Another year has gone by and it's been a very productive one. I started my blog in January this year as a personal diary of my journey studying
botanical art and in particular the SBA Distance Diploma Course. I was encouraged to try this after seeing a few botanical artists blogging
their own experiences and felt it might be helpful to combine artwork
with technology. The interesting outcome from this blog is I that managed to have one
of my artworks selected for the cover of a book after the author
googled images. I wasn't sure how to go about the negotiation process
and spent time learning about copyright and ownership of artwork.
Watercolour painting of Persimmon chosen for cover © Vicki Lee Johnston |
Other artists can be a great source of encouragement and knowledge and it is so helpful to connect to the online network and see what's around you.
One of the most recent surprises was being nominated for the
Making A Mark Awards for Best Portrayal of Nature in an art blog.
To achieve this you must be nominated by a fellow art blogger - the artist who nominated my work was Jessica Rosemary Shepherd. The ironic thing about this is that it was Jessica's blog Inky Leaves
which first attracted me to blogging - I have found it so helpful to
follow her progress in the SBA Course as she is a year ahead of me ...
There have been many ups and downs for her and it has made me feel more comfortable about the course and the efforts required. When you see how tiny her workspace is, her efforts at juggling her full time work with assignment deadlines ... it is actually reassuring to see that for so many of us, no matter how experienced, we do feel similar frustrations.
The nominated artwork as a work in progress- Alyogyne huegelii 'West Coast Gem' © Vicki Lee Johnston |
The voting has finished and my artwork recevied the least votes but it certainly is an honour to be nominated ... and has capped off a very difficult year in a lovely way. Here are all the nominated artworks in each category of the Making A Mark Blog Awards:
Best Artwork on a Blog
Best Artwork on a Blog
I would really encourage those of you considering starting a blog to do so if you are able .. it has added so much to my artistic journey and I believe it really is a great way to network - I see how well it works and may lead to all kinds of possibilities.
© Vicki Lee Johnston |
I want to thank you for your support and in particular the lovely comments - art can be a very isolating experience at times. I have a very busy year ahead with the course .... so for the New Year I wish you all peace, health and happiness ... much inspiration and many completed artworks!