It's the last day of 2014, and time to reflect upon how much of a whirlwind 2014 was. I have to think really hard and dig deep in some file folders to be able to come up with an accurate number of all the stuff I did this year! I'll break it down by category, to make things easier on myself!
The first convention of 2014 was
Boskone. I had panel space for the first time after beating around the bush for a few years.
Boskone to me is like a winter retreat to do nothing but stay inside with a nice hot toddy, looking outside at the bitter cold of Boston Harbor with sadness that eventually you will have to venture outside again come Sunday evening. Regardless of the disdain towards the weather, I'm excited for
Boksone 52 come February!
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| Spectrum 2014 |
I attended
Spectrum Live this year as an exhibitor, and in Carly-fashion, I opted to drive to Kansas City, spanning the 22-hour drive over 2 days. I had an amazing time, and met a lot of amazing new people I wouldn't have otherwise had the chance to meet. In 2015 I'm attending a wedding in May; I haven't gotten a booth or a table, but I would like to make it back as an attendee for the awesome community experience!
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| Illustration Master Class 2014 |
The
IMC is just a yearly commitment now. I kept trying to wean myself off from the workshop, but it just remains an incredible experience that I cannot live my summers without. This past
IMC I worked on a personal project, a piece for a gallery show at
Krab Jab Studio. It was an experimental week, deviating from comfort zones, but I like to think my piece was a fun learning experience!
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| "Kodama" 18"x24" oil and acrylic on board |
In fact, having not really looked at this piece in a few months, I'm pretty amazed at some of the choices I made, and textures and effects I accomplished. Not too bad for flying blind!
A huge event this year was
IlluXcon. It was my second year behind a table in the ballroom Showcase on Friday and Saturday night. Two pieces found happy homes this year, "Avian" and "Moonlit Assassin". I could not be happier with their new owners, I know they will take good care of my babies!
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| I ♥ IlluXcon! |
I cannot wait for IX 2015, primarily because I have been juried into the
Weekend Salon! I am so honored and completely tickled to know that a jury deems my work in such a high regard. Words cannot describe!
2014 was also the year of my first major accolade as I had the honor of being featured on the cover of Nightmare Magazine, a publication which I hold a deep respect for. Thanks to
Galen Dara--love you!--I was put in contact with
Lightspeed and was the cover artist for their
Nightmare Magazine Halloween issue, exclusive to women artists and women writers! It truly is an honor to have taken part in such a project, and I cannot wait to work with them again!
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| Nightmare Magazine issue 25 |
Speaking of works that feature creative women, I have also been asked to be a contributing artist in Cathy Fenner of
Spectrum's book project
Women of Wonder. The book will debut in the first half of 2015, and will be available for purchase at
Spectrum Live in May! Keep your eyes peeled!
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| Women of Wonder |
This year was definitely a busy one. From January to December, I have been in more gallery shows than I can recall by memory, but thankfully for me I have them documented and the tally is... 13! It could be 14 to 16, but I only started documenting shows on my website since April. I have shown with so many new venues this year including
Arch Enemy Arts,
Modern Eden,
Alexi Era,
Slushbox,
Krab Jab Studio, and
Hive Gallery. I have painted things from tarot to androids, cats to ghosts, plants to bears, arrows to bees... and I can't get enough! Already for 2015 I have enough shows planned to keep me busy all year, but I'm always aiming to keep an even fuller schedule. I want to give a big thanks to all the gallery managers and curators that have invited me into their families. Without you, I wouldn't be pushing myself as an artist as much as I am today, you continue to provide me with new and interesting subject matter to tackle. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
Here's to a new and exciting 2015! Cheers!
