After The Tree Farm

8"x 10"
acrylic on masonite

Out in the Hillsboro, Oregon countryside, a favorite seasonal tradition for many is to go to the tree farm, find the perfect tree, and stop at McMenamin's Rock Creek Tavern for one of their fresh brewed ales, a hearty meal, and a roaring fire in a down-home, log cabin atmosphere. The history of the Rock Creek Tavern dates back to the mid 1920's when it started as a small country store. "Bombed in the 1930's, closed up at the end of the '60's, run over by a car in the late 1990's, and twice destroyed by fire over its 80+ years, and yet, here Rock Creek Tavern stands...". Thank goodness! Cheers!

Satsuma

5"x 7"
acrylic on masonite

Satsumas are widely available in the stores now and a family favorite!

Shadows and Saturation

8"x 10"
acrylic on masonite

One of the fun things about the current image from Karin Jurick's DSFDF challenge, was all of the red I found in the figures after enhancing the saturation in photoshop. Playing with the saturation and hue in photoshop has helped me to look for and see color where I hadn't before and as helped me to expand my color usage in my painting.
For this painting I used: ultra marine blue, cobalt blue, yellow ocre, hansa yellow, cad red lt, napthol red lt, and raw umber and titanium white. Oh, and a litte green gold!

Different View

Karin's original reference photo

5"x 7"
acrylic on masonite

There were two things that I particularly appreciated about the current painting challenge from Karin Jurick's DSFDF. First of all, the reference photo provided a new subject matter with a multitude of cropping options. Using someone else's reference photo gives me the opportunity to see through different eyes and broaden my artistic view.
Secondly, I ended up using a limited palette of colors: cerulean blue, burnt sienna, hansa yellow, a little raw umber, a bit of ultra marine blue and white.

Challenging Cupcakes

Karin's reference photo

Okay, so Karin Jurick posted a photo of colorful cupcakes to paint for the current Different Strokes for Different Folks Challenge. I thought, "How fun! This should be easy." Not so! It was hard. But I loved it!
What I loved about it was that Karin referred to the artist Wayne Thiebaud who is one of my favorites. It was a good reason to pull out my book and notes about him.
He uses incredible color in his paintings, but I also noticed that he spend a lot of time looking at positive and negative shapes, and shadows, and pattern/repetition....so I decided to go in that direction.
The drawing was hard! (I think it was the frosting!) And then I wavered between using two or three values or pencil or ink.....I tried them all and ended up with this. The end result may not reflect all of the time and thought that went into it, but it was a very valuable process to me and I enjoyed the srtuggle!

A Bunch of Beach Cruisers

16"x 16"
acrylic on canvas

I'm working on a series of paintings for a show At Paradise Perks in Irvine, California on August 29th. Because I'm painting for Southern California, I get to revisit my roots and reminisce. After living in the pacific northwest for almost 20 years and being surrounded by many serious cyclists, it's been fun to remember the lazy summer days of my youth and paint a bunch of beach cruisers! However, cruising the boardwalk in Newport Beach is considered a very serious sport by some!

'09 Volleyball T-Shirt Design

Original art

front of shirt

back of shirt, right shoulder

Because my husband is the head girls' volleyball coach at Sunset High School and my daughter is on the team, I get to design a volleyball t-shirt for the camp each year. It can be intimidating, frustrating, and fun!

Intimidating because I want to create a design that girls and boys ages 12-18 will like. The timing is perfect, however, because I can look through the back-to-school ads to see the latest fashion trends.

It can be frustrating because I'm not savvy on the computer and do all the art by hand, hoping that I give the printer enough information and they can figure out what I want! They did a fabulous job!

Fun because it is so different from the other art I am doing and my kids get excited and involved and I see my t-shirts all around the school!

I used watercolor paper, ink, a dip pen, water sprays, salt and splatters for texture.

No Way!!!

San Francisco Street
8"x 10"
acrylic on masonite

I just spent the last four hours frantically(?) trying to start and finish my painting for submission to Karin Jurick's DSFDF challenge by 3:00pm PST. I didn't get it submitted until 3:30, was sure it was too late to be posted, but wanted to turn it in anyway.
I emailed my image to Karin and apologized for being late and she emailed me back and said it wasn't due until next week. :)

NO WAY!!!

I realized how hard it is for me to try to paint faster.

