r. mike nichols
2011 ARTIST OF THE YEAR

On December 3 the Corona Art Association celebrated their De Colores/Holiday
Exhibition with an end of the year potluck and awards ceremony. At the end of evening
r. mike nichols was named Corona Art Association's Artist of the Year for 2011. This is
the third consecutive year that nichols has achieved this honor.

Becoming Artist of the Year is no easy feat. Achieving it once is an accomplishment but
3 times in a row, well, that is another matter. When asked how he accomplished his
"Three-Peat" r. mike gave us this answer.

"The four P's: Participation, Persistence, Patience and Productivity. Those are the keys
to success in any endeavor and they certainly apply here."

Artist of the Year is a year-long-competition to acquire points. Points are given at each
of the competitions and at the general meetings held throughout the year. Artists are
given both entry points and award points.

"That is the participation part of the equation. Attending all the general meetings and
entering all the competitions."

There are 9 general meetings throughout the year; each artist can bring 2 pieces of
artwork to each meeting. In addition 3 works can be entered in each of the 3 main
shows and theme shows.

"Persistence means you have to enter your work consistently. Patience means not
getting discouraged if the results you hoped for don't happen right away. Productivity
means you are actively creating work on a regular basis."

One can certainly see that this formula is easy and, at the same time, quite difficult. We
have all experienced periods when our creative spirit is low and our schedules are too
busy to allow time to be creative.

"Perhaps I should add a fifth P to the equation-Passion. You must be passionate about
your art! Enjoy the creative process and share your talent with the World! You will be
amazed by the goodness that comes back to you and who knows, you might just
become the next Artist of the Year."

These are certainly words to inspire and motivate. As 2012 begins we should all make a
renewed effort to enjoy the talent we are so fortunate to have within us!

r. mike continues his Passion for watercolor and his goal of achieving Signature Status
in one or more of the major Watercolor Society's. His painting "Reflective Floating" was
accepted into San Diego Watercolor Society's International Exhibition, "Three Palms"
was accepted into National Watercolor Society's All Members Exhibition and "Aloe
Again" received the Ann Pierce Award at the Butte County National Water Media
Exhibition making 2011 a breakthrough year for nichols. He is hard at work creating new
paintings that will hopefully bring more recognition in 2012.

nichols is a member of the Transparent Watercolor Society of America, American
Watercolor Society, National Watercolor Society, Watercolor West, Riverside Art
Museum and Corona Art Association.

For more information please visit his website at http://mnico.weebly.com