2025 in Review

The year began tenderly and slowly, marked by the loss of my mother and the work of settling her estate. During that season, I painted Blue Daffodils — a piece that became deeply meaningful to me. The daffodils were painted from a photograph of the flowers at our family home, where they’ve bloomed every spring since 1987. That painting felt like a quiet way of honoring both the beauty of that place and the long thread of family memories tied to it.

Even in that heavy season, I continued teaching my online art classes, meeting weekly with a small group of students who were faithfully drawing and learning alongside me. Those classes wrapped up in May, and I’m so grateful for that community and the way teaching continues to shape my own practice.

Also in May, I met Sarah, who helped me create my first website — a big and slightly intimidating step for me. She not only helped build the foundation, but continued to support me as I ran into new technical challenges along the way (and there were a few!). She also did several photo shoots of my work and my studio, helping me see my art through fresh eyes. I’m very thankful for her help this year, and she’ll continue to support me in various ways as I move into 2026.

In March, I stepped into something new and began learning Adobe Illustrator, opening a new creative direction as a surface pattern designer. I started creating artwork designed specifically for fabric, wallpaper, and repeat patterns — a very different way of thinking about composition and design, and one I’m excited to continue developing in 2026.

In June, I hung a 30-Year Review linocut exhibition at the Simpsonville Art Gallery. It was such a gift to look back across three decades of printmaking, and it sparked many conversations — especially from visitors who were discovering linocut for the first time. The miniature collages also found their way into several new homes, which was a joy.

Then in September, I was honored to be the gallery’s featured artist. During that time I also added two new linocuts to the show — Summer Smiles and Apples — which felt like a lovely way to let new work sit alongside older pieces. That announcement even led to a surprising and sweet connection — I met a distant Heffernan relative who lives nearby, someone I might never have met without that little notice on a gallery wall.

In October, a friend reached out asking about a butterfly, which led me back into that familiar and meaningful motif. I painted an extra-large Blue Morpho watercolor, followed by a small Blue Morpho oil, and it rekindled my desire to continue exploring butterflies more intentionally in the year ahead.

That same season, I moved into a back studio at the Simpsonville Fine Art Gallery so I could begin teaching and working there in person while my home studio was being updated — including the installation of eight new can lights that completely transformed the space.

While I was working out of the gallery studio, I began several new oil paintings, including Cat in the Window Sill, Poinsettia, Morning Walk with Joel & Joy, Bluebird, and more.

As the year wrapped up, I was especially thankful for three commissions (four dogs!) that were painted while I was working at the gallery and then given as Christmas gifts. Every dog I paint becomes part of my Dogs We Love! collection, and those paintings also live on in the calendar — which is still available through the end of January.

In December, I also had the joy of being part of the Alumni Christmas Market at BJU. It was such a gift to meet new friends, talk about art with people who were curious and kind, and watch pieces find their way into new homes.

That same month, I began a new series of bird sketches that will grow into a fresh display opening on February 6, 2026, along with the possibility of a bird watercolor class and some sweet new bird-themed merchandise. I also started developing twelve sticker designs to help celebrate America’s 250th birthday — a fun and meaningful way to mix creativity with gratitude for our country’s history.

Looking back, 2025 held grief and growth, learning and letting go, quiet studio work and unexpected connections. It reminded me again that art isn’t just what we make — it’s how we mark time, remember people, and notice the beauty that continues, even in difficult seasons.