New Year Revolutions vs. Resolutions
Starting on pet portraits for 2026.
Don’t you just hate New Year’s Resolutions?
Like many people, I do okay until about March and then all hell breaks loose. Carbs return in my diet; I drink a soda or two; I take some days off of exercise and bookkeeping; I step out of the art studio instead of into it. And the unraveling or continual struggle goes on. This year, I’ve been thinking about the difference between the words “resolution” and “revolution”. Maybe it’s because I’m a language buff, or it’s because every time I turn on the news, I think of revolution. Revolution feels dramatic, active, and I can lean into changing daily habits,
Resolution: the firm decision to do or not do something, to be determined…
Revolution: a forcible overthrow of a government or social order to be replaced by a new system; the movement of revolving…
Revolution seems like a more active state, a transition, a change with motion. Resolution is a thought or feeling, an intention.
That’s why, this year, I’m embracing a personal revolution. Each day I take baby steps of action. My mantra has been “poco a poco”, “little by little”. That continues as my mantra in 2026, but with renewed energy and boldness.
One thing I’m learning is that it takes courage to be bold to put down the first brush-stroke, to sell, to show our creativity, I’ve always thought of myself as the kind of person to put my toe in the water before jumping in. I’ve started watercolor paintings with subtle, tentative washes, afraid to make bold marks. Teachers have reminded me to make the colors more intense even in the first wash. Now I’ve begun to block in the color, jumping in. I also know it takes courage to stop painting to not overpaint or over-reach for perfection while painting. Paintings need us to step back and reevaluate, change tactics. It takes courage to sit still and follow instinct, to pause and say “no” or “stop”. I’m continuing to learn to leave a painting to sit, dry, or marinate in my imagination before finishing it. Posting is not the purpose. But it’s easy for artists to get swept up in tik tok, substack, you tube, facebook, instagram these days.
So, as part of this year’s revolution. I’m painting in a journal. I’m posting and connecting online/in-person more intentionally. Some art I’ll post and take you on the journey with me, and some journal works are private- personal, intimate, explorative, and are part of a larger process of transforming my style and developing skills. That’s as it should be, nothing new. But in these fast-paced, social media, internet times, we have to remind ourselves to be mindful. Being mindful is an ancient pursuit but it’s a revolutionary one today.
Here is an unexpected piece in my journal. This includes collage, gouache, and pastels. It began with my noticing my internal feelings. I started with colors to represent them and then I decided on the images of birds as I worked. Exciting process.
Book Publishing: A New Endeavor: “Take Me Home”
A friend, David Flynn, approached me last year about collaborating on a children’s book, entitled, Take Me Home. After months of sketching and painting illustrations, zoom calls, writes and rewrites, we are publishing our book this January. Yes,it’s coming out after the holidays. We couldn’t make our Christmas deadline. And we are still ironing out glitches in uploading the pages and cover onto KDP, but it will be avaiable to purchase from Amazon in 2026. (January 15, 2026)
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Here’s a glimpse.
I illustrated with watercolor paintings and then edited online. David wrote the text. No AI imaging, just old-fashioned illustrating. This lonely dog wants a home and abandoned in a neighborhood watches people pass by. Doesn’t he look sad? Pobrecito! Who will stop and notice him? Who will be his friend and take him home?
As we get closer to the book release day (Aiming for January 15) I’ll post again with more information about the book and how to purchase it.
The Revolution?
I have half of another book painted and I ‘ve invested in purchasing 10 ISBN/scan numbers which means there will be more future books that I’m writing and illustrating. I will be posting more of my new paintings in the portfolio for sale this year, and you can take a look and buy a piece of my “revolution” in art, too.
Happy New Year!
Good luck with your own New Year’s Revolution!
Thanks so much for your encouragement, support, and for joining me on this creative journey, Marti