I Feel Like I Missed the Window for Holiday Art This Year

Behind the Studio Door

This holiday season arrived faster than I expected, and somewhere along the way I realized I had missed the prime time to roll out new art for it. I still have autumn leaves falling on my half finished illustrations when there should be snow and gift wrapped paintings. I feel my focus shifted in a different direction. Actually, in several different directions, like porcupine quills.

Earlier this year, I made a conscious decision to step back from actively planning and producing new canvas work and prints for a bit. After a long stretch of creating and meeting deadlines, I needed space to pause and reassess. That break was intentional and necessary, but it led to something unexpected.

Once I slowed down, ideas began coming in rapidly. New concepts, new series, and new creative directions started stacking up. Instead of moving straight into production, I found myself researching, sketching, organizing notes, and mapping out possibilities. During this time, most of my focused painting hours were spent on smaller works of art and illustrations. I also stayed on track, for the most part, with the yearly ink and drawing challenges. Word prompts and the fun structure of those challenges have always kept my interest and helped me stay creatively engaged with a sense of community, even when my energy was not directed toward larger finished releases.

Behind the scenes, I have been busy setting up the new website, refining pages, organizing artwork, and taking care of the foundational work that supports everything moving forward. I have also been researching and stocking up on new supplies that the projects I have been planning will need. While there may not have been a large holiday rollout, a great deal of preparation has been happening.

My workspace reflects this phase, with sketchbooks, post its, and long to do lists everywhere. Paintings are in progress, boxes are labeled with ideas still forming, and there are plans to organize but not much organizing happening yet. As a result, my work area has become cluttered and chaotic, already needing a spring cleaning even though winter has not officially started yet. To be honest, it is stressful thinking about that side of things when all I really want to do is create.

Commissions are finally caught up after many years, I stopped adding to the wait list last year and it allowed me to take a breather so I could work on updating this area of my work. The demand was constant, at times, it felt like it swallowed me whole, so I need to make some changes to the process to keep burnout at bay. Looking ahead to 2026, I will be accepting a very small number of commissions. I will be keeping a smaller waiting list, but you can sign up to be notified when commission spots open. Vip subscribers are notified first, then newsletter subscribers, and then the general public if any spots remain. If commissions are something you are interested in, signing up for the newsletter or becoming a VIP is the best way to stay informed.

Alongside all of this, the current changes in the art world and the rise of AI have required me to think about the direction of my work in ways I never had to before. Questions around how to stay relevant, how to be seen, and how to continue working in a shifting landscape have taken time and energy to process. That is a larger conversation for another time.

For now, I am choosing to focus on what I do best. Painting. Working with my hands. Creating tangible pieces that come from time, experience, and care. That is where I feel grounded, and that is where the work feels most honest.

There is a lot coming in the new year. New artwork, new series, and new projects that I am excited to begin producing and sharing. While I may feel like I missed the holiday art window this year, the work done during this season will carry forward into the year ahead.

Thank you for being here, for following along, and for supporting my work even during seasons that are more about planning and building than releasing finished pieces. Happy Holidays! AmyLyn Bihrle

Siamese Cat Series - AmyLyn Bihrle Title: The Red Ribbon