When I took life drawing classes and we drew 2min., 1min., and 30 sec. poses, I got good at quickly capturing the essence of the figure in a gesture drawing or a mass drawing. However, I have not practiced painting faster and had to find another way to get the painting done quickly.

Edit.

I don't need to include every detail. What is the minimum I need to make the painting work?

Simplify.

I can simplify how I paint the elements I choose to include. Squinting is very helpful here!

Okay, so, I didn't finish by my perceived deadline and the painting may not look very edited or simplified, but I was reminded of the importance of practicing quick sketches AND quick painting to see gestures, masses, value, color as a whole and not get too close and get lost in the details.

I have to admit, I'm very tempted to work back in to the painting and "finish" it.......hmmm...

Taking A Break

8"x 10"
acrylic on masonite

This is the current entry for Karin Jurick's Different Strokes From Different Folks Blog. What I enjoy about painting people is having the time to contemplate and consider who they are and what they're doing instead of just passing them on the street.
It took several tries to get the drawing to fit within the space, a challenge I remember from Life Drawing class. I need more practice!

Click here to place bid for purchase.

Stress Less

6"x 12"
acrylic on canvas

I lived in Newport Beach, California throughout my high school and college years and whenever the pressures of school got to me, I would take a break and go for a run or a bike ride along the boardwalk. There was something about gazing out over the vast ocean that always put my comparatively small stresses back into a healthier perspective!

Coffee House #1

10"x 10"
acrylic on canvas

I hadn't seen my friend Beth since 5th grade (34 years ago!) until we recently reconnected on Facebook. She saw some of my art work posted on Facebook and asked if I would hang some in her new espresso and tea bar, Paradise Perks in Irvine, California. Beth has done a wonderful job of creating a beautiful and inviting neighborhood destination and I feel honored to be hanging my art there. Here is one of three paintings hanging in Paradise Perks and I plan to continue to add to the series but would like some help with names....for the series and the individual paintings. I would love to hear what you think!

Rest From Row

8"x 16"

acrylic on canvas

I am continually surprised by the Different Strokes From Different Folks challenges. A subject that seems simple can be hard and one that seems hard is often easy and enjoyable! I thought this would be a bit boring and was concerned about painting all the water and making it interesting, but I actually really enjoyed this painting and had fun with the water! That is the value of having someone else give you an "assignment". I am painting things that I may not chose and learning every time!

Summer Veggies

5"x 7"
acrylic masonite

This colorful arrangement of summer vegetables was the current image for Karin Jurick's Different Strokes From Different Folks .
Click image for larger view.

The "Gathering Of The Gals" On The Wall

8"x 10"
acrylic on masonite

The main meeting and gathering place in Avalon on Catalina Island, is "The Wall" which serpentine's along Front Street and the beach where most of the city's action takes place. It is the perfect place to sit, relax, watch people, contemplate life, or "forget your troubles come on get happy"! I can't help but wonder about these four ladies and what they're discussing, what they've been through together, the length and strength of their friendship and how many years they've been gathering together on The Wall.
Click on image for larger view.

A Colorless Challenge

This challenge from Karin Jurick's Different Strokes From Different Folks blog was tough for me! As you can see, the reference photo is colorless.....thus the challenge. Make up the color! How hard can that be? It's farmland and sky! Ahhh, but there are MANY different colors of blue and green and gray. I spent several hours on what I thought would be very straight forward and simple! After painting many, many swatches trying to decide on the right color for the mountains in the background, I reminded myself (as I often do) that I could paint this a billion different ways and just pick a color and start!!! Unfortunately I lapsed back into indecision when I got to the foreground and had to remind myself again! Trial and error and thinking and planning are good , up to a point......then you just have to paint!
The good part of this was that after I decided on the colors, and established the darks and lights, I found myself referring to the photo less and less since it wasn't providing me the color information I needed. It made it very clear just how much I rely on my visual resource!

4"x 12"
acrylic on board

Click on image for larger view.

Good Morning?

12"x 12"
acrylic on masonite

Saturday, March 9th, marked the opening day for the Farmers' Market. After a long, dark, cold, winter, most of us were thrilled to get outside. This is the ONLY time of year that I feel like singing a Barry Manilow song: "We made it through the rain....." and the over all mood seemed to be of relief to have survived the winter, and excitement and anticipation for summer! I was struck by the posture of this little one who seems confused about all the fuss and would be happy to be back home in bed!

