Day 10

Day 10

One-third of the way through the 30-day challenge! I've got to get another painting started....

Day 9

Day 9

As I suggested last evening...a floral sketch! With some ink for structure. Painted from life. The flowers are beginning to droop, but I might be able to get a few more little sketches from this bouquet.

Day 8

Day 8

I've managed the bare minimum of time painting today for the 30-day challenge so I'm sure progress seems minor.

I may have to set this aside for a while to ponder it more deliberately. I see a floral sketch in my future....

Day 7

Day 7

Better....but now I think the tree has taken over the composition, which was not the intent of the design So I have to think about this new development and ponder how to balance it.

I suppose this is the appeal of this exercise for those who are watching.  I go through a lot of back and forth discussions as each of my paintings progress. With this 30-day challenge, you get to "see" my internal debate as it plays out.

Day 6

Day 6

Hmmmm...I think the jury is still out on whether this is going to work, If it weren't for the 30-day challenge, I would not be showing this to anyone. But a promise is a promise....I'm supposed to paint and post.

That said, my challenge is small compared to the many artists who are actually completing a painting a day as part of the challenge (instead of my paltry minimum 15-minute per day commitment). So hats off to them! And I'll keep working on this tomorrow.....

Day 5

Day 5

Day 5 of the 30-day challenge......Ummmmm........I'm not sure if I'm still on the right track or if I've ruined it. Until I punch the dark areas into the window and door, I won't know. But the suspense is going to have to wait until tomorrow.

Day 4

Day 4

Day 4 in the 30-day challenge!

So I'm back to the 8"x8" painting today. Heeding Bill Vrscak's sage advice, I am still applying washes with large flats, and trying to vary the colors in the areas so they don't come off as boring and flat. And a little wet-in-wet around the base of the tree helps to connect the tree to the ground. Gotta work on that chunk of wood in front....

Day 3

Day 3

Well - Already it's a struggle to manage this 30-day challenge. I've got to do a better job of time management (and not spending 11 hours at work would be a big help, too).

I decided I was not in the right frame of mind to tackle anything on the WIP painting, so I instead did another one of the little bouquet sketches. Loose, with wet-in-wet sections, and fun!

Day 2

Day 2

So I'm now working on one of my Extraordinary/Everyday series pieces (see my website to view the series), and I'll post where I'm at each day on this 8"x8" painting as part of Leslie Saeta's 30-day challenge.

I have to say, I really don't like posting images at this point....paintings always look so rough and unplanned at this stage. I hope this one will improve speedily!

30-day painting challenge - Day 1

I've signed up for the 30-day painting challenge hosted by California-based artist Leslie Saeta. The stated goal is to complete 30 paintings in 30 days.

Well......

I won't be managing that. But, Leslie says there are no "rules" with the challenge, other than having fun, and the idea is to establish some habits that will carry on beyond the 30 days that will help us be more productive as artists.

So, my personal challenge is simply to get my brush on paper for at least 15 minutes per day during the month-long challenge. That means that most of the time, the images that I will post each day will simply record my progress on some larger paintings that I am starting this month. And, if I don't happen to work on the larger paintings, I will do little tiny sketches, like today's entry for the challenge.

Day 1