A look back at 2022
I am saying goodbye to a year full of learning experiences, with ups and downs, challenges that were overcome and goals that were achieved, a year of hellos and goodbyes, a year that knocked me down, made me cry but prepared me to get up stronger.
January was all about planning the workshops and editing my new webpage as in creating all the links to the shop and social media ensuring all is up and running. It was also a month of gratitude for the previous year’s opportunity to be a resident artist at The Old School House Arts Centre for a semester. Thanks to that, I was able to begin my journey to get my name out in the community, as well as get a few commissions. It was a great way to start Silvina Lanusse Art on Vancouver Island.
The first kid’s workshop happened in February: Magical mixed media lab I called it. For 4 Saturdays, kids between 8 and 12 came to my workshop and enjoyed some play time in the art room. It felt so good to see them experiment and learn new techniques.
April was the month I taught the first greeting card class for adults. It was a full day workshop filled with laughter for all. It was a great opportunity to share my skills and connect with the community. At the end of their class, I created some short video tutorials for them to review what they learned. I took this as my time to practice and get a little taste of how to make videos. This will be handy for when I launch my online classes.
My new square business cards were printed in April by MOO. It was very exciting as they now had my webpage on them and look so professional!
May’s highlight was the photoshoot with Cory Raven Photography. It was nerve wrecking but a lot of fun in the end. We went to Englishman River falls and to Parksville board walk by the ocean. He did an amazing job! old barriers came down for me as I learned to enjoy the process. The photos were magical and I believe they described me perfectly. That was a big win for me.
July was a very special month, our first granddaughter was born and filled our hearts with joy! This is my partner’s daughter’s daughter, Cassidy. Such a beautiful baby, such light shining through her eyes! We couldn’t be happier!
We also learned in August that my daughter, Silvi and Hamish got engaged! well, that was a huge surprise and my heart was big with excitement and happiness. Things were changing in our family and 2022 seemed the year!
Artistically speaking, in August I painted two old fashioned milk cans for our neighbours. That was a fun project! I love painting wild animals for children. It brought me back to the early 2000s when I painted a lot of animals and animal themed artwork for Silvi’s school. The neighbours were delighted!
September came and Silvi visited for a short few days. It was sweet as can be to be able to hold her in my arms again after almost 3 years since she moved to New Zealand. I enjoyed seeing her, catching up in person with her and her Canadian friends. I miss her so much!
In November I took a few online classes to learn all about gelli printing and began making greeting cards by the dozen. It was a very fruitful month that way, and ended up making a few sales. Print making in small format and in quantities proved to be very satisfying. I now have a new category in my online shop: Greeting Cards. Making them is a fast paced creative spell. The abstract pieces are easy to touch-up over and over at any moment until I see them finished. It was a great discovery for me and there is big potential both as greeting cards and as studies to make larger pieces in the future.
December 24 today. I am proud of what I have accomplished in 2022. I wrapped up the year by sending holiday cheer to my students and clients in the form of a video tutorial. I am grateful for their support and look forward to 2023!
I will be drafting new proposals for workshops in the Spring. I have a couple in mind that I know people are going to love.
I have Silvi’s engagement party and wedding in January and February. A trip to New Zealand. It will start off very busy for sure. Happy and exciting times for the family.
Thank you for being here and supporting me in this new adventure that is Silvina Lanusse Art.
See you in 2023! find me on Facebook and Instagram, subscribe to my blog, stay in touch. I love to hear from you.
Photo by Cory Raven Photography