Madison Ave., New York City

8" x 10"
acrylic on masonite

A photo of cabs at the corner of 39th and Madison Ave. was the subject for Karin Jurick's Different Strokes From Different Folks challenge. I had a great time with this!
I have been learning a lot about seeing color by taking the original photo and increasing the saturation and individual hues in photo shop. Also looking at the photo without color helps to see the values.
Click image for larger view.

Inspiration From You - Amy and Chloe- April 2009

Amy and Chloe
5"x 7"
acrylic on masonite

This painting of Amy and her daughter Chloe sitting on a terrace in Rome, writing in their travel journals, seemed to be an appropriate subject to paint over Mother's Day weekend. As Amy says about this moment :
"It was morning on the terrace of our small rented room within view of the Pantheon. The room was one flight of stairs up from the street, so we could look down at the activity below, watching Rome wake up in the morning and then wind down at night. Funny, how in a city with so much to see and do, that I felt I could actually spend a lot of time right there on that terrace and be perfectly happy."

Eric's On The Pier

Fortunately for me, (and the rest of my family! ) my mother lives in the city of Avalon on beautiful Catalina Island, a short hour boat ride from Long Beach, Newport Beach, or Dana Point.

Eric's On The Pier
5"x 7"
acrylic on masonite

This small study is of "Eric's" restaurant at the base of the Green Pier. It is basically a long counter with stools and tables on the pier for seating, fabulous food, and even better people watching! The white line designates the "drinking" area. I know one guy has "crossed the line", but I think that if his beer is inside the line, he'll be okay!
Click image for larger view.

Diana For Karin

white & black charcoal pencil on gray Canson paper

This challenge from Karin Jurick's website Different Strokes From Different Folks, was to paint or draw from a photo of the statue "A Companion of Diana". I chose to use a gray colored paper which became the middle value for the drawing and white and black charcoal pencils for the highlights and dark areas. This allowed me to draw and do a value study in a different way.

Poppies Triptych

acrylic on 3, 18"x 36" canvases

I finished this triptych last week for a client. She was able to pick the subject and colors and quote. I always consider it a privilege to collaborate with a client and create something very personal for their home!

Inspiration From You- March 2009

Wilson
8"x 10" acrylic on masonite

Here is the "Inspiration From You" painting for March. I asked the person who submitted this photo to tell us the story about Wilson:

"I really wanted a Chihuahua. My husband kept saying how much responsibility a dog was. One weekend I found some Chihuahuas listed in the paper and asked if we could "just look". We met a breeder at a McDonalds. He had two male puppies in a crate, one short hair and one white long hair. I pulled out the short hair (I had never planned on a long hair) and the long hair jumped into my husband's hands....when I saw the puppy's little face and the look on my husband's face, I knew I had won....we got a dog that day.
We went straight to PetSmart for "supplies". We went from being dogless to being "those people". We were looking at dog clothes, dog toys, cooing at our puppy and holding him wrapped in a light blue fleece blanket.
The first name we picked was "Livingston", because that is my home town. Well, "Livingston" lasted about 6 hours; it was just too cumbersome to say. My husband said he had an idea but I probably would not like it, "Wilson". It was a perfect fit. We call Wilson "The Baby". Yes, we are "those people"!"

At The Beach

acrylic on masonite

Here is my latest entry to Karin Jurick's Different Strokes From Different Folks blog. It's April 1st, 39 degrees and raining here in Portland, OR so painting this beach scene certainly leaves me longing for sunnier, warmer, weather!

I am wondering what the "dad" is gazing at out over the water.....

I think the biggest questions this painting posed for me were deciding on what blues to use and what brush strokes for the water. Instead of worrying about what was "right" ( like I have so often done in the past, over working the painting and taking all of the fun out of it) I picked the colors, decided on the brush work and finished it and realized that if I didn't like the result, I can do it differently next time!
Much more fun!

Essential Office Tool

Yup. After burning the broccoli, nearly forgetting to pick up my kids, and having 20 minutes online turn into 60 without me even noticing, I splurged and bought an egg timer.
Yes, Alyson Stanfield recommended this time management tool when I took her organizing class a year ago.....why oh why didn't I heed her advice and warnings sooner?!
Time's up! Gotta go ...on to the next task!

Sushi For Karin

5"x 7"
acrylic on masonite

Here is my latest entry for Karin Jurick's Different Strokes From Different Folks challenge.

