Merry Everything!

I spent last night reworking and updating my website a bit so thought I would take the three hour late night drive to update my blog and fill in the blanks since I last wrote. Healthwise, it’s been a long road back, but at least I’m on a straight stretch of road and not taking detours. I feel mostly good but every now and again I hit a wall and need to take a breather. Creatively speaking, I’ve been in a burst most of the year. But even that has worn me out at times. The first half of the year was almost exclusively Citra artwork as mentioned in the last blog post. The cherry on top was the filming of my first online class in March for StencilGirl’s new class platform. Citra Solv Art debuted in August and has been well received. I am posting bonus material for those taking the online class and for those who have taken my in person class, Transformations. Message me if you are interested in knowing more about it.

Madcap

Imperfection

October also saw the release of my first club stencil kit for StencilGirl. For those that don’t know, StencilGirl has a monthly subscription service that I’ve participated in since its inception. It was fun to design for it and then even more fun to see them in use by others.  The best part is that if you join you can always order past month's stencils. 

Into the Woods

                              

                                   Umbrella

                                       

Alcohol ink work has dominated the second half of my year. It started with my incarceration at St Luke’s. I had no idea said incarceration would occur so I was unprepared and my anxiety went through the roof. It didn’t help that we were all wheeled into the hallway for a tornado warning during my first few hours there. My husband saved the day and brought the only art supplies I had packed. A new series was born that week. I’ve had two small batch sales and I am so grateful for all the support for this new direction. I was even more grateful that my work caught the eye of Dick Blick and I had a featured demo there in November.  Into the Woods and Umbrella are fall additions to the series. The rest are not up in my gallery (updating over the Christmas holiday) nor Etsy yet but if you follow me on Facebook and Instagram, you’ve probably kept up. The next pop up sale will be the first week in February. Newsletter recipients will get sneak peeks and other perks. Sign up here.

In between paintings, I’ve become obsessed with making ornaments so much so that I’m adding them as a class opportunity next year. I’ve got some special tips, tricks, and tools to share with everyone. I’ve had a blast and there are several time lapses and lots of photos sprinkled on my social media to show my enthusiasm. This is my new favorite done on a navy glass ornament. True confession:  my favorites come in and out of focus because they all have different vibes.

I’m sure there will be many more to come as I explore the possibilities. I’ve been very blessed to have sold quite a few from Instagram and local queries and I love sending them out into the world. The most interesting commission so far has been the order of a blue and a pink to become baby reveals for  the grandparents on Christmas Day. 

For those interested in non-art sightings, here are the boys dressed to the nines for the holiday season.  Angus is on agility hiatus until January 5th.  I've been told they're crowd pleasers when they run.  

            

and the best for last..... DPT White Coated daughter.  I also call my dear husband and her #myeverything. She's about to finish her first of three clinicals in Knoxville.  Next up in January she heads to Virginia Beach and finally to Annapolis for the summer.  Then it's time to graduate and take her boards.  She's my inspiration. 

If you've stuck around this long, I'll let you know I've already picked my word of the year for 2019.  It's actually two words and it's very important to have both.  "Live inspired" will be the focus next year.  It's one thing to inspire.  It's another to model living inspired.  The components are mind, body and soul.  Stay tuned.  My teaching schedule will be evolving so stay tuned for that as well. 

I wish you and yours a wonderful holiday season and to look upon the new year with expectation. 

MIA: 2018

 Well, my word for the year is perspective, chosen just before the year went haywire.  The first seven months have all been a struggle to keep some sort of perspective while many things have been spiraling out of control.  It was supposed to be the year of opportunity.  A chance to take some chances in my art and go farther in depth with what I already do.  That was the plan.  I had a plan for new stores to visit, new mediums to play with, more process videos.... you get the picture.  Well, as we all know, plans go awry. In a nutshell, I've ended up with two surgeries, March and May,  and then the cherry on top was an unexpected hospital stay in early July.  It's been a roller coaster of miscommunication, delay, bodily rebellion, and then unexpected medical consequences. 

So here I sit in mid-July wondering what happened to the first almost seven months of the year.  I'm still on medication, but I am starting to feel like my old self again and am regaining energy.  Just in time to go on my first teaching trip of the year to Stampaway. I've been going to Stampaway since 1996 and have been teaching since the late 90s.  It's always a good time and I love seeing all the familiar faces.  I have three classes this year.  Flow has been sold out since early June. 

FLOW-Stampaway 2018

BIRDS OF  FEATHER-Stampaway 2018

  

WITH ONE WORD Stampaway 2018

I did manage to keep my hands busy during my recuperations this spring.  I joined #the100dayproject on Instagram for the first time and did 100 days of Citrasolv projects.  You can find them with some description on my hashtag here: https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/the100dayprojectcurrycitrasolv/

 Here are some favs:

 

We fit in some agility trials with Angus, a trip to the Caribbean with Jim and Sam on her break, and a baseball game right before I had to go in for the second surgery.  Just two weeks after that surgery in ate May, we attended Sam's White Coat Ceremony in Marion, VA.  Then the wheels came off again. 

      

   
Once I knew that it was going to be an extended hospital stay as opposed to the overnight visit that was advertised by the surgical nurse, my dear husband risked life and limb and headed into my studio to cut Yupo and pack my paints and additives. The risk was great as I've not been up to cleaning or organizing in there for months.  He's a keeper. 

I had quite a few days of unadulterated painting time.  I was infused with a new creative energy and had to make the most of the few supplies I had.  Many of the paintings below were done on my hospital tray while IV antibiotics were being infused.  The nurses were in and out and wanted to know all about the inks I was using.  I think I was a novelty. 

 

So, onward and upward is my mantra these days.  I hope to be a little more diligent with my blogging, but if you're on social media, I do keep that updated.  Follow me on FBK, Twitter and IG @ Nancy Curry Art if you don't already.  Always check stories on IG,  as I do a lot of process peeks there and hope to do some IGTV soon. There are some special announcements upcoming about my art, but if I told you now, I'd have to kill you.