bye 2009~ hello 2010!!

"stop thinking this is all there is...realize that for every on-going war and religious outrage and environment devastation, there are a thousand counter-balancing acts of staggering generosity and humanity and art and beauty happening all over the world, right now, on a breathtaking scale, from flower box to cathedral...resist the temptation to drown in fatalism, to shake your head and sigh and throw in the karmic towel...realize that this is the perfect moment to change the energy of the world, to step right up and crank your personal volume: right when it all seems dark and bitter and acrimonious and conflicted and bilious...there's your opening. remember magic. and, finally, believe you are part of a ground swell, a resistance, a seemingly small but actually very, very large impending karmic overhaul, a great shift, the beginning of something important and potent and unstoppable."

mark morford ~the sun magazine

reflecting

2009 was a year of tremendous heartache that could have broken me, had i let it. but instead, i did heaps of healing, maturing, mending, shifting, and rebuilding with the help of Lazaris, a few books (when things fall apart, eat, pray, love, and i need your love-is that true) and the love and support of a few totally awesome friends and family.

it was also a surprising year in many ways! much to celebrate!

i renewed old friendships through facebook, found a plethora of new friends both on-line and in person, deepened my relationship with my brother, had memorable and joyous times with my family and friends, had a mischievous kitten join our family, spent much time in nature hiking with my dog and finally discovered my path with my art.

phew! that's quite a year~one i will never, ever forget!

and

i am beyond excited for twenty ten to begin! i really feel like this is going to be my year! so many ideas, plans and goals to achieve this year with my art. i also have a few small trips planned and my most exciting news...i'm going to africa...yes!! africa! yeah!!

my year is all about adventure and i am sooooo ready to leap into it!

hope the coming year is as exciting, packed full and over flowing with magic, love and adventure for you as well!

fierce

copyright 2009 kathryn hansen

as i was going thru my abundance of reference photos a few months ago, i came across this image of a clients dog i drew years ago. the image really jumped out at me, along with the word fierce. i am guessing that it speaks to my self-determination. i've always felt like i was a pit bull, never letting go of something until i had an answer or achieved something i really wanted in life. this aspect of my personality has always served me, especially in this past year of my life.

i'm also taking this word into 2010 as i work diligently toward making my art career soar! i have lots of motivation, excitement and ideas to make it now happen. and i have this gut feeling deep inside me that after this past year of healing, growing, and changing ~a year of great transformation, that 2010 is the year that i once and for all, achieve some of my biggest and boldest dreams as an artist!

Christmas past

Wishing you all a beautiful and magical Christmas!!

art basel 2009

Jane Hambleton: from Joanne Matteras art blog

Paul Wackers: from Joanne Matteras art blog

the two pieces above were for sale at the 8th annual Art Basel in Miami Beach. it is apparently the most important art show in the United States with more than 250 leading art galleries from North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia and Africa.

i've been devouring the coverage of the fair on these three insightful blogs; Joanne Mattera, Hyperallergic's Hrag Vartanian, and Myartspace. (my favorite being Joanne's)

i entered the Myartspace competition in Nov to try and get into this prestigious show but obviously i did not. surprisingly i was not upset by this news at all, as i knew it was a long shot any way. but i diligently studied the winners of the competition and i discovered that it was mostly installation and sculptural pieces that edged in. and from what i can see installation pieces really seem to be on the up swing lately. luckily this all just inspired me to work harder and to push myself further to be more innovative with my drawings. i was just extremely happy that a few graphite pieces were included in this show! and i was especially impressed with Jane Hambletons work...i absolutely love it!! please check out her work and some of the coverage on these great blogs...it's well worth the visit!!

can you see that thick layer of dust and cobwebs on my drafting table behind sammy? he figured he might as well take over my chair as long as i wasn't using it!!

yes the holidays have swept me away in all it's festivities, parties, get togethers and events. not to mention all the shopping, decorating and cookie baking. i've been too exhausted to draw lately and it's incredibly frustrating even tho i am having a great time being social!

i started this new series of small drawings with collage elements of people and their dogs. the third piece in this series is almost finished but can't get back to it! and i'm soooo close to completing my portfolio with only two more face close ups to work on. then my portfolio will be complete and ready to go out in the world to various galleries! i'm very nervous, but excited about that!

in the mean time......my art work is on hold!

have the holidays taken over your life too?! what have you given up to spend massive amounts of time on shopping, wrapping and celebrating?

josie has given up some of her nightly walks (not by her choice tho!). but she is still keeping the christmas spirit in her own way (okay i forced her to wear the hat!).

new fav

hope you had a great weekend!! i went to two gallery receptions and got in some productive studio time! YAY! i was feeling out of sorts as i had not had a chance to draw in almost a week and half. the holidays, painting interior rooms in my home (which i still have a long way to go on...ugh!) and a soccer party all kept me away from my drafting table. so it was a gratifying weekend for me in many ways! hopefully the sun will come out tomorrow so i can photograph some of my new drawings and show them to you this week!

in the mean time, just came across this incredible graffiti artist named roa on sprayblog. i found a wealth of images of this evasive artist, but no text. so i'll share a few of my favorite characterizations of his/her animals. enjoy!