Recently I applied for two grants, one group exhibition at a major gallery in London, a residency, and a prize. So far I have been rejected from all but the prize which hasn't been announced yet. I applied for grants and residencies over the past few years, probably 3 or 4.. I did not get any of them. I want to show the actual process of this journey of making painting your career. There is a lot more rejection than there are wins, you just have to keep going. First, let yourself feel the disappointment so that it passes out of you. Then when you have more energy, try again. When you have the energy again, assess who did win the opportunities and check to see if you were indeed aligned. Adjust your game plan where you can. Ps. I've added more to the gallery "lesson" in the classroom

Art school. MFAs. The academic system. I was just chatting with Robyn about it. About how a friend of mine just got hired as a sculpture professor though they are a photographer..... but they are alumni. I have some frustration about this. Over the years I have been parallel on my path to friends who chose the academic route for their artist journey. I have cultivated my curiosity about the differences in our paths, believing that there are many ways to be an artist (human really). I have come to see the systems in the art world, academia being a big one- as doing something other than art. I think artists survive within and throughout the systems but that it breeds other creatures as well. Anyhow. I'd love to hear your thoughts. Here's a blog article featuring my work from a few years back.

The classroom is dense with information. Allow me to bring some of it out and highlight it for you. Here is how to utilize my lessons. The 4 Core Lessons Felicia has broken down the methods she used to evolve her own skill and shares them with you while offering presence and encouraging guidance. You will get access to one lesson per month. Practice each lesson until you perfect it. Get help from Felicia in Critique Club. 1. Step by Step Drawing - (Lesson 1) 2. Big Picture Quicksketch- (Lesson 2) 3. Step by Step Portrait Painting (Lesson 3) 4. Still Life Painting - Milk and Water (Lesson 4) These four lessons are the foundation of how Felicia taught herself to paint well. Repeat each of these lessons until you perfect* them. Follow along with, and master the steps until the process is second nature. - Lesson 1 - you want to perfect* likeness (shapes), value, and edge. - Lesson 2 - you want to perfect* your shapes, and color/value choices. - Lesson 3 - you want to perfect* likeness (shapes), value, color and edge. - Lesson 4 - finally, you will learn to strategize your approach within Felicia's step by step method for the added complexity of the still life lesson. You may vary your subject as you repeat these exercises. - Paint from life. - Paint self portraits or have someone pose for you. - Paint master copies. Let the variety in your subject keep you engaged as you commit to the strict process until you master it. After developing these processes Felicia utilized them unwaveringly for approximately 5 years -until they offered no more challenge. She then began to explore new processes or the abandonment of processes altogether . * Perfect doesn't mean that you make an exact copy of Felicia's demo unless that is your chosen goal. You must eventually decide for yourself how much realism you wish to portray with the mastery of these fundamentals. Precision can be found in any aesthetic. Perfect is when you are thoroughly satisfied with your efforts and don't need to be told by anyone else if it's enough. It may take time before you know where that line is. Until then... enjoy the study and the structure of Felicia's lessons and her guidance in Critique Club meetings.

I'll have to make new ones. I have so much fun with these. 😃

Following an intuitive nudge to share this. Was just scrolling and heard it and felt it too. It's important to remember that not all growth is visible on this journey.