The Year that was 2018

New Year's Eve.  Keeping an eye on the Twilight Zone marathon, got my Chinese food.  Important traditions being maintained.

This time of year I also usually have to deal with grading, and I spent hours on that today.  The good news is that the class grades are now done, though I will want to double check the math before I submit them, due in a few days.  If all I had to worry about was the art, I'd have been done well before now, but the university likes to pile other stuff on top of these classes, things with no relation to art.  I'm glad to be done with the stuff I needed to do for semester grades, but I still have hours of other evaluating to do, but I have a few weeks to get that done.

This is also Christmas card season.  Finished coloring four more today (from the batch I started coloring at the Studio a few days ago) and got two out before New Year's Day.  That's something.

But tonight is also when I traditionally sum up the year, so here are the highlights:

Prints- Once again, not nearly as many as I would have liked.  Conceived, cut, and proofed the block for a new saint of sorts, my St Dwynwen print.  Coloring will happen in January.  This year's holiday card was also completed all in this year.  Another print that was completed this year was my mermaid print, image derived from a relief sculpture I completed this year, and a print from that piece of wood was done completely this year.  I finally started work on my Circus Drive In print so that should be done in 2019.

Shows- Luckily the lack of new prints has not hurt my exhibits.  Having a large inventory helps.  Had work in a few shows in Belmar, a show in Spring Lake related to my Belmar connections, a show at the Jersey Shore Arts Center that was up for a few months, and a Faculty Show at my university.  I believe it was 9 prints total, all different.

Teaching- Had my usual university classes, plus advising my advanced independent woodcut student who finally had his BFA show.  Had a bunch of other classes this year in other places- two rounds of woodcut classes in Belmar (10 students total), plus two linocut workshops in other places. Was a busy summer.

Studio- Had some Studio visits this year.  College classmate Jenny came up from Virginia for the third time in three years, officially to pick up some boardwalk prints she had ordered on her last visit, but I think that the opportunity to walk the local towns and eat local pizza were a big part of the lure. And a long in planning visit from a local woman and her printmaker cousin from Brooklyn finally happened this fall.  They seemed impressed, so I guess it was a success.  Jackie's move out gives us a little more space, though Molly tends to fill it every chance she gets.

Firsts- Actually not my first time helping to put together a show, but over the past few years I have been heavily involved in something called East Meets West, a show organized by my former woodcut student Mary and her former college classmate (from 50 years ago) in Portland, OR.  Last year I was helping them toward a show in Belmar, but this year they decided to move it to the JSAC and it's scheduled to happen in early 2019.  Don't know if it will lead to anything else, but it might.

Next year- Well, it's getting late.  I'll save that for tomorrow.