1 Day to the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

Today I feasted on my favorite food and fruit-  Taho (made of silken tofu topped with sugar syrup and tapioca pearls), mangoes and lanzones.

 

This is it!  Tomorrow I'll be painting my first.

It's 2:19AM September 1 where I am.  So is this my first day of 30 in 30?  I guess so. 

I've chosen a picture that I've been trying to paint for a long time. I've tried several times painting it and every time I did, the painting turned out to be a failure.  I hope this one doesn't but if it did, I think I'll be ok with it.  I'm just happy to try again and learn from the experience.

I'll post the finished painting on my 2 September blog post.

Dazed Series #1
Watercolor on Paper
11" x 7 1/2"
$125.00 USD Available

2 Days to the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

Hello from Manila! It's 2 days away from the 30 in 30 challenge and I'm jet lagged!  It's ok, I'm used to it.

I arrived last night at 10PM Manila time.  My brother Bot and her wife Mimi picked me up at the airport.  The weather here is not much different from current Minnesota weather- hot and humid.  It's actually cooler here with the all day rain.

ROUND A BARN

Watercolor on Paper

6 3/4" x 10 3/4"

$75.00 USD Available

My plan for today is just to have fun with my mom and family. I brought some pictures to organize but I'm not sure if I can do anything productive today.  I'm feeling it would be a day for enjoying the company and eating my favorite dishes and fruits.  I'll have coconut juice today! The real one not from the can (oh! that would be a good painting subject).

BLUE NOTE

Watercolor on Paper

8" x 12"

$30.00 USD Available

What do you suggest I paint from here?

3 Days to the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

Getting closer!  I was able to sneak in a post today (thanks Narita Airport for the wireless!) just to say I'm still on the road and may not be able to do much.  But! I'm planning on a strategy to help me stay on course and with all your help, hopefully to complete the challenge.

Thank you for all the encouragement.  And a special thank you to Thyra Moore a wonderful artist and a fellow Judy Morris workshop graduate.  Thyra's painting got juried in National Watercolor Society's 92nd Open Annual Exhibition. Congratulations Thyra!

AN APPLE A DAY

Watercolor on Paper

$150.00 USD (Available)

I think we're boarding. Talk to you later.

Dazed Series #8

Watercolor on Paper

11" x 7 1/2"

$125.00 USD Sold

 

4 Days to the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

More pictures went into my "30 Paintings in 30 Days" album.  I'm using iPhoto's smart album to automatically add photos I tagged for the challenge.  This way I can just go over all my photos and tag those that I think are good candidates for painting.

Thank you for all the suggestions! Special thanks to Arnold for his very interesting ideas!  Keep them coming.

I will be traveling tomorrow and will be offline for parts of the 2 days (or is that one day? I don't know) I'm on the road/air.  Then I'll miss another day with a huge jet lag because of the time change. That will leave me 2 days to organize my photos at least for the first week of painting and get them ready for the big day.  I'm terrified and excited at the same time.

FOR LEILA - Sold

Watercolor on Paper

7 1/2" x 7 1/2"

I'm looking forward to finishing one painting on the first day of the challenge to set the mood for the month. The second day of the challenge will be a real challenge since I'll be on the road/air again. I will still try to paint that day. If not, I will do catch-up paintings. ;)

Dazed Series #6
Watercolor on Paper
11" x 7 1/2"
$125.00 USD Available

Thanks for being part of my journey.  I appreciate your support.

5 Days to the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

Thanks for all the posts on suggested themes and ideas for painting.  Keep them coming!

Special thank you to Karen Knutson for the kind words and encouragement.  She did this 30 in 30 challenge last January and I was following her posts. Great paintings!  Check out her works.

I've always thought that it will be very tough to choose which photograph to paint but I found out that organizing my studio is on the "tough job" category. This is the proof. I have to clear my work table before I get started!  That's on top of the list.

As for photos, I think even if I have a definite theme in mind there's just too many good pictures to choose from! It's not helping that I get lost looking at old photos instead of scouting for pictures for my theme.

I'm very fortunate that I've chosen a few preliminary photos (thanks for your suggestions!) and will continue until I get all pics organized by painting day. I'm not sure if I'm doing this right but I'll find out soon when I start painting. I'm hoping I'll find some order soon in all my chaos.

Dazed Series - Mini #3

Watercolor on Paper

7" x 5"

$50.00 USD (Available)

Any suggestions to keep me organized?

6 Days to the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

I checked my supplies and I may need to stock up on paint. I have my favorites but the red need to be replenished.

A trip to Wet Paint may be in the plan or I'll try to make them last until I get an online order shipped.   That would be nice.  It will save me the drive and maybe a few bucks.

LUCY - Sold

Watercolor on Paper

8" x 9 1/4"

For watercolor paper, I still have a bunch of full sheets (remember I haven't painted lately :).   I have Arches 140 lbs cold press and some Fabriano 140 lbs and 300 lbs cold press. I think I have enough to work on for the month.

I'm planning to paint on 7 x 10 size watercolor paper. I think that's a nice size and hopefully I'll manage to finish one painting of this size in one day. If not, I'll rethink the size or the theme ;)

Tomorrow I'll organize my photos. Thank you for the great suggestions on themes and ideas to paint.  Please keep them coming as this is going to be a 30-day hurdle.  I need your help!

Please comment with your fav theme.

7 Days to the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

It's the start of my prep work. Leslie's tips are to first decide in advance on what I want to paint for the month, second to get organized, go through my  photos and pick at least the first week of inspiration  and third to check my supplies to make sure I have enough paper and paint for at least the first week. 

FLORAL ENSEMBLE - Sold

Watercolor on Paper

7 1/2" x 7 1/2"

The third prep is easy. I think I've got lots of paper to work on and paints, if I need more I'll just drive to Wet Paint or Dick Blick to get them. Also as Leslie suggested to paint fairly small as a painting a day is a big commitment. Whew! Thank you!!

The second prep will really depend on the first prep which  is a bit of a challenge. 

What do I want to paint for the month? What theme should I pursue? I'm mostly painting florals and landscapes so I might try that.  I've painted pets- dogs and cats and my favorite Eagan water tower.  Maybe that too.  Any suggestions on a theme or what I should paint? 

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge!

It's going to be an exciting journey for me this year.  I haven't done anything like this. I may be going crazy!  I've thought about doing something like this in the past but haven't had the courage to push through with the plan.  This time I will.  I'm joining a bunch of artists for Leslie Saeta's September 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge!  I know this will be a great way to get back into painting as I haven't painted in a while.  I will be sure to post my paintings here. 

Dazed Series #2

Watercolor on Paper

11" x 7 1/2"

$125.00 USD (Available)

In the meantime while waiting for the challenge to start, I'm reading up on Leslie's tips on how to get started and will do the necessary prep.  I'll sure post my journey here.  I need your encouragement to get started and get me going.