Wednesday, January 07, 2009

New Year Thoughts

October 2008 in New Hampshire

This year is completely different than any of the past ten. It seems as if everything in my life has changed. I've added new friends, lost some clients, and established new business relationships that seem promising.

The economy is a huge challenge at a time when I have moved my working studio and am paying rent for the first time in my painting career.

Today is my birthday. Usually I say to myself "oh it's just another day", but it doesn't feel like that this year. It seems monumental.

I am still working projects that have lingered for months, and I'm grateful for that. Apparently once a big hotel project starts nothing can hold it back. Indeed, this particular project won't even open until 2010, and I have this entire year to work on it. That gives me some sense of security.

Artwork has trended toward photography and giclees. I am able to supply both, and I think that helps me in a shrinking economy. I'll keep painting, though. I say that, but I haven't really gotten any paint under my fingernails for awhile.

Today I am delivering 960 prints for a hotel project. Also one emergency print for model room for another project. I say "emergency" because it's a digital painting I created and provided the digital file to my client. They had an agency print one and the colors are completely wrong. I tried to explain that the color is based on the combination of ink, substrate and profile, but what they really wanted was a print that is the right color, so I printed one. It's for a hotel in Boston, one of the few projects that has not been put on hold. Which is just a euphemism for "cancelled".

2 comments:

Joanie Gagnon San Chirico said...

Have an absolutely wonderful birthday Robin!

the famous nemo said...

well happy birthday and I hope you have one hell of a great year.