A little life update

I recently read a great “little life update” blog post by Michael at Inspired by Charm (https://inspiredbycharm.com/a-little-life-update/) who I find very inspiring (and yes, the French trip he refers to in his blog is mine!!).

Thinking of writing a blog post about what’s been going on with me sounds painfully boring, but I really enjoyed his, so I thought I’d give it a try…

So here it goes…a moment in time…

Summer outdoor art show season has been my busiest season so far. I’ve been to Grove Park, Rittenhouse, Lewes, Winterthur, two weekends in Reboboth, with one more to go at Rittenhouse Square in Philly on September 16, 17, 18 (https://www.rittenhousesquareart.com/). And this season I bought my own tent and panels which I had borrowed from a friend in the past. I feel almost like a “grown-up” artist now…almost…and I must say that not only has it been my busiest season, but also my most successful so far!

Also, I will be at Nepenthe Gallery in Alexandria, Va (https://nepenthegallery.com/) for an art + wine + cheese event from 6:00-7:30 on Thursday, September 8th with a live oil painting demonstration the following day from 11:00 am–1:00 pm. I hope, if you are in the area, you stop by to say hello!

On a personal note, my daughter Emily married the love of her life at a small intimate wedding on Friday, August 19, and my daughter Izzy returned to Duquesne University the next day. Busy, bittersweet weekend!

Shortly after I pack up my tent for the final time of the season I am headed on a trip of a lifetime to Italy with a few friends for a magical vacation filled with relaxation, visits to gorgeous spaces, eating and drinking with no care of calories and of course finding endless painting inspiration!

In the midst of all of this I am working on my calendar for 2023. The paintings are finished and scanned and the next step is choosing which paintings make the cut (I may need your help with that) and getting it into production. This is where my background in graphic design comes in handy!

I also usually create something fun for the holiday season, ornaments, maybe necklaces, but I honestly have not had a moment to think about this yet…hopefully inspiration for this is right around the corner!

And did you hear about my artist retreat in France? Truly a dream come true, I will be teaching a workshop from June 20-29, 2023 and there are still a few spots left! Find out more here: https://perigord-retreats.com/kim-smith-workshop/ Lots to plan for because it will be here before I know it!

Then there are new paintings to create for Red Raven Art Company (https://redravenartcompany.com/) Square Pear Gallery (https://www.squarepeargallery.com/) and Notre Dame Art Show (https://ndartshow.com/) …

Plus I am thinking about goal setting for 2023 and one of my goals is to paint larger, much, much more!

And did I mention that Art in Bloom, my online oil painting course is opening for enrollment on Friday, September 2? (https://learn.kimmyerssmith.com/art-in-bloom) and my Inspiring Art Membership Group which I create inspirational artistic content for twice a month is also open for enrollment…(https://www.kimmyerssmith.com/inspiringart)

But i must admit in the midst of all of these amazing things I am so, so looking forward to pausing life for a bit and going away with good friends to relax and have fun.

That’s my life in a nutshell for the moment…life is good!