The September 30-Day Creative Gathering was a hit! Participation was down, but many artists who could not take part daily still contributed to the conversations and camaraderie.
Fourteen to Twenty pieces were posted each day in the daily albums. And roughly 586 pieces of art were created in the group this month. WOW!
Congratulations to all of you! You persevered through Hurricane Laura, California wildfires, health issues, COVID and all of the demands of life in this unusual year. Whether you created on a few days, or all 30, congratulations!
For a tough month, I think I did OK. It was a struggle for me. I created 16 really, really bad pieces of art. Haha. Many days I worked on two or three at a time. To increase the odds of having something decent to share. Haha. And yet, almost half of the art I posted is on my favorites list. How ’bout that?! Some of these will be posted for sale in my Society6 shop soon.
Thanks so much for following along! Your encouragement keeps me going! You are a blessing!
You don’t want a million answers as much as you want a few forever questions. The questions are diamonds you hold in the light. Study a lifetime and you see different colors from the same jewel. Richard Bach
I get the same charge from the juxtaposition of colors as I do from the juxtaposition of chords. Joni Mitchell
Color is a power which directly influences the soul. Wassily Kandinsky
Heeeyyyy everyone! Welcome to the 30-Day Creative Gathering. 🙂 Hope you’re ready to get in the groove, and have some fun. I have to admit, I wasn’t sure I had enough mojo to participate. But I chatted with some of you, and we sort of talked each other into it. Ha-ha. That’s what friends are for ‘ey?!
It may have hit me late, but a few days ago, I started to get really excited. And here I am. One more time.
This will be my 13th 30-day challenge. Ten of them were with Leslie Saeta in her 30 Paintings In 30 Days events. Leslie changed her focus a couple of years ago, and a few of us wanted to continue the challenge. Yay! Christiane Drieling and I co-founded the 30-Day Creative Gathering on Facebook. Follow the links to see samples from the events.
Let’s kick it ya’ll!
My piece for day one is a do-over. And I most likely will be trying this again. It is a huge canvas that has been hanging on my wall unfinished, ever since we moved to Arizona. Four years!! Truth be told, it was unfinished for even longer than that. I had once painted a scene on it. Then I moved, and I prepped it for the new space. Haha, that is as far as I got. Honestly, I just never could decide what I wanted to see on the wall. And what I had the courage to attempt. LOL. 🙂
But it’s only paint, and I can start all over if I want to. This canvas may make an appearance again later this month.
I don’t have room to paint on a canvas this size. I painted it on my bed. Haha. I painted the sky first, stopped for dinner, and then worked on the rest. Here is my first try. I apologize for the terrible photo. The dark area is my shadow.
I am going to critique this, but know that I am happy with it to an extent. I am sharing my thoughts on the process to help clarify what I learned. Happy as always for the learning!
Tools For Day One.
I did not have the right colors on hand, and I do not have the right tools for a large piece. I used a 2-inch brush for the sky and land. Dotted (poured) the colors on, and then blended. Adding spritzes of water as needed.
For the ocean area, I used the same technique to get a base layer of color. Next, I used palