hooray! it's january ....

i just adore the notion of a new year ... let's make a list, a plan, a resolution or two .... 

i have so much to show and say and do ... but i shan't ... i haven't downloaded all the photos ... so i can only do things bit by small bit .... just like lists and plans and resolutions ... bit by small bit ... makes it much easier ... 

so .... those of you who have been reading for a

 bit (or a year) know that i like resolutions ... i like the idea of a BIG idea for the new year .... i like the idea of doing something big or new or different or fun for an entire year ... no lose five pounds (or 25, 55, 85) that's not FUN .... no stop smoking (not that i ever have) that's not big, new OR fun ..... 

so ... i've been having trouble with my resolution .... eat more fruit sounded 

like a really good one ... from a lovely, dear sister in law.... i do like that one ... and it would be a good one ... and i could get my kiddos on board for it ... and i could even get a fruity tooty journal going for it .... 

that was one thought .... 

another thought was .... the kids were talking about resolutions and the little one thought it was like lent, giving something up ... like sweets .... or chocolate .... (one year mr.e did give up french fries, so she's not completely off base) .... so in this conversation boy.beck.artist said he wanted to eat MORE pizza ... i said impossible, he is maxed out on pizza eating already ....but we could keep a pizza journal ... a year dedicated to trying new pizza places, pizza deliveries, and pizza recipes .... we try new crust recipes about every time we make pizza .... no one was interested in this one except the boy who wanted a more pizzaful life .... (why on earth is pizzaful not spellchecking as correct? how should i spell it?) 

the next thought, was a step past the pizza journal and onto a dinner journal .... i'm a HUGE advocate of the family dinner: set the table, all sit down, all eat the same thing, all chitterchat ....so let's document these family moments .... no one else liked that so much either ... fine ... keep thinking ... 

so today, jan. 5th .... just back from utah (oh! such a grand state!) i have time between loads of stinky laundry (ski socks should be disposable, not so expensive and not so easily stunk up).... i finally have the time to consider the resolution .... so .... i browsed last year's resolution ... 100 canvases in 2008 ... and i did more than 100 ... success ... see it all in this flickr site ... or look at this photo mosaic of just a bit of my artsily productive year (artsily should so be a word)

so i made the mosaic and studied the photos of art ... and tried to figure out what made me happy ...what was good ... what worked .... what i should work on .... 

and this is what i came up with:

i made a nest mosaic .... i like this series ... prior to 2008 i hadn't done a nest before ... and i made loads of them .... more than even pictured in this mosaic .... and most of them have sold ... that's good, huh? it means someone else liked them too .... but i think it was the working on them that was good ... making another and another and thinking about them and approaching them in different ways .... that's what was good for me ... so .... 

here you go ... 

are you ready ... 

my resolution .... 

to pick one iconographic image and doing 20 canvases with it .... ok? does that sound good? 

i only picked 20 because i don't know what the image will be ... it might take me a while to find something i want to do 20 times ... right? bananas, hummingbirds, mountains, bees, angels, shoes .... what will it be? we'll have to wait and see on that one ... and in the meanwhile, i still have to do other art work too .... (remind me to tell you in some other blog post just exactly how much art i have on my to do list right now...yikes!!!!)

so ... that was my resolution ... and i was really happy with it because it was going to make me work and grow and think and expand my boundaries as an artist .... and then i saw the grooviest coolest flickr girl .... 

this is her flickr page ... 

this is her gorgeous resolution for this year ... BE .... 

and this was what she did in 2008 .....

she did art SO many days in 2008 .... and i want to be like her ... maybe i DID do art as much as she did last year ... but i want to be able to see it on a colorful happy tidy little page .... so ... tonight, not in a journal, but on a word doc, i made this:

i think it will be absolutely happy and lovely to fill in a box each and every time i have an artsy day .... yippee ... i am SO excited ... almost excited enough to give up that 20 painting set  .... but i won't ... that 20 piece series will be my resolution and filling in boxes will be my joy .... 

and look:

look ... there's my joy right there on the fridge ... ready for me to fill in a square ... already, five days wasted and white .... but tomorrow! look out tomorrow! i'm going to color in a square! 

yippee! i am resolved..... are you?