#paintingchallenge

For the last three days, I have been preparing in earnest for my second 30/30 Challenge – that’s 30 paintings in 30 days – which officially begins tomorrow on September 1st.

As you may know, my first 30/30 Challenge was a New Year’s Challenge – which I rather cautiously announced on New Year’s Day. To read the story behind each work, click here to go to the blog summary page from January (actually 31 since I was inspired to paint an extra day), where each image links to a daily blog.

It’s so fascinating to have a blog now and go back to read about how I felt at the time. That’s probably why people keep diaries. Certainly that January 1st kickoff post does such a great job of explaining why I decided to do that first challenge, much of which still applies, that I encourage you to read it.

The bottom line: I feel that doing the January Challenge did make me a better artist in so many ways, and I gained confidence in my abilities. I am doing this September Challenge to recapture that exuberant feeling and artistic momentum I had by the end, and to get back into the swing of painting on a daily basis after being away quite a bit the last few months.

The Challenge is my version of a staycation. I’m excited about the prospect of focusing on my art once again – not to mention an excuse to put aside all my other responsibilities.

This time around,  I can enjoy the Challenge more since I already proved to myself that I can do. I’ve developed better strategies to manage my time and get everything done (there’s always room for improvement). Hopefully I’ll get more sleep than last time.

For me, one of the most time consuming parts is deciding what to paint each day. Since my camera is essentially my sketchbook with iPhoto at 102,000 digital photos and still counting (I’ll be testing the upper limits of this program), this can be a daunting task. So today I sorted the ideas the old fashioned way, and tried to group them into themes on my dining room table.

Here’s a little preview of possible things to come.

I also spent some time sketching the first few paintings on wood panel to get adjusted again to the surface after painting on linen and canvas, which are much more forgiving of pencil corrections. As you can see, I would rather sit and sketch, unlike when I paint standing at the easel.

The idea was to get out in front of the Challenge so I’m not always trying to play catchup, especially since there’s so much going on in September, unlike the dead of winter with its zero degree temperatures.

There are many more distractions this September starting with Labor Day, followed by several major holidays, some concerts, together with a wedding and a weeklong visit from my webmaster daughter, Laura, the maid of honor. It’s her last year studying computational biology at the University of Illinois in Urbana, and she somehow makes time to help me out.

Thank you, Laura, for putting up the website and handling all the technical glitches that go along with it on an ongoing basis. You and I have come a long way since last year. Any future employer will be glad to have you.

And thank you Chef Bonnie, the other food artist in the family who you can read about here, for preparing some of my favorite meals for the week – without me even asking – despite the fact it is your first day back at school as an elementary special education teacher (or maybe it’s because of that? Otherwise you wouldn’t have had any home cooked-food.)

And lastly, I want to thank my husband, Jay.

Thanks for running out to Staples when my printer broke on Saturday (as I was printing all these photos!), for going to the AI Friedman art supply store when I discovered I didn’t have enough wood panels (and unfortunately still don’t) – and for just being supportive every day in so many ways while I dedicate myself to painting this month. (BTW, don’t forget enjoy all those extra bridge games. I know you won’t be suffering to much…)

Here’s the team. And it is a team effort. We all contribute in our own way. Without you, I couldn’t possibly finish 30 paintings in 30 days, let alone blog about it.

If I do nothing else, the Challenge is already a success in my mind. It has forced me to set priorities in the rest of my life so I can focus on creating art with laser-like attention, always a good thing. Along the way, I’m feeling that spark of joy that Marie Kondo talks about in her book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying. Well, there won’t be much tidying going on this month, but there will be plenty of joy to go around.

Those of you who read the book can appreciate my new nickname for the Challenge, The Life-Changing Magic of Doing a Painting-A-Day for 30 Days. I feel another blog coming on… Stay tuned in October.

In the meantime, I hope you’ll join me here every day in September for this excellent adventure, where I’ll be posting my new work. I always look forward to hearing from you. Together we can spark even more joy!