Year in Review 2014 | Contemporary Artist Kristye Addison Dudley

"The Journey" © Kristye Addison Dudley

 This painting was commissioned by a collector and good friend of mine, Chris Draft.
He also uses the artwork for the logo for his foundation. Chris Draft Family Foundation  
He also heads up Team Draft after the death of his wife, my close friend Keasha, to lung cancer.
He has made it his mission to change the face of Lung Cancer.
Keasha was not a smoker, but her life was still taken too soon by cancer.
Please visit the links to learn more.

I took some time at the end of the year to reflect on the highs and the lows. The biggest change in my art career was the daily painting challenge I accomplished in the Spring. It really sparked my passion for painting, and helped me grow as an artist. It also reintroduced me to social media through my friends online,  collectors, other artist and prospective galleries. My work is being represented in a local gallery and I am teaching my first palette knife class this year. So it really was such a positive experience. I have been a bit stingy with my work in the past, so sharing my work online daily was a real eye opener. I also started to earn new commissions on a regular basis, which is one of my favorite things about being a professional artsit. 

The thing that I felt that I lost in the daily paint/post workflow was a sense of balance in my daily life. I missed posting more about my life. I started to feel like a factory, to get the work online and I didn't give myself time to reflect on the work or on what was going on with me in between canvases. I was burning both ends of the candle trying to meet my daily goals. In 2015, I am trying to find the right mix of consistency and peace. Finding days to paint and days to be online. 

I actually went on a "Facebook Fast" from November to February. I didn't post anything about my work during that time and I limited my personal posts as well. I just needed a bitmap break. There's a book that I read called "I'd Rather Be in the Studio" by Alyson B. Stanfield. And I found that managing the digital part of my work, really kept me from painting. 

On a personal level, my daughter started Pre-K 4 and my son joined the terrific 2s. My husband earned a new leadership position at work and my once busy schedule as a freelance graphic designer began to creep to a very slow pace. Our family came to a realization that I will becoming a full time stay at home mom in the near future. Oh and this 41 year old mamma earned her Zumba Instructor Certification. Now I am teaching Zumba a couple of time a month. Getting me back in touch with my old cheerleader self that I missed so much.

For someone who has been working full time for the majority of past 20 years and then telecommuting/painting from a quite, neat home for the past 8 of those years, this is an awaking of sorts. I, like most moms, find a certain level of "Mommy Guilt" about the time I spend with my children. I know mothers who are SAHMs who wonder if their kids get enough socialization. Then there are mothers, like me, who worry about missing the best part of their child's day while they are in school. Well now I will be fortunate enough to get to experience a little bit of both of these worlds, with a little less worry.

This summer, it's going to be me and the littles. I am really going to try and enjoy this time and not worry about the house being torn upside down and inside out (which it most likey will be). Will I be painting every day? Not unless finger painting with colored pudding counts. But I am sure I will find new inspiration in my family.

So, here's to 2015 and putting it back in perspective. Here's to the Journey.
Be Blessed,
Kristye

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