Hoeptner Year in Review + Coco the Royal

Coco the Royal  Oil on wood, 14" x 11"   SOLD
It's nice to start the year off with a painting I'm happy with.
If you want to buy "Coco the Royal," there's a Paypal button at the bottom of this post.

Happy New Year one and all!  I had an inspiration word for 2013, it was "pioneer."  I figured trying new things would be a breeze with a word like that.  

New subject matter was embraced:  horses, celestial themes, my nephews and exotic cats.  I made prints of my art available online.  My ebook for introverted artists was self published.  I fell hard for Pinterest.  I entered a few new-to-me shows and participated in an online artist mentoring group that met monthly for video chats.     

Some of my efforts were for naught and I may have lost a few days pinning recipes (that I'll never cook) on Pinterest... 

I haven't decided which of my "pioneering" projects will stick around for 2014 and which will be abandoned. One "take home" for 2013 is a vivid realization that promoting and following up on new projects is critically important.  I fell short there.  

I am very grateful to have had a stellar year for commissions. Miraculously, most of those fell into my lap with next-to-no effort.

Our beloved cat Layla died in 2013.  Her passing somehow transformed the remaining cat, graybear Coco into a much more outgoing cat...  So much so that we decided he's better off by himself.  We made a few trips to a local shelter though,  just to look...  That resulted in the beginning of a series of small and simple cat paintings of which I am really proud.  

When I shared my sadness over the loss of Layla here, many of you reached through the ethernets with your experience losing a pet and words of comfort.  I was profoundly reminded that we are all connected-- in ways that go beyond our adventures in art making and appreciation. While this blog has been and will continue to be a touchstone in my professional life, this year it was so much more.

I'm gonna save blathering about 2014 goals for another post, but please know you, dear visitor, subscriber, fellow artist are appreciated.  It is a privilege I cherish to share my art and goings-on with you.  May you have the happiest of new years!