Highlights of the Year

I follow Lori Koop's blog, TRU. She mentioned making a list of 10 things that happened during the year that were significant. What a great idea!


So here are my 10 things that felt like accomplishments in 2102:

 (1) Took an Art Marketing Course led by a friend, Robin who used Alyson B. Stanfield's        method. I did a blog post "Books for Artists" in March 2012 mentioning Stanfield's book.

 (2) Joined a Cooking Club with friends, Libby, Cindy, Kathryn and Joan where we rotate meeting every other month at one of our homes with our Husbands to share making a themed dinner.

 (3) I turned the big 60 and my Husband had a wonderful Birthday party for me!

 (4) Started "Kathleen Ballard Watercolor blog, Celebrating the love of painting with watercolors".

 (5) Creative Catalyst featured me and my painting with an interview on their blog. I posted a blog entry about that in April 2012.

 (6) My Husband and I planted a garden which also included building an enclosure fence.

 (7) I met a new artist friend, Kate. She's a wonderful person and a super artist!

 (8) I was fortunate to be accepted into nine shows and won two awards this year.

 (9) I had two solo exhibits this year. One at the Coffee Galley, Altadena, CA and one currently at the Center for Wellbeing in Sierra Madre, CA

(10) Attended Chris Beck's watercolor workshop in San Carlos, CA. I admire Chris' paintings and was thrilled to attend one of her workshops.

Happy New Year!

Looking back

I ran across this old photo and scanned it to share and post here on my blog. Yep, that's me in the foreground painting at a workshop in beautiful Idyllwild, CA. The Idyllwild School of Arts holds summer art programs for children and adults. I took three of them years ago . . . I'm guessing it was in the late eighties? The photo had no date and I can't remember which workshop it was taken in.

I attended workshops, three in different years; with the talented and well known artists Gerald Brommer, Elaine Harvey and Joan McKasson if I remember correctly! They would be Friday evenings, Saturday and Sunday. I had such a wonderful time up there in the mountains taking those watercolor workshops. Ah, memories!

Kathleen Ballard painting in Idyllwild, CA at a workshop in the 1980's.

Merry Christmas!

I painted "Ruby Poinsettias" for this year's Christmas card. It's a 10"x13 1/2" watercolor.
So here is wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

"Ruby Poinsettias", watercolor 2012                      Kathleen Ballard