Lists

I'm a big fan of lists. I think maybe it's the sense of accomplishment, seeing things completed and checked off. I have a list of all my paintings in progress (I need one to keep track, I have so many on the go at one time!) in addition to the usual "to do" things. As I haven't managed to get new daytimers yet, I've started using iCal on the laptop to slot in appointments and create my to-do list. It was a good feeling when I looked at it before starting this post, and noted all but one of the items were taken care of! A productive week, apparently.

One of the things on my list this week was to create my first newsletter of the year. I made a bit of a pact with fellow artist and friend Sheona Hamilton-Grant before Christmas to produce a studio tour newsletter on a regular basis, inspired by the one Sheona did before the holidays. I am trying out the online contact management she used for that newsletter, Constant Contact, and used it to send out my holiday greetings to my mailing list. About half an hour ago I completed and scheduled the first newsletter! I actually had a lot of fun. If you'd like to sign up to receive the newsletter, there is a link in the right-hand column of the blog, as well as on my website. My challenge with Sheona is to put out a new one every 6-8 weeks. I know my goal is to keep these short and sweet so they're easy to read - we all get so many emails, I know how hard it can be to simply read, sad as that may seem. If you keep up with the blog, chances are you will know most of what I report in the newsletter; however I will often be making special offers throughout the year that will only be available to those that receive the newsletter.

What else was on my list this week? Getting the foal registrations finally completed, making appointments to update my dogs' vaccinations and those of the first mare due to foal, sending off that Art Show at the Dog Show entry, working out. The painting thing just goes without saying, though with the two canine paintings complete now I'm back to my list of WIPs to determine what's next. Last night, as I felt the need to paint but wasn't up to "hard work" so to speak, I spent some time on the underpainting of this 16 x 20 oil on masonite of 2007 Canadian Horse of the Year Sealy Hill. I love the softness of it right now, though obviously it's very early days for this one.

Above is a photo I took this morning of Twine, taking a nap in the sun this AM. Won't be long now, Twiney!