Happy almost 2026 everyone! As this year comes to a close, I’m feeling reflective and grateful. 2025 was a good year overall, though it ended with a small reminder of how precious family and health truly are. Moments like these have a way of showing you what really matters and everything else can gently wait.

Enjoying a quiet, peaceful moment on Christmas Day by the fire.

With that perspective in mind, this is my last blogpost for 2025 and I feel pretty proud of my simple goal of writing a blogpost once per month. I have found that the one thing that has helped me set goals and keep them is to create small, attainable goals and make them easy to accomplish. Whether writing a blogpost or painting a daily painting, if I keep it manageable and easy to do it makes such a difference. My new goal for 2026 is to complete 16 blogposts- I will be adding 4 additional posts and I am thinking those would be perfect to add for each changing of the seasons. This blog has become like a diary for me and I can’t wait to share more of my thoughts, art, glimpses of island life and behind the scenes here in my studio.

If there’s anything you’d love to see more of here, I’d truly love to know. Feel free to leave a comment or send me an email. Your feedback means so much to me.

Styling one of my original hydrangea paintings (available on this website) with some cozy Christmas lights.

I always enjoy reflecting at the end of each year and dreaming about the wonderful possibilities of the next year. In 2026 I plan on continuing my daily painting practice, monthly blogging and learning more techniques as my job as an artist and high school art educator. One exciting thing happening is my art studio at home is finally getting a refresh! My husband will be adding new flooring, some new furniture and cabinets. I can’t wait to share with you how it progresses. I feel like having a fresh, new space will give me some amazing inspiration and will definitely make photographing and creating videos easier for marketing.

My current studio with some of my hydrangeas paintings I completed for a release in May 2025. Can’t wait to show you the refresh!

For the upcoming year, I also hope to spend much more time at our lake house. Last year was the first full year there, filled with lots of home projects and settling into island life. I am hoping we finish the kitchen and painting inside the home for 2026. Having this place to escape to has been such a gift for our family, and the community on our little Lake Erie island has been incredibly special. I can’t wait to share more of that space with you as well.

Thanks to all who have read my blog this year. I really appreciate your time and feedback and I hope you have an amazing start to 2026!

Xoxo

Michelle