It continues to amaze me how much color you can find in things when you really scrutinize them!
This was a quick painting that involved a lot of squinting and bold brush strokes. Very fun!

Beaverton Farmers' Market GeraniumsTriptych

3- 18"x 36" canvases
acrylic

I was given the opportunity to hang artwork in a local coffee shop but, since my recent paintings have been under 12"x 12" or commissioned pieces, I needed to create something larger for the space.

I spent many Saturdays last spring and summer at the Beaverton Farmers' Market and have been wanting to do a series of paintings from the photos I took, so when the coffee shop owners said they would like "nature and bright colors", I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to paint these bright geraniums from the Farmers' Market!

Because the space is so large, I decided to paint a triptych that could be purchased as a whole or as separate pieces. I really enjoyed painting the three canvases simultaneously and maybe will get adventurous enough to attempt something on the scale of Don Tiller's "Neighbors: The Connection Series" !

The color chart that I made and mentioned in my last post proved to be invaluable. I painted with more confidence, avoided making mistakes that would cost me time, money (for paint!) , and frustration, and found that the color chart was also a tremendous help with the value scale.

Color Checking

Sample of color checking papers

I am working on a triptych of canvases that are 18"x 36". When I get excited about a painting I just want to start! But I made myself slow down and spend some extra time planning before I started painting. With this size canvas, making a mistake on the color I'm using could cost a lot of time and money. I am painting a scene from the Farmers' Market with a booth of geraniums in bright sunlight, so I want to keep the reds and greens clean and intense. I spent about an hour looking at my reference photo and going through my colors and deciding on a palette. I painted samples on the edge of paper so I can hold it up to the reference or the painting. I also made notes as I mixed the colors and I can now file the papers away for future use. Dave the Painting Guy showed a different kind of color checker that he saw on The Carder Method website. (There's a very short video clip that shows how to use it)

So far this has been working great for me. I find that I am feeling much more confident as I paint and since the decision for the color has been basically made, my mind is free to focus on other things.
Do you have any methods for picking a palette or checking your color?

Wigs In A Window

Here is my latest entry (my cartoon on top, reference photo below) to Karin Jurick's Different Strokes challenge. I usually do a painting, but I just thought that those poor wigs are stuck in the window with nothing to do but look outside and they MUST be thinking and saying something! I enlisted my 17 year old daughter and her friend to help with the dialog...they had a blast! It was fun to look at comic books for reference material and just to do something fun and different!
Click on image for larger view ....so you can read what they're saying!

Inspiration From You - February 2009 & What Do You Do When You Get Stuck?

Adam The Altar Boy
5"x 7"
acrylic on masonite

First of all, meet Adam the altar boy! Adam loves going to church and asked if he could help serve in some way and was given the honor of assisting on Sundays by lighting candles and carrying the cross, etc. This painting is from a photo of Adam's very first time serving as an altar boy!
Now, it is March 3rd and I just posted the February painting!? I must tell you that this is the THIRD painting that I have started in the last week and a half. I haven't given up on the other two, they just weren't working. Which leads me to my question to you. What do you do when something isn't working? I have a tendency to expect each painting to work on the first try AND in a timely manner! If it isn't working, I want to ignore everything else until I get it to work or just finish it! Not very realistic! I am realizing (at least for today) that it is sometimes helpful to leave a painting for a while and come back to it with fresh eyes and attitude! I also find it helpful if I'm struggling with a piece to find something different that I can finish. This gives me a sense of accomplishment and more confidence. Going for a run also helps! So what do you do when something isn't working?

What Is Your Creative Habit?

I am reading the Creative Habit, by Twyla Tharp, a dancer and choreographer who, over the past 35 years, has created 130 dances and ballets. The title of the book intrigued me because for the longest time I believed that creativity was a feeling or an inspiration that just happened. I've since come to realize that in order to create I need to be deliberate, intentional, and just start! Or as Nike so perfectly put it, "Just Do It!"
In the first part of the book, Twyla talks about routines and rituals of preparation.
"Creativity is a habit and the best creativity is a result of good work habits." "It's vital to establish some rituals - automatic but decisive patterns of behavior _ at the beginning of the creative process, when you are most at peril of turning back, chickening out, giving up, or going the wrong way."
How true! I am trying very hard to create and stick to regular work habits. Since my studio is in my home and I home school two of my kids, it is very easy to get distracted or allow myself to get distracted! I have a pretty consistent routine for starting my day which includes writing my Morning Pages (from The Artisit's Way), planning my day, some reading/studying, yoga, and then a drawing session to start my time in the studio.
My current struggle is with starting a new project or series and dealing with the all the questions doubts: Is it a good idea? What size? How many paintings? What am I going to do with it? Will anyone like it? What if it doesn't turn out good? Blah, blah, blah.......
I would really appreciate hearing from you...
How do you start your day? Do you have rituals or routines of preparation for starting your day or a new project or walking in to your office or studio and preparing to work? Do you do anything in particular to allow your creativity to flow? How do you tackle overcoming a new project, blank canvas or blank page?

