Bon Voyage 2011
As many of you know, I’ve been hard at work revisiting all the work in my print collections. Gallery by gallery, I’ve been re-editing work where I felt necessary (which for me is the fun part) and then deciding what prints to include in my revised gallery and re-writing the descriptions of each and every piece. I’m trying to include more details whether I describe the moment or process behind an image or simply why I personally find it special. That latter part is what has taken me so long, especially picking and choosing. I often have similar images from the same location and if I have trouble choosing, I suspect it could confound those looking for the perfect piece for their home, office, etc. Even though I’m keeping my galleries leaner, all the runner-up images are kept on hand, so if you’re ever looking for something you loved before and can’t find now, just ask. I may even rotate some of my work in the future, but right now I can’t think too seriously about that since I’m not yet quite done with the current project.
And it’s now safe to say I won’t be finishing it before I leave for my annual New Year’s trip! I had hoped to, but it’s slow going doing it right the first time! So for those who’ve missed the news, yes, there’s at least one more New Year’s trip to come. I gave serious thought to not going this year. Finances have been tight and I wasn’t incredibly inspired to go anywhere as the year began drawing to a close. At the last minute, I thought of our neighbor to the north and I decided to ring in 2012 in Quebec City! Another trip to remind me how little French I remember from school, I fear.
I’ve looked at the weather and the day I arrive in Quebec, there’s a predicted high of 11 and a low of 1, and yes, those are fahrenheit values! I keep reading that it’s not a damp cold like one finds in Europe. Is that like the infamous dry heat out west? This should be an interesting experience. I’ll be sure to count my fingers and toes each night… After a mere week in Quebec, I’m bound for a brief return trip to New York City before heading home to finish my gallery make-over. I look forward to telling you all that I’ve finished that!
In the past year for a variety of reasons, I split apart my website so that my art blog and site was focused on just my work and I also went in a new direction with my mailing list. Previously the people on my list also received my updates from what is now my travel blog, but again, I wanted my art list to be more focused. In a similar vein of efficiency, I started hosting my mailing list with Mailchimp so that I could be more concerned with the content of my message than keeping my self-hosted mailing list from self-destructing. That’s been such a pleasure that I’ve decided to now also offer you all the chance to subscribe to updates to my travel blog via Mailchimp.
Long time readers know that I love to jot down notes about the things I see and do when traveling. What you may or may not know is the evolution of that process. Ultimately, I write those notes from the road for me. They are my reminders of the places I’ve been. When I sit down and re-read tales from a trip 8 years ago, it transports me mentally right back to that place. I can practically see and hear the places. I can often even remember where I sat and typed a given post. Obviously, that’s the power of my memory more so than my writing but I started sharing them with friends and family who all reported that they enjoyed their vicarious travels through my trip notes, so I started sharing them further afield. And I’m always pleasantly surprised by how many people report enjoying reading those posts.
So, if you have enjoyed reading about my travels and would like those posts from my travel blog delivered straight to your inbox, be sure to pop over to my subscribe page. And remember, this is separate from my regular mailing list, so just because you’re on that one doesn’t mean you’ll automatically get updates from my trip.
Anyway, I wanted to share that so that you all had the opportunity to sign up and I hope you will! Now, I need to get back to preparing for my wintery trip. With some luck, my next post here on my art blog will be soon after I get back and reporting that I’ve completed my print project! But until then, thank you all for your support in 2011. Thanks to each and every one of you who have a piece of my work hanging on your walls and to every one who has given words of encouragement and shared what I’m doing with your friends and family to help get the word out. None of this would be possible without you! Here’s hoping that we all have a wonderful 2012 – here’s to the new year!
Note: 2014 – my travel blog posts have re-joined my personal blog at marketisdale.net and I no longer offer a subscription service, just be sure to follow me on the social media channel of your choice!
