How did Sue E. Cowan, Artist do in 2025?  Year in Review

2025 was really a crazy year at The Creaky Easel Art Studio. My whole life was turned upside down as soon as our acreage in the Grande Prairie. AB area sold. Without a proper plan we loaded the uhauls and set out on a zany adventure with our 2 dogs in the wintertime to find our new home. Just the trip alone had several blog post worthy chapters if I had had the time to write them! All we knew was that we wanted to be in Manitoba, in the southern region using Neepawa as a starting point. 

Eventually, in April, we found what we were looking for. A 1+ acre lot in Sidney which is about an hour and a half west of Winnipeg with a park like setting. Garden space for Ken who has at last retired and room to run for the dogs. A newly discovered bonus was the squirrels living in the many trees that keep the dogs endlessly entertained! 

The studio being downstairs was not what I had in mind as we wanted a home with only one floor but everything else ticked the boxes on our list. The ability to paint plein air right here in my yard with endless subject matter more than makes up for having a basement studio. 

After getting settled in, unpacked and slowly re-establishing the studio, I started looking for galleries and venues for my art. Before long, I had artwork exhibited in a couple places and started to get ready for 2026.  A few commissions were finished and sent away to their new homes, both domestic and international.

I am now working on the last piece for my 36x36 inch series of wildlife. I learned how to do pastel paintings in 2025, which I do upstairs while spending time with my husband. I have a lift-top coffee table that holds my pastel supplies and slides up to my chair like a desk. The pan pastels and pencils I use do not create much dust and I have an air purifier running just in case. 

Building my online presence has been a challenge. Leaving my comfort zone and trying to create reels and stories for social media. My website has been revamped and I am trying to get the store operational (not easy if you are not techy!!).  I have a new series of paintings being developed for local shows, still life pieces (which for some reason started to appeal to me!!) and now that I have developed my pastel skills I am thinking of adding pet portraits as a sideline in the coming year.

In retrospect, although it was difficult to leave my grandchildren (who were no longer babies) behind, the move has been good for us all. The art world seems to be more productive for me here than in the frozen north mainly because I am able to get around better here. I am looking forward to the new year. Setting up my list of goals  for 2026 and working toward them. How did we do in 2025? Sales were up, short term stress was up, fun was up, creativity was up, gratitude was up, stress went down, new friends, new clients and stronger family ties were made and overall I will say it was a success. Thank you all for being part of my story.