John Day Hunting Scene

28"x 22"
acrylic on canvas

Just finished this painting of hunters in John Day, Oregon for a client. It was a bit tricky painting from a small photo and adding in elements to make the background more interesting. The grass was also quite a challenge.

San Francisco Victorian House

8"x 10"
acrylic on masonite

Here is my latest entry to Karin Jurick's Different Strokes From Different Folks blog. I had more fun painting this than previous buildings, because I didn't worry about getting all the lines perfect as far as perspective, etc., and just enjoyed painting!
Click on image for larger view.

Mona Jones Cordell Studio Visit

Mona's studio has a lot of space and windows and light. She has some very big canvases and uses big brushes, bold colors, and expressive lines. The big yellow canvas is what she uses to experiment on.

Last week I blogged about the Mi Mancherai video of Josh Groban and Lucia Micarelli and how the beautiful song they performed had a deeper meaning after seeing them perform it. That same day, I had the extreme privilege of meeting Mona Jones Cordell and visiting her studio.
Mona goes to the Oregon Ballet Theatre rehearsals and sketches gestures of the dancers. She then takes her gestures back to her studio and creates beautiful works of art. What occurred to me after visiting her is that just as Josh Groban and Lucia Micarelli need each other to perform that beautiful song, Mona and the dancers need each other to produce these beautiful works of art. They are all artists who have spent years developing their skills and each brings their unique talent to contribute to the final, beautiful product.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Mona, talking about art and drawing and her technique and sharing how we approach drawing the figure. She is a very kind and gracious lady and a wonderfully talented artist.
I encourage you to take the link to her website to see her art and watch the video to see her at work.

Mi Mancherai Video

I have been doing some figure drawings this morning and listening to music. I picked Josh Groban and specifically "Mi Mancherai". The song brought tears to my eyes and I had to stop drawing. Yes, the song is beautiful, but what tugs at my heart and makes me want to cry is seeing the performance. (Thanks to Dave the Painting Guy for the link) There is something about watching people do what they have a passion for that strikes me at the deepest heart level. Watching the passion in Lucia Micarelli's and Josh's faces gives a deeper and more intense meaning to the song. Now I can carry the video of their performance in my mind and "watch" it whenever I listen. Do you have something that strikes at your heart? I'd really like to hear about it.

If The New Trend Is "Generosity", I Agree!

As I read the opening lines of the current Trendwatching brief:

February 2009 | Has there ever been more urgency for corporations to ditch the greed and embrace generosity? It's something that countless individuals have already started doing, of course: giving is the new taking, and sharing is the new giving.....
GENERATION G | "Captures the growing importance of 'generosity' as a leading societal and business mindset. As consumers are disgusted with greed and its current dire consequences for the economy—and while that same upheaval has them longing more than ever for institutions that care—the need for more generosity beautifully coincides with the ongoing (and pre-recession) emergence of an online-fueled culture of individuals who share, give, engage, create and collaborate in large numbers.

I immediately thought of the experiences I've had over the past year in my little world of art and business. I am continually amazed at the generosity, encouragement, support, and information I find through my online networks. I have met several artists/business people online who have helped by sharing information and/or providing encouragement and support. Just to name a few: Dave The Painting Guy has answered countless questions and does a free live painting class on Ustream several nights a week; Torrie Smiley spent 45 minutes on the phone with me giving advice about selling art online; Tara Reed, who I found through someone online, happens to live a mile from me and is an expert on art licensing and is always willing to help; Alyson Stanfield's website and book have been a constant source of help; and you can read any of the comments on my blog entries to see the wonderful encouragement from different artists. Most of whom found me through Karin Jurick's blog Different Strokes From Different Folks. Karin has given A LOT ( I can't imagine how much!) of her time to work on this blog which has created a new community for artists. In fact, because I have participated in her challenges, I was fortunate enough to be featured along with her and two other artists in an article in the January edition of Southwest Art!

