Where in the world?

My Russell Thomas Art Facebook page hit 6,000 likes yesterday.  The community of people who appreciate my particular style of art continues to grow.  It's hard to fully understand the geographical reach.  I tried finding a way to run a report that would tell me where in the world the likes originate.  However, I started getting nervous as it was one "add plug-in" button after another.  I gave up.

Instead, I am running a contest asking people who LIKE the page to share where they live.  I'll do a random draw for a set of art cards later on this week.

Here is a random selection of communities from various provinces that have popped up so far:

Yorkton, SK

Halifax, NS

Corner Brook, NL

Winnipeg, MB

Killaloe, ON

Prince George, BC

Glendon, AB

I get a tremendous amount of support from my home community of Fort McMurray.  They have been the wind behind my brush since I started on this path back in 2014.  It's encouraging to see how far this work has traveled in the world and the growing distances from which the enquiries for purchases are coming. 

Behind every like is a person who stumbled across a painting that caught their eye.  Maybe it was a story that caught their attention or a charitable event that we were supporting.  Perhaps it was a loved one or friend that popped up on their screens as a portrait.  We are grateful to each and every person who is watching and appreciating the work that we are doing.

I say "we", because it's not just me.  I couldn't do this without the support of my family, particularly my wife Heather.  She does the bulk of the work in the background that enables me to spend the hours that I do in the studio.  Heather takes care of all the financial stuff, from invoicing to dealing with taxes, she spends an enormous amount of time doing the business end of things.  In recent days, she's even spent time out in the studio painting with me.  How cool is that?

We're going to continue creating new work, supporting charities near and far, and opening our studio doors to people who want to visit (in person or virtually).  Thank you for your tremendous support and encouragement.  None of this would be possible without you.