A new year means new inspiration and new paintings! I am excited for what this year holds especially when it comes to painting and showing.

I wrapped up 2016 with a 7 painting commission for Northwest FCS in Spokane, Washington. It was a great new series and all of the hours of painting truly paid off! Below are some photos of the paintings in in their new home:

Looking ahead, I have a new show going up for the month of February in Insomnia Coffee Co. off Baseline. Come get a great cup of coffee and take a look at some of my favorite paintings! I will also have a collection of some new smaller paintings as well. For information on the Baseline Insomnia, check out: http://insomniacoffee.co/locations/

With a start to a new year, many people make New Years resolutions (that have probably already become more like wishful thinking...), but for me January is a month when I tend to do a lot of reflecting. Looking backwards but also looking forwards. The question I have been pondering most recently is: In the world and the state it is in, what place does art have in it? When I sit down at the easel, what can I do to help bring just a taste of healing to a complicated world? I have realized that it is such a privilege, in painting specifically, to have the ability to create something that will long out-live me. The act of painting is in essence leaving a legacy. People will be looking at paintings created in 2017 perhaps a hundred years from now!

My goal this year is to keep creating work that brings joy and hope to those who see it. Who knows, it could have a bigger impact than I could imagine! Despite all of the controversy and division, art is something that brings us together. It is something everyone can connect with. This is important to remember in a time like ours. To my artist friends out there, keep making art! Keep painting, designing, acting, building, writing, creating and dreaming. Our world needs us!

Cheers to a new and hopeful year!

~Christine Joy