Doing More by Doing Less in 2026

This year I am focusing on doing less - and hopefully making more time for the things that really matter to me. I’ve been saying “no” more than ever lately and trying to remember that saying no to one thing means saying “yes” to something else; especially things that I’ve been neglecting or avoiding when I prioritize others before my own well-being.

I am loving my new space. Everything in it now is a mix of the contents of the old studio at Gladstone which I vacated last November. The goal is to create my new creative sanctuary where I will be working and playing as often as I can. I am currently seated in the desk shown in the image below, trying hard not to be distracted by all the fun things to do in here!

I have begun working on the panda mural, which exists as two mounted marine grade plywood boards on the side of my space. The bottom panel had to be placed at an angle because our ceilings are just under 8 feet high. Thank goodness for handy partners! I’ve been posting time lapses of my progress on my Instagram account.

My flower series is ever evolving. I am still focusing on florals and natural elements, but slowly planning on incorporating other subjects and colour schemes. It’s been such a beautiful journey exploring themes that are close to my heart; namely nature with a touch of fantasy and the surreal.

The Picnic Tables at the Ottawa School of Art for the Orleans BIA have recently been (almost) completed! They are only missing a signature and some branding before their final send-off. Look out for them around the Shenkman Arts Center in Orleans!

Collaborative Mural Work

In December I also completed a mural with the Debra Dynes Family House through the Ottawa Community Housing Foundation . It was a group effort and a messy fun day with the kids in the community! I started off the project with the room to myself and later in the evening was joined by the kiddos to create a collaborative work of art!

Before the new year I started the Artist’s Way 12 week program with the Creative Connection Collective. I’ve recently done the Artist’s Way book/program about 5 years ago and it’s amazing to see how much I’ve grown as an artist and as a person since then. It led me to create some new year’s resolutions, which I don’t usually do (or keep), but this year it felt relevant.

1. Commit to studio time Tuesdays & Thursdays

2. Overhaul and update my website & Etsy shop

3. Say NO to shows, to people, to things taking me away from my practice and my family

4. More dinners at home and routine evenings

5. $100k goal, including the trifecta of my work: Murals, Teaching and Originals

6. Balancing art career with life and my limited daily working hours, optimizing passive income

7. NO SHOWS OR EXHIBITIONS in 2026. Focus on creating, introspection, and building up inventory

8. Being more visible online and sharing more authentically

Please consider supporting me for a small monthly or one yearly fee to keep my substack going and help me keep creating! Every little bit helps, and I would love to be able to say no to more of the smaller gigs by having more passive income like this substack, so that I can focus on painting more original work.

ARTAWA
Artawa Meetup this Sunday, January 11 from 2:30-5pm. We are back at the Ottawa Art Gallery! RSVP to the Facebook Event. Bring your own supplies and projects to put some time into around other creatives. Network, chat, share events, or just enjoy the well lit accessible space with large tables and sinks to explore a couple hours playing around with your favourite supplies. No registration required, all are welcome. 10 Daly ave, inside the Ottawa Art Gallery in the community studio across from the Jackson Cafe.

ART CLASSES

Classes start next week and there are still open spots left! This winter I will be bringing back my Acrylic Fundamentals class, teaching cloudy skies. All skill levels are welcome! I will be covering fundamentals as well as more advanced techniques. This 10 week class includes 7 unique lessons followed by a self directed project and final critique. Wednesday evenings from 6:30pm to 9:30pm at the Ottawa School of Art in Orleans located in the Shenkman Arts Centre. Register Here.

I am also teaching painting for homeschooled children, Wednesday afternoons. More info here.

My last offering through the school of art: My first time teaching a March Break camp! I will be combining movement and crafts for ages 6-8. Register here.

ART BATTLE

Thank you to everyone who came out to the December Art Battle! With votes from you, I moved onto the final round and won! As is customary, I will be live painting throughout the next Art Battle event taking place on Saturday, Jan 17. My live painting will be happening alongside the battle, so I will have more time to complete it. The painting itself will be auctioned off at the end of the night.

Also a little heads up, I will be participating in another art battle painting at the War Museum in February on the 7th.

CAPITAL ART FAIR GALLERY

I will be displaying at the Capital Art Fair Gallery for another few weeks for the remainder of their holiday show until January 18th. Their winterlude show is coming up soon! As part of my new year’s resolutions, I will be taking a break from the gallery and all exhibitions for the remainder of 2026, but the gallery will continue to have amazing works and be a hub for the art community on Sparks street.

MODO YOGA

I continue to have the Monday 4:30pm timeslot at Modo Yoga in Orleans. I am no longer teaching the Saturday community classes as I have now “graduated” to teaching regular hot Modo (hatha style) classes! Come on out if you are in the area.

Sneak peek of a super awesome secret not so secret place in the world we call our own <3 More info on that to come.

That’s all for today, folks. Thanks for following me along on this crazy art journey called life. I hope you had a wonderful holiday filled with family, friends and food! Wishing you all the best in the new year of the horse!