(my version of "Jack" is the last one on the right)

I could go on and on and this has all happened in just the last few months! I am continually thankful for the generosity and spirit of support and collaboration from my online network!

Jefferson Memorial At Night

11"x 6"

acrylic on canvas board

Here is my latest entry to Karin Jurick's challenge, Different Strokes From Different Folks. I'm not sure which was the bigger challenge, doing the painting or trying to take a decent picture! It is hard to get the purples and yellows to come out right in the photo. So much to learn!
Click on image for larger view.

"Inspiration From You" Painting : "Getting Ready To Ride"

8"x 8"
acrylic on masonite

At the end of October I asked for "Inspiration From You" and received several wonderful photos and quotes. My hope was to pick a photo or quote and paint or draw one a month and give the gift of a print or note cards of the artwork to the person who provided the inspiration. Obviously, I didn't meet the one-a-month goal.....yet(!)....but now that the busyness of the holidays is over, I should be able to stay on track!
This is a photo from a couple who have 78 beautiful acres in Elk, Washington. Jo & Steve have 12 horses and 5 Labradors. Their animals are their children and they treat them with the utmost love, care and respect. In this painting, Steve is adjusting the stirrups for Thomas to take a ride on Buck.
Please continue to send in photos or other ideas and any kind of story to go along with it. The story gives the painting more meaning!
Click on image for larger view.

Dynamic Figures

I recently came across the art work of two local artists (Portland, Oregon) Mona Jones Cordell and Martin French who do a beautiful job of drawing and painting the dynamic figure. Here is a link to a wonderful video about Mona's work: http://www.monajonescordell.com/video_files3/index2.html I have always been impressed with artists who can capture the gesture and fluidity of the moving figure. Since seeing their work, and because I have four kids playing basketball and volleyball and I spend a lot of time watching games, I've been inspired to work on this aspect of my art. I checked out the book, Dynamic Figure Drawing by Burne Hogarth from the library and am using pictures from magazines and newspapers and Pose Maniacs to draw from. Pose Maniacs has a variety of images and you can select the poses to change every 30 seconds. This is helpful for me to work on capturing the gesture and the mass of the pose. I hope to get to the point where I can draw from life instead of a picture. I'd love to hear if anyone has other resources to recommend!

The Portrait

5"x7"
acrylic on canvas

This is my current entry for Karin Jurick's weekly challenge. I debated about posting this painting. It was hard for me. I always struggle with wanting to get a painting "right", whatever that means! And sometimes I have to stop working on a painting even when I don't think it's "right" because I don't know what else to do. Those are the times when my basement studio feels very lonely and I miss having input. But I am so very grateful to have the library down the street and so many online resources to refer to. I painted this portrait while watching "Dave the Painting Guy." David Darrow is an excellent portrait artist who generously invites anyone into his studio (via Ustream) to watch him paint.
The learning and the struggle is part of the journey and I do appreciate it, but I also look forward to the day when I can just paint and it feels "right".

Looking Back At 2008 & Forward to 2009!

When I went to college, I majored in illustration, but for some reason the course work didn't include any business or marketing classes. Last January I made a decision to learn about the business of art and marketing. Since then, the learning curve has been straight up and I know I have a long way to go, but I thought I would share some of the resources that got me started and have helped me along this past year.
First of all, I took the smARTist Telesummit, a professional art-career conference for visual artists.
The creator and host, Ariane Goodwin, put together a panel of several professionals who addressed all different aspects of the business side of art. I recieved a notebook full of notes and was able to listen to the presentations at my convenience. She has put together another promising panel of experts for this year.
I also took and organizing class from the Artbiz coach, Alyson Stanfield and purchased her book, I'd Rather Be in the Studio. Her class, book and her blog have been invaluable tools for me.
Another important resource has been David Allen's book, Getting Things Done. He provided the basic organizing skills I so desperately needed.
And for those of you in the Portland area, I took sereral workshops from the Regional Arts & Culture Council. There were several available, taught by local experts, and some of them were only $25 for three hours!
Also having an online presence and participating in social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook have been very valuable.
Now to the task of reviewing, refocusing, reorganizing and implementing for the coming year!