I started out 2009 by setting goals for the year.   HERE is a link to that post with my 2009 goals.  Some of them were fairly lofty but I had admired the way that several artists that I look up to had set goals and I decided it was a good way to help me find my way on this painting journey I'm on.

Happily, I've achieved most of them... ... I'll continue working on some of them even though I've made progress... I'm not yet there, and of course, I failed miserably to achieve one or two.   In chatting with my artists friends, I've come to believe that as we achieve some of our goals, we sort of lift the ladder up a bit and keep on working at a higher level on them... Others need to be caste aside and new different goals should be set.

Examples of those ongoing types of goals:
I'll probably be working on values for the rest of my painting life.... I'm better, but may never be "there".
I've been painting and painting... but probably don't have enough really quality work of one genre to have a one person show yet... 

Although I marketed my work each time there was an out of town show, I have no idea whether it reached a receptive audience.... will need to work on that some more.

Dismal failures were:
I did NOT sketch... just sketch 3 times a week.   (I sketched to paint, but not just to sketch.)
I didn't do any commissions except for the family.

My major successes were:
My work was shown in juried shows in Wisconsin, Redding, CA, Santa Cruz, CA, Montrose, CA, Pasadena, CA and several other non-local venues.
I did sell many more paintings than I did in 2008 -  50% + more in both quantity and revenue.
My work has been shown in two different group gallery shows.
I received several awards for different paintings... always a nice thing.

I've been working on a series of paintings for a show in January that celebrates urban spaces in the San Fernando Valley.   The painting on this post is one of those.   It's titled "Windy Day On Sherman Way".  It's 12x16 inches.

I'll now need to sit back and decide how to modify existing goals, dropping some and adding new ones.  All in all I'd say it was a satisfying year -- both from the painting and life in general points of views.  I hope yours was as well!!