It's been about 5 years since I last shared on this blog, and reflecting on this mid-December Sunday felt like the perfect time to return and publish something new. Let's take a quick look back on the intensity and beauty that was this final year of the decade. 2019 was a grand one to say the least.
January through March was a cold blur, but a beautiful one at that. I experienced my second winter as a Manhattan resident, and spent a good portion of time planning the remainder of the year. I went to the NY Botanical Garden, took myself to see Bronze Radio Return in concert, took advantage of First Friday's at the Frick, and attended my first formal tea party. I took my mom to see a choir perform at Carnegie Hall for the first time. I enrolled in night classes at the Art Students League of NY, sketching after work in a warm studio every Tuesday. I took a quick trip to Massachusetts, exploring Provincetown with my grandparents for a long weekend of quiet recuperation.
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| January 2019 - New York, NY |
April through June was when the year shifted gears - I toyed with the idea of moving from my first studio apartment, then shortly after, found and moved into my current one bedroom. I also began playing in spring and summer tennis leagues, continued taking figurative drawing classes, attended my first Mets game, and enjoyed my first Belmont Stakes experience. Trickling into the remainder of the summer, I spent the 4th of July back in New England, witnessing some of my favorite sunsets in recent memory, and relaxing before a nonstop second half of the year. I also bit the bullet and decided to go blonde (finally).
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| July 2019 - New York, NY |
In August I traveled to New Mexico for the first time. I flew into Albuquerque, spent my birthday in Santa Fe exploring the Georgia O'Keeffe museum, then settled in Taos for the remainder of my week in the Southwest. I visited Taos Ski Valley, walked halfway across the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, and took a tour of sacred Taos Pueblo. I also painted oils in a plein air workshop, danced in my first outdoor water aerobics class, and embarked on my first llama trek along the Colorado border. It was all beautiful and soul reviving, and no, we didn't ride the llamas.
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| August 2019 - Somewhere between Albuquerque and Taos |
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| August 2019 - From my painting workshop with Richard Nichols in Taos, NM |
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| September 2019 - Claude enjoying the view from the Harvest Barn Inn in Bellows Falls, VT |
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| September 2019 - Bellows Falls, VT |
October and November were defined by plein air watercolor painting in Central Park, reaching the finals in my first Manhattan fall tennis league, and setting out on my first solo trip to Jackson Hole, WY for some fresh air and gorgeous views of the Grand Tetons. I booked the trip to Jackson on impulse about 2 weeks before my trip to New Mexico, and it was one of the best decisions I could've made all year. During my time in Wyoming I stumbled upon moose, saw (and heard) wolves, drove through the Elk refuge and spotted a herd not too far from where I lodged, made a quick trip to Idaho, rode and pet a couple of local horses, finally put my canon ae-1 to use, and met incredible local artists whenever stopping in town. The Tetons are truly unlike any other landscape I've ever experienced. It's no exaggeration when I say I think about them every day.
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| November 2019 - Jackson Hole, WY |
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| November 2019 - Jackson Hole, WY |
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| November 2019 - Self portrait with Nerb the barnyard cat in Jackson, WY |
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| November 2019 - Jackson Hole, WY |
Holiday parties and chaos aside, December has allowed for a surprisingly rich time of reflection. I've been taking the last couple of weeks to look back and measure how far I've come in such a short amount of time. I accomplished more than I could've imagined at the beginning of 2019, and I look forward to even more adventuring, painting, and connecting in 2020. This year was only the beginning of even greater accomplishments ahead.
Have a happy and healthy end of the year, to whoever chooses to read this.
