As the year ends....

Today is my last official work day before year end .

Being self employed and a single parent does not seem to qualify me for official leave , however I am off to Jhb to spend Christmas with my much loved parents and hopefully regain a little sanity through their wise counsel.

Altogether 2009 has been a good year for me on the work front. My new work has been well received and in spite of the recession exhibitions have been successful. I have been fortunate to deal with the most wonderful clients. I can never express enough how heart warming it is for someone to derive pleasure from one of my paintings. Unlike most inanimate objects, a painting is usually deeply personal and carries part of my soul on the canvas. I like to think of my paintings as alive and hope that they bring upliftment and inspiration to those who view them and own them.

Not all of the choices I have made this year have been wise and perhaps I have not yet learnt to exercise the degree of restraint required to avoid emotional turmoil. Somewhere in the recesses of my brain something is telling me that at 40 something it may be a little inappropriate to experience the same highs and lows (although somewhat more discreetly) as my 16yr old daughter. Sadly, this has brought conflict into my usually peaceful life. However I am an artist, we have a tendency to be impulsive, at times extreme and always deeply passionate. I hope that in 2010 my passion is in no way diluted but I do intend to focus it into my work and be less side tracked chasing rainbows.

I hope that in the closing days of this year the conflicts I feel will be resolved by spending time with those who love me, sensible discussion and quiet meditation and in so doing, I can go forward into 2010 feeling positive about potential new projects and certain about the direction I am going to take with my work.

To my fans, my clients, my friends, a deeply sincere thanks for your positive input into my life this year. Your encouragement, kind words and unwavering support keeps me inspired.

I wish you and your loved ones a wonderful, peaceful festive season. May the best of 2009 be the worst of 2010 for you!

Much love and thanks

Bridgette

Venturing into PRINTS !!

In the last few weeks I have been investigating the viability of producing prints of some of my work .

It has taken a lot of hard work and research to find the best method of printing on the highest quality papers and canvas available but it has most certainly been worth the effort !

I have created a separate business venture for the prints , primarily because the service will ultimately be extended beyond that of printing just my own art work . Check out the website ! So people , if you have a photo you want to put on canvas or any one of the other styles we offer - let me know !

Initially this was a joint venture between a fellow artist ( photographer ) and myself but sadly , as is so often the case in business , one partner ends up doing the majority of the work and in my case , all the financial investment too . It was simply not viable to continue a work relationship with someone who was not sufficiently motivated to contribute towards making the business a success.

As an individual I like to live inspired , I am highly motivated and driven and could no longer deal with the emotional energy it took trying to motivate my partner ,having to recover from continually being let down and having the wool pulled over my eyes.

The printers I have selected and I will be running a few test prints tomorrow to make sure the quality and colouring is up to standard and thereafter I will be printing a series of limited editions on some work.

I am very excited about branching out into offering prints of my art . Prints can provide the opportunity of owning some excellent work otherwise not available. Many high profile artists view the medium as an integral part of what they do and have elected to do significant works in print, This has contributed to the increasing value of prints worldwide !

Have a look at this interesting article on prints