Wow, with all the stuff going on in my life right now ( I won't make you cry with the details...), I can't believe I did this, but I signed up for Gary Reef's 30-Day Art Challenge. The idea, as you might have guessed, is to create a piece of art each day for 30 days. They don't have to be large, even a post-card size Artist Trading Card is perfectly acceptable. It's more about seeing a progression, through a series of attempts (my word, there!), fresh ideas, and learning. As Gary puts it....
as long as you make one artwork a day and post it here.
Each day start a fresh and you can take ideas from the previous days
artwork to create something new.
...The challenge is about doing one painting a day even if it only takes you 20mins.
By only doing one artwork a day you will come back the next day FRESH and
hopefully over to course of the month you will notice a development in your
ideas and direction. You will also find out more about yourself as an artist!"
Actually, I am blown away by the degree to which making art is therapeutic for me. I can almost guarantee I will experience an instant lift to my spirit. The act of making art so engages the mind that worries have little room for contemplation. This is the real reason I am doing this challenge. Any growth in my artistic abilities will be icing on the cake!
I thought I would share my work here starting with these first two paintings and ask for your kind attention and feedback. Please don't coddle me, now! I am just starting my 'journey' as an artist and need any constructive critiques and course corrections you're able to give! :)
Day 1: "Focus" (Acrylic on paper, 9 x 12")
Day 2: "Peril" (Acrylic and Oil Pastel on Canvas Board 10 x 15")
You can join me in this challenge! Just hop on over to Gary's Ning Channel and look under "Groups".
Put on your favorite music, drag out whatever art supplies are lying around, even if it's a box of crayons and a piece of paper from your computer printer! Let your intuition and the music guide your hands. Don't think, just do.
Making art is good for the soul and everyone can do it. You may not be Rembrandt or Rothko, but you can let your inner artist out to play and express yourself...and have a lot of fun in the process. :)
Let me know how it goes!
