I hope you had a wonderful Christmas holiday. I know this year might be especially difficult for families to gather. I had a good holiday with my wife and kids. And that’s one of the things I’m most grateful for this year. Since March I’ve been working at home and didn’t have many gatherings with friends and families. But I was very lucky to be stuck at home with my loved ones. Even though there are times I wish the house can be a bit quieter without kids, I am fortunate enough to keep my work and have a roof over my head. I have a job that supports my family, and I still get to what I love to do, for example, painting watercolor, in the midst of all these. I know there are many people not as lucky as I am, so I tried to help out by donating some money, but it’s like pouring a small cup of water into a huge forest fire. I know my help is very limited in the scope of things. That being said I’m very grateful to anyone who purchased a painting from me, as you know the profit has gone to GlobalGiving foundation for the COVID relief. So a big thank you for that.
Being an artist for me is always about connection. I hope my work touches people’s hearts. I’ve been very clear about my mission as an artist. I want to remind people that they are loved and accepted by my paintings. And it’s not that my paintings have this profound hidden messages or deep meanings. I’m simply trying to paint people, places, and scenarios that trigger good memories and accentuate something people care about. Or if my painting brings you just a moment of joy or comfort, then that means I’m doing my job as an artist. However, thanks to the internet, I am able to share more than just painting. I can share painting tips, processes, and thoughts with you. I got a number of people who told me that they enjoy watching me paint. It helps them relax and it brings them peace. While that wasn’t really my initial goal for this channel, I am really happy that people enjoy my content. In a way, my work is not just watercolor painting, but also all the contents that I’m making. And I am very grateful to be able to have this connection with you.
Now looking back to the beginning of the year. I set 3 new years resolutions. The first one is to reach 100k subscribers on YouTube. And I am happy to report that I hit that goal about 3 months ago. And as a bonus, I also got into a magazine(Splash 21) so that’s nice. This “achievement” doesn’t just belong to me, but to all of you who subscribed to my channel. Because I couldn’t have done it without you. I was super excited and happy when I got my YouTube 100k silver play button plaque. But that excitement died out rather quickly. That doesn’t mean I’m not proud of it every time I see it, but I know this is more like a milestone of my journey, not the destination. Next year I will be making more content for you, continue to make connections with people through my paintings and videos. Anyway, a huge thanks to you.
The second 2020 resolution was becoming a better painter. Now, this is a bit more subjective because, after Andy’s workshop, I’ll say my work has drastically changed. Some people like it, some people don’t. I used to paint more like Joseph Zbukvic, he is definitely the artist who inspired me to start learning watercolor. After spending a few years learning to try to paint like him. I do say that I have some success in that. But about 2 years ago I came across Andy’s work, and I just fall in love with them. It has this clean and luminance quality that’s really different from Joseph’s work. And I wanted that in my work. So I started to learn from him, first with online lessons, and then I got lucky enough to be in his workshop early this year. After learning from him, I feel like the possibilities have opened up. I would start to paint subjects that I wasn’t as comfortable with. But just like learning a new language or a new set of dance moves, it was inevitable that I produced some bad paintings. And you even see some of them. I got comments and messages telling me that my paintings have gotten worse. They want me to look at some of the old “classic” like the morning fog painting, and the Waiting to board painting. While these are not the most encouraging thing to hear. I know the reason behind this. And honestly, I did create a few paintings that I’m quite proud of. I’m happy that this year I am exploring new possibilities of watercolor painting. Given the fact that I only painted for about 5 years, I definitely don’t want to limit myself to a specific style and workflow. So did I become a better painter this year? I do think so. While it might reflect on my painting. I definitely grew as a painter. And for me, that’s more important than simply painting pretty pictures right now. So where do I go from here? I think next year I am going to start to combine what I learn from Joseph, Andy, and even Charles Ried. I’m not going to think too hard about how to combine them. I’m likely just going to paint what comes the most natural for me, and see what’s going to happen. I’m really looking forward to it, and I hope you will be part of the upcoming journey as well.
The third resolution was to work out again. This, I’ll have to be honest, I haven’t been working out much, so sadly, I don’t look like a male model yet. This resolution will be roll-over to 2021.
How was your year? What are some of your new year’s resolutions, and were you able to accomplish them. Again, thank you so much for this amazing year at Cafe Watercolor. I appreciate you.