Back in the Saddle, so to speak

Whew. Love the holidays/hate the holidays.

So much work, effort and time for a couple of days. We had a wonderful Christmas here and I am blessed with amazing children, grandchildren and sons-in-law. Really amazing.

Preparing for the holidays feels like a long underwater swim.On December
26th I rise to the surface and gulp big breaths of fresh air. Not that there's time to float and gaze at the sky. The Atlanta Gift Show opens too too soon and I am painting like a house on fire. (I love that cliche...)

Getting ready for market is far more involved than Christmas. There's the booth design, the new art to create, the catalog to update, the samples produced, order forms found, price lists created, blah blah blah.....

Anyway, the work is finally flowing. There's a theme and a look that I like. Finally. This season has been a struggle. I've spent so much of 2009 building a better structure for the business that there hasn't been much time for painting and creative time. Getting the flow back took more time than usual.

And I may be a bit slower than I used to be now that Miss Violet has taken up residence in the studio. She likes to sit on my lap and purr while I paint. Life doesn't get much better than that. The beautiful dog in my favorite imaginary chair is a preview of the new art for 2010. It's the image I like the best so far.

Loving the Open House

My very first Kathleen Taylor Studio Open House was a wonderful holiday experience. Not because we made so much money and sold so much art. Because we had two days of sharing and learning and laughing. My friend, Sandy Erickson Wright, loaded up her SUV with gorgeous cow and pear and Sandy art. My new friend, Bailey Jack,packed her mini-van with her amazing whimsical art and drove to my house from Cartersville, GA. Not close to my house, I'm just sayin'.

Once all the art was hung and arranged we had an irresistible holiday art show. Friends, family, kids, local artists and strangers came and bought and chatted. I loved every minute.


The very best part was spending hours with my artist friends. We talked nonstop for 2 days. Sharing techniques, challenges, issues and hardships. Laughed and connected. We agreed that no matter how difficult it is to make a living as an artist, we felt blessed to be able to do so. The best part of what I do is the human connection. The folks who tear up when they see "All Dogs Go to Heaven" because they just lost a beloved pet. The retailers who relate stories to me about customers who were touched by my painting. It is an unexpected bonus to the gift of being able to paint every day. Lucky me.

I am posting the line drawing I did for my new website that will never see the light of day due to tiling and templates and number of pixels.... I liked it so I am sharing. Happy Holidays!!

Holiday Open House!!

Art makes the perfect gift. And we have something....for everyone on your list.

See for yourself. Click here to see our ever-expanding line of prints on sale now. (Website under construction...MUCH more to come!)

Local ATL fans! Come and join us for our first Holiday Open House. Food. Drinks. And ART. Come and see my original art and retail line of wall art and notecards.

Free Kathleen Taylor stationery to any Facebook fans that come! Click here to become a fan of Kathleen Taylor Studio today. (Just in time for a freebie!)

Sandy Erickson Wright and Bailey Jack will also be sharing their beautiful art.

More details...

When: Saturday and Sunday --December, 5 & 6 from 10 am to 4 pm.

In addition to our Open House you can also visit the Clay Fetish Pottery Holiday Show and Sale. They're just up the road and their pottery is wonderful.

Where: 15825 Westbrook Rd Alpharetta GA 30004. Call for info 678 339 0960