National Watercolor Society (smile)

This week I shipped a large painting, City in the Morning, to the National Watercolor Member's Exhibition in San Pedro, CA. This is the second time I've been accepted into the NWS show, but I hope that there will be many more acceptances. Sadly, this isn't the show where I can apply for signature status. I've had paintings accepted into five national exhibits now since January 2011! Wow. I'm so excited and always grateful that I can pursue something I enjoy so much.

My sweet neighbor, Susan, has urged me to keep up with my blog and post this great news. My friends, sometimes it takes me a while to keep up with everything and that's because I am a WORKING artist. I am a working artist and I have one employee and it is.... me. If I'm not posting on blogs, or responding to your emails, then I'm probably painting, or framing or maybe cuttings mats, or perhaps purchasing frames and/or mats, or developing a workshop or calling/emailing workshop contacts, approaching a gallery, developing CD's to send out to galleries, writing press releases, writing magazine articles that I want to submit to watercolor publications, editing articles, attending a business meeting, delivering paintings somewhere, keyboarding in dates or workshop or exhibit information, committing to general business work so I can presume to be a good business woman, packing and shipping something, developing marketing plans, TEACHING or planning curriculum (this takes a tremendous part of my time because I'm overbooked with workshops and classes and the teacher must be organized), planning the next travel destination, renting cars or booking hotels or gathering art supplies and teaching equipment or taking photographs to use for my next painting, working en plein aire, or perhaps developing photos or drawing them or checking different online supply stores, comparing prices and ordering supplies or going to Office Depot for some silly thing I must have.

So, you see my friends, the work is never done; the day never ends, and there is oh, so much to do.

When do I paint? I try to paint every single day in the early morning when I am at my freshest and have ideas. But, I have to be careful where my energy goes and save it for what I believe I'm created to do: PAINT.