It's a new year, and for me, it's time to update my art record book for 2020. I admit to being a little compulsive about recording every painting I complete in an official looking Record Book. Yes, the old fashioned ledger type book purchased from a "stationery" store has always been my  favorite way to keep track of my paintings. You can see from the image on the left that I cover over the word "RECORD" on the front of the book, and write the Volume number on the front. After 40 years of record keeping, I've just started in on Volume 5.

It all started in college when I was painting big abstract paintings in my Painting class. Somehow I'd gotten hold of a ledger book and began recording the titles, sizes, and dates of all the paintings I completed (maybe 40 or so the year I graduated). For whatever reason, I hung on to that book over the years, and when I resumed painting again at age 30, I continued recording my paintings in that old grey book.

Over the years, I've filled several of these books (each book is 150 pages, so I combine 4 years into one book, separating each year with a post-it note tab). I love the feeling of writing the title of each finished painting, one by one, into a lined notebook.

Each painting is logged in order of completion; I use a red marker to record the painting number (1 is the first painting of the year, etc.), and I write the date, size, medium, and any other notes I want to make about the painting (especially if it immediately sold).

Needless to say, I take a high resolution photo (on my iphone) of every one of my paintings (sometimes while in progress, but especially when I've signed and completed the painting). I put those images into folders on my PC labeled DigitalArt/[year], and I rename each file with the title of the painting--I shun nondescript file names like DSC0700! It is much easier to search for images using words from the title. From my PC, I am able to print out images of my work, or upload an image to a website when I enter a show online, for example.

While I do have a software program (MS Access) that I enter painting titles into when I need to make labels for a show, this hard-copy book allows me to paste things into the pages--such as my favorite paintings of the year. (I print a "contact sheet" so that the images are 1 x 3"). I cut out each small image and glue stick it onto the pages of the book--I sometimes arranged images by technique or theme.

In addition to recording each painting, I do one more important thing. At the end of each year, I assess my artistic progress and I write about:

• Workshops and classes I've taken (and what I learned from each instructor)
• New methods/materials I’ve tried
• Art/artists who have influenced me or showed me how to solve a problem
• A “top ten” list of my own best works—and why they are important
• Shows I’ve entered (accepted or not) and awards received

I haven't included any photos of the pages described in these bullet points because they are almost like a diary--too personal to share online. But they mean the world to me, because they inform my work and I hold myself to the task of writing them each year. Writing about my art in this book is a labor of love, and it shows me where I've been and (maybe) where I'm headed artistically.

Sometimes, we artists say things like "I just got lucky" upon successful completion of a painting. We should give ourselves more credit for the work it took to whip that painting into shape! Is it mere luck when we see an opportunity and seize on it?

My painting "In the Bubble #1" started one way, and finished another--because I saw its potential and refused to give up on it. In one afternoon, I transformed this piece from "potential junk pile fodder" to finished painting.

If you click on each image in the gallery below, you'll see a step by step explanation of my process. Step 5 is the final image of the painting. "In the Bubble #1" is acrylic marbling on paper, 11 x 15".

It's a good art day when I go from thinking “this is not working” to “I think I’ve fixed this!”.