I am, as my stepdaughter Reesa would say, a New Year’s Resolution girlie. I enjoy the process of reflection and intention-setting heading into the arbitrary marker that is a new year.
If my 2025 had a headline it might be “The year that I turned forty”. And my 2026 preview is something along the lines of, “I need to shake things up a bit.” Here are my top takeaways and big picture plans for Alli Harvey Art in the coming year, mixed in – of course – with personal reflections and planning.
Paintings That Defined My Year
These are not necessarily my objectively “best” (you tell me), but these are the paintings that exemplified or taught me something. First, “Playa Sunset 1” (because I’m sure there will be more), pictured above. I sat down with my easel outside to paint this relatively quickly, in an effort to produce a series of $100-ish paintings by request for a Reno-area shop. While I was unable to produce paintings worth $100 while still honoring the time I put into each – I can’t help myself, and it’s part of what I enjoy about painting is getting at the detail – this painting taught me to keep my hand and focus moving and fluid. It felt like flow, which is fun! I learned that minimizing time spent on a painting can create a good kind of pressure in which I don’t pause too long and find myself needing to get un-stuck.
Similarly, I remembered how much I love painting while surrounded by people during my July month-long live painting stint at Nevada Sunset Winery.
Me, obviously having no fun. I waited ’til the only remaining to-do on the painting was my signature to finally accept a frose.
I wrote at length about how amazing this experience was and why in this blog post from earlier this year.
Creative Risks I Took (including what no one saw)
Live painting with a deadline. Trying out watercolors – it’s humbling to work with an entirely new medium as a beginner, and also fun. Working from adapted/edited photo references – this is risky because I have to re-interpret light and color, and repeat if the image appears uncanny. Not my fave. Trying to create a series of $100 paintings – nope. I enjoy the detail too much, and the time it takes/product it creates is more valuable than $100. This goes back to adhering to my value of dignity (an aspect is valuing my time properly).
Things This Year Changed About My Practice
In 2024 at the Escalante Canyons Arts Fair, a fellow artist asked me what kind of acrylic paints I use. My flippant response of “whatever’s cheapest at Michael’s” visibly appalled her. She stared at me wide-eyed for a long moment before we moved on in the conversation. She found me again later to encourage me to at least give higher quality paints a try. At the beginning of this year I did. Thank you, Irit: you were 100% right.
“Backpacker”, 11″x14″, $475, acrylic on canvas using Golden brand vs “whatever’s cheapest at Michael’s” paint. The higher quality acrylic paint mixes much better, is smoother, and has noticeably brighter/more accurate hues. Worth every penny. I noticed the quality in the above painting especially on the sandstone in sunset.
On that note, this year I threw out my old paints to create room for the new. I have a low-key hoarder tendency because I loathe waste, but at the same time this gal living in 19′ of Airstream with her husband has no space in which to keep things that are just knocking around. Plus, the psychological aspect of setting out to paint but first having to overcome the hurdle of unpleasant visual bric a brac clutter isn’t good for the process.
Our version of spring cleaning which is, thankfully, relatively minimal because there ain’t much to clean. Still, I dumped all of my old and gunky paints. This is a big step for me.
Top Comical (sort of) Moments of Airstream Living (while working)
I completed a 3’x4′ commission this year, which I strategically timed for when Wes was out on a trip so I wouldn’t have to share the studio both with a person-sized painting and an actual person. Still, in order to use the Airstream at all, I had to lay the giant commission flat on cardboard in the Prius between sessions.
Commission-in-progress, working from background to foreground. Interested in one of your own? I work from photo references. Check out the process and get started here.
The process of carefully removing the giant painting from the Airstream, gripping both sides firmly so the desert wind didn’t windsail it out of my hands in and into the Joshua Trees, and laying it flat across the back of my tiny vehicle struck me as a comical example of doing the most with what you have.
Another vignette of full time Airstream living while attempting to work: managing our water system while cosplaying professionalism. Specifically, the many mornings I activated our current water replenishment system (aka, procuring water from our well via hose into jugs, schlepping said jugs over to the Airstream, and getting the contents in by way of a messy process involving a funnel, my knee, and upper body strength) an hour before sticking earrings in, putting my hair up, and remotely facilitating via Zoom. No one has to know, right?
Finally: 2025 was the year of mice.
The day I learned we had an issue Wes was out on a trip, and I’d gone to Kingman to pick up supplies for the shed he/we were in the process of building. Proud of myself for strapping lumber firmly in the back of the truck, braced/overhanging with a flag at the end, I forgot all about it when I got home and saw signs of mice having eaten food in the cab of the truck. Walking determinedly and purposefully toward gloves and cleaning supplies, I cruised nose-and-forehead first straight into the properly strapped down lumber exactly at head height.
I chose to make my calls that week phone calls vs video. That didn’t stop me from telling anyone that would listen why, because life is funny. Over the next few days I also caught a couple mice via traps trying to make their way into our truck; the rest of the year was (mostly successful) attempts to prevent the recurrence. If anyone needs mice tips and tricks, let me know. I’ve learned quite a bit on mouse-related subreddits.
Lessons About Running a Business
“KISS”: Keep It Simple, Stupid. I muttered this phrase frequently under my breath while attempting to manage this website. When you go full time artist, or really any small/solo business owner, no one tells you you’ll also be a web developer, accountant, e-mail newsletter author, logistical manager, customer service rep, etc. I did my best this year to simplify some of the above processes so I can spend less money on plugins/features, and more time painting/connecting with people.
One of my high points of 2025 was participating in my second annual Escalante Canyon Arts Festival in Escalante, Utah. I love getting to create art while surrounded by and meeting people, including fellow artists.
Things I’m Carrying Into Next Year
While change scares me, I also crave it. I feel the need – yet again – to try something new. Is that finally learning plein air, or watercolor painting? Do I want to take a course on portraits; start a sketching practice? It could be any of those things and I’m still deciding, but I know I want to play with learning a new or honing a skill.
Similarly, while the logistics of new events feel overwhelming (what merchandise will I bring? Where will I stay, with the Airstream? What will the people be like?) I know it’s important to try new arts fairs in new places, so I have the opportunity to discover Escalante-esq fairs and connect with people in new places. I’m working to confirm an arts fair at the end of January in Phoenix, AZ and I’ve applied for a residency in Maine that runs through the fall.
Finally, I’m stoked I am no longer training for the ultra so I now have all this available focus and time to reinvest. I’m surprised by how happy I am about this. I thought I’d miss it, but it turns out I was/am ready to move on.
This week, after a month and half being on the go, Wes and I point our truck south and head back to our land in northern AZ. I’m ready to let all the dust from so much activity settle and focus again on work and routine. I’m looking forward to what this new year brings, and thank you as always for supporting my art. I hope you and yours are closing out the year with your own traditions and reflections to propel you into 2026.