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The Year in Review



What a wild and strange year it has been.  From politics to the art world itself, where a lost Da Vinci painting sold for over $450 million at auction.

I often wonder if my artwork will ever be worth millions after I'm gone... oh well, onto other things!

2017 in review...

 My very first gallery show was in January of this year.


While it was cold and the threat of snow made many stay indoors, the turn out was surprisingly good!  I sold about 5 originals which made me so happy and thankful.  I had doubts that my artwork would even be sale-able, but that has definitely helped to convince me otherwise.  While I would continue either way, it is always nice to know that someone else likes what you do.

My first experience into art event organization also happened this year.  Yours truly was the Co-Chairman for Splash.  It's an art event where artists can gather to paint, talk, and learn.  We have demonstrations of various mediums, classes and a plein air contest.  To round off a great week of artistic creation, we have a whole evening dedicated to our town's First Friday Art Walk.  The community here is amazingly supportive of our arts culture!
There were times when I didn't know if I wanted to continue, however.  To be honest, I am not the most organized person.  I had absolutely no experience in these kinds of things.  Which people to talk with to get things done - and in accordance with the city - which is still confusing.  It doesn't help that I am horrible with names.  Plus, I'm a shy, introverted, and socially awkward person, which made it extremely hard for me to break out of.
To top it off, my mother was diagnosed with cancer and went through chemo therapy this year.  It was a long, tough journey for her, but thankfully she is an amazingly strong woman, and cancer free now!  I love you mom!
My mother-in-law had a stroke and gave us all a scare.  She hasn't had another one in quite some time so that is something else to be thankful for!
I'm glad I didn't give up on organizing Splash.  It was a huge success! I sold three originals during our First Friday Art Walk and a host of holiday greeting cards.

I also had my first original artwork sale through my website!  Yay!

I also won my very fist art contest with Arts of the Albemarle's Landmark show.  There are many exceptional landmarks that make up Elizabeth City, NC and it's county, Pasquotank.  And there are many brilliant artists to compete with as well.   I wasn't sure if I was even going to enter the contest.  I had three days and no idea what to paint when inspiration hit at the eleventh hour.  There's a little building on main street that's always caught my eye and it begged to be painted.
I'm still surprised and super grateful to win such a show and the painting was sold as well!

Thank you Arts of the Albemarle!



Some Little things...
New features were introduced on my print site.  Like yoga mats, fleece blankets, and notebooks.  The best part was when they introduced the new viewing model.  You can see how the print will look on a wall now.  It's nice because it gives the sizes of the print better perspective.  You can see what an 8x10 print will look compared to a 16x24 and so on.












My husband and I spent a couple days hiking around Shenandoah National Park.  We spent more time hiking than taking pictures, but I did manage to click a few.  We challenged ourselves this year and completed a 9 mile hike.  It was an all day thing and I don't think we'll do something like that again, LOL!  We got a late start and didn't finish until well after sunset.  Our calves were hurting like super crazy the next day!  It was well worth it, though.  There was such beautiful country to see!.


We also had a wonderful opportunity to head out to Floyd, VA.  Here we spent a fantastic week in December house-sitting for a friend.  While we where there we got to hike some more!  The Blue Ridge Mountains are just as beautiful.  We kept our hiking light, however, we didn't want our calves to hate us all over again!  We did get to hike in some snow, and I got to take a few more pictures this time.

Hiking is probably one of my favorite things to do right now, other than creating artwork.  I love the beauty of nature and the peace it brings me.

I hope 2018 will be just as amazing.  There are a few changes I'd like to make regarding my artwork, and how to approach some new ideas.  So 2018 will be busy!  And where ever adventure may take us in 2018, I'll stay creative.

Here's hoping you all have the best 2018 as well!


Continue following Rebecca's artistic adventures on any of these sites:
Facebook - R.L. Davis Fine Art & Photography
Instagram - RLDavisFinArt
Twitter - Rebecca L. Davis
Pinterest - RLDavisArt

And for a selection of photography and watercolor prints, visit her website Rebecca Davis


 


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