As I mentioned last year around this time, being an art and design nerd one of the things I look forward to with the turning of each year is finding out what the new Pantone Color of the Year will be. This year did not disappoint, and I swear I must have had some sort of premonition because I had been using shades of deep blue in almost all my art in the latter part of 2019. New color, new experiences in art!

8×10″ Acrylic and Mixed Media

In my personal art business, I’ve always worked alone and though it may be surprising given the fact that I’m employed at a gallery and on the board for a local artist guild, I don’t really know many working artists on a close personal level. Volunteering for a kids’ art event this past Summer, I had the opportunity to make friends with an artist whose vision and style compliment my own and vice versa (The koi fish and ballerina are his, the jellyfish a collaboration). Emiliano Vega creates fine art paintings and drawings but has also succeeded as a muralist and tattoo artist. He has been a part of a number of progressive collectives in Detroit and Saginaw earning him mainstream sponsors including Redbull, Sony and Ubisoft for his contributions to non-profit and volunteer work. I’d encourage you to visit his personal portfolio. I will also be representing his work in my eBay Shop, and you can visit his artist section for prints and original ACEOs.

As far as what’s next for 2020, we are preparing for a number of local dual shows beginning at Red Eye in January and Oracle in February for those in and around the Saginaw, MI area. We have plans to seek out opportunities outside the local radius later in the year. Those who are near enough to visit I hope will come out and see our art in person and get their hands on some original art or prints, and for everyone else, thank god for the internet ;).

I will also be setting aside time to do more teaching with Express Yourself Artshop, the inclusive arts and wellness program I direct. I will be continuing to teach my Creative Minds Art History class, and will also be working with a group to enter ArtPrize and collaborating with a fellow instructor on a Wearable Art class. As always, I will be sharing lessons here so readers can get inspired and try doing some creating at home :). Looking forward to all things new, Happy 2020 everyone!