a pretty decent job with keeping it up.
Newsletters are great for several reasons as it allows you a) the ability to reach an audience that is not on any social media sites, b) to share any new recently completed works, and c) announce upcoming events that I’m participating in.
I use an app called MailChimp which allows you to create your newsletter template quite easily. Once you’ve added the email addresses to the mailing list, then you can launch your newsletter.
Well that’s it and perhaps that’s enough. I feel good about the year and with more projects swirling about my head, I’m definitely ready to do more in 2016.