2012 Recap and Looking Ahead

Like many of you, I am doing Lifebook 2013.  For our first week, Tam asked us to do a blessings and goal page for 2013.  Here's mine.  Before stepping on the gas in my little pink convertible (cute - right?) I thought it would be useful to look back on 2012, and consider the "take aways" to power me on my journey.  So, in words and pictures, here is 2012 Month by Month:

January 2012:

On December 31, 2011, I stepped down from the day-to-day running of Gas Lamp Players, the community theater group I was involved with for 20 years, to devote myself to my artwork.  

So it was fitting that in January, Custom Decor brought me to the Atlanta Gift Show to sign decorative flags I had designed for them.  Look at that line!  While in Atlanta, I stayed with my good friends, Kathy and Michael Ricardo, both of whom had long careers in Broadway musicals like "A Chorus Line," and "Dancin'."  They, and I, were bemused by the hoopla around my flag signing - which was a good reminder that celebrity, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder!

February 2012:

The Music Man, my "farewell swan song" for Gas Lamp Players, opened in February.  

Directing this was so meaningful.  Cynthia Leigh Heim, who played Marian in the Broadway revival, consulted on the production!  Cynthia lives nearby, and was willing to lend her expertise to our little theater group!  My take-away - people are willing to help and share their knowledge -- you just have to ask them.

Right after Music Man closed, we went back to Guatemala to see our families and help in one of the schools there.  The take-away -- I am happiest when I am being of service to others.  It is a vital part of my DNA.

March 2012:

In March, I enrolled in Julie Fei-Fan Balzer's "30 Days in Your Art Journal" online class, and it changed my life.  Seriously!  It opened up a whole new world to me -- the world of the blog-o-sphere, mixed media retreats, new friends, and a fresh approach to my design work.  Julie is such an encouraging, empowering teacher.  Those two qualities were my take-aways.  Here are two of my favorite March pages - so different from any art I had previously made.

April 2012:

Passover, painting and Prague were the three "P"s of April.  Mariel, my oldest, was studying in Prague, and spending a week there was so inspiring.  With my 2012 intention to focus more on art, I was hyper-aware of the art that was everywhere!

Artistically,  April for me was about the world of Zentangle.  I think ONE is my favorite.  I am both happy and a little teary that I sold it this fall.

May 2012:

In May, I discovered challenges!  One of my favorite was Scrapping the Music, which now has an active Flickr group.  Through participating, I got to know the wonderful Michelle LaPoint Rydell.

May is also Samy's and my Dad's birthday months, and Samy pronounced her Hunger Games themed 11th birthday party her best party ever!

June 2012:

In June, I signed up for a 30 day prompt challenge at Run With Scissors.  I hope Janel hosts it again in 2013!  Here are some of my favorite pages:

Even more than art, I will remember June 2012 for the beautiful tribute that Gas Lamp Players made for me.  It was full of reminiscing and song, delicious food, art made for me by many wonderful children, and beautiful speeches by my friends and family.  Here is the video of the performances -- it's long but my family speaks at about 54.30,  Samy sings at about 1.00, and I speak (and I sing - lol!) towards the end at 1.12 or so...  I will never forget this day, and still well up with tears at the generosity and love of everyone who participated in this event. 

July and August 2012

No longer running Gas Lamp Players, I was able to get away for the summer and spend a lot of time in our cabin in Westchester.  There, I painted a lot - and finally made the move (thanks to Dina Wakley's out of the journal challenge) to canvas.  Here are some of my pages and canvases from those months.  

I also went to my first ever art retreat - CREATE New Jersey, where I met the wonderful Carolyn Dube.  There, we hatched the idea for Fall Fearless and Fly, which Marcia Beckett was so gracious to let us host at Artists in Blogland.

Fall 2012:

In the fall, I started Flora Bowley's Bloom True online class, which completely turned my way of painting inside out and upside down.  It has been fun, and a little scary!  I also attended Art is You, in Stamford CT, where I reconnected with Carolyn, and also met three more amazing ladies -- Judy Shea, Corinne Gilman, and Marjie Kemper - the four of you are such a gift to me!  It was at Art is You that I met up with the lovely Mary Beth Shaw, and started my relationship with Stencil Girl Products!

November-December 2012

The end of October and most of November were overshadowed by Hurricane Sandy and its aftermath.  Before I knew it, it was Thanksgiving.  December began the first Stencil Test Drive blog hop with a group of amazing artists.  And the yoga studio where I teach gave me a wall of my own for a dedicated Jessica Sporn gallery!  Here are some of the paintings I sold leading up to the holidays!  (Some sold the same day that I hung them up -- crazy!)

I hope you enjoyed my journey through 2012.  It was interesting to compile this, and see how my work evolved over the year.  In 2012, I also opened an Etsy shop, and a print shop on Society 6.  I made pdfs of my art available for download on this blog, and started teaching art journaling!  Looking back, 2012 was a very full year of goodbyes, hellos, endings and beginnings.  Check back in with me soon for a look forward into 2013!

Thank you for visiting! I truly read and treasure each and every comment and will answer any questions as quickly as I can!

Linking up to Paint Party Friday and Creative Every Day.