Things I'm Thankful for And What I'm Looking Forward to In 2017 / by Carole Feuerman

I have much to be thankful for and to look forward to in 2017. I'd like to share them with you.

I'm Thankful for - the gift of health and having all my senses. When I wake up every day and I can breathe, get out of bed, can see,  can walk,  can exercise, can talk, can listen, and can make myself vital, I’m having a great day.

I'm Thankful for- My family. I am so grateful that I have a large family and I get to spend a lot of time with them. When I watch my children and my grandchildren, I'm filled with joy. I am grateful for a loving husband to share my life with and his children and grandchildren. It amazes me to see how many special and loving relatives are in my life.

My Family in New Orleans in 2015

I'm Thankful for- My friends.  I love all my friends but there is a special bond I share with my artists. We see things in a different way and see things that others do not. Many of my artist’s friends were the 'different' ones, not always encouraged by their families so when we get together and share so many things in common it is a great feeling. We understand why we spend all our conscious time creating art, and some of us even spend our unconscious time creating art.

Friends at my opening celebrating at the National Hotel in 2016

I'm Thankful for- my talent. It's a gift when a person knows what they want to do and they can do it and even make a living at it.  When I come home from my art studio full of paint on my clothes in sometimes A smudge here in there on my face and hands my husband says to me I never saw anybody work so long and so many hours. I always say to him that the time I spend in my studio goes so fast. People go to psychiatrists, to ashrams, they smoke pot, they take drugs, they drink, just to feel the way I feel on any given day when I'm working in my art studio.

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I'm Thankful For The gift of sensitivity. As a young girl, I was criticized by my family for being too sensitive. Looking back at my life I am grateful for my sensitivity. This gift has enabled me to create art that touches people near and far. I am grateful for the ability to look at the world in my own unique way. As I have developed as an artist, so has my eye and sensitivity to subtle beauty.  I not only notice the obvious beauty like are amazing oceans, but I notice the simple things like water droplets as they come to rest on a person making beautiful patterns.

I'm Thankful for- My assistants and employees. I'm so grateful to have the best studio assistants that I've ever had in my entire career as an artist. I call us the A-Team. Has it been said " no man is an island" Having a great team to work with enables me to be a better artist. It's a joy to work in an environment where not only do I like everyone, but everyone likes everyone else in my studio. The talent in my studio is amazing and because of each person’s special gift and the way we work together, my art is the best I’ve ever made.

Feuerman Studio A-Team Annual Birthday Party, 2016

Feuerman Studio in 2017 Wishing All of You a Happy Holiday

I'm Thankful for-  my Art Studios and Art Supplies!  I love them and I need them to create. I'm sure, I have more art supplies than I need and yet every time I see things that I want to buy to make my work look even better I get excited. I have two art studios. One is in midtown Manhattan in the area called Nomad and the other is in Jersey City. I love my studios.  It is very important to have a special place to create.

New York Studio with Crates – Getting Ready to Pack

I'm Thankful for - Galleries, Museums, University Galleries, Art Parks, Cities, Foundations and Public Spaces. I'm grateful to have these things in my life. I visit them and appreciate all they offer. I love the exhibits I see, the interesting people I meet there, and the fact that I have a place to show my art where with broad visibility.

Eight Hundred Woman Artist Get Together At The Brooklyn Museum Stand Together

I'm Thankful For Collectors, Fans and Sponsors.  I approach my art by sculpting the subjects that I love but when a work of mine connects with someone and they are moved to have it in their home or museum, there is no greater feeling of satisfaction. I am grateful for the people who enjoy my work.

I'm Thankful for - Travel. It may seem odd but I love to fly. I can be in one place in the morning and the next day, halfway across the world. This brightens my life. I get to meet all kinds of people. It gives me food for thought and tools to create. I love to try new foods, look at buildings, understand history by walking through it.  looking it. I love being exposed to other cultures. I love the fact that in a few hours I can visit my children across the country. We are lucky to live in the jet age. When one thinks of travel, they also must think of the Internet. The Internet allows us to travel from one culture to another even faster than a plane. It enables me to have fans in every country, even countries I never heard of. It enables me to see the work of artists that I would never be able to travel to in one lifetime.

Getting Comfortable with A Glass of Champagne Before Takeoff

In one day, it will be 2007. Time goes so fast, and I want to make each precious moment count.

I'm Looking Forward to February 2017, thanks to the invitation of the Chashama Foundation, http://www.chashama.org/about/mission-history, and Anita Durst. I'm invited to have a solo lobby exhibition for the re-opening of the gorgeous glass building at 55 Broadway in New York City. I'll be exhibiting 28 sculptures from all phases of my career and showcasing my newest work state of never been seen before. I'm also making several artworks that will sell for under $500 so the public will be able to afford to collect a genuine Feuerman. The time and date will be announced.

I'm Looking Forward to my bucket list wish coming true** On the 11th and the 12th of May, 2017, I’m having two opening parties for my solo show in the outdoor park on the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy.  You can walk from San Marco or take the vaporetto to the Giardini stop to see the show. I have to thank Global Art Affairs Foundation and the city of Venice who have made this show possible. It will be in conjunction with La Biennale di Venezia – 57th International Art Exhibition.

Park in the Star Where my Solo Show Will be Held in Venice, Italy

I'm Looking Forward to the re-opening of the Dennos Museum Center in Traverse City, Michigan. I will be having the inaugural solo exhibition for the newly completed galleries in June, 2017. The Executive Director Gene Jenneman to thank for organizing the show. 

Dennos Museum Center in Traverse City, Michigan

I'm Looking Forward to the fall of 2017 because I’m planning to have a solo show in an Art Museum in Argentina. This is the very first time I've ever exhibited in South America and I hear Argentina is a special place. More details to come when the exhibition is finalized.

Museo coleccion de arte amalia lacroze de fortabat

I'm Looking Forward to – More than anything else, I pray for our country and the world. My we have peace.

New Media Artform - Thousands leave Post-It Notes as Election Therapy on the NYC Subway Walls Encouraging Shared Thoughts

Before we turn around, it will be December again, but this time it'll be 2017, and I will be showing once again in Miami Art Basel. Since sculptures take so long to make, with each little detail being made from resin or bronze and fabricated to look real, pieces sometimes take up to five years to make. I've already started working on pieces for the future.

As I contemplate what I must look forward to, I am hopeful for my future to be filled with the happiness and my creativity to flourish. I hope to make my best work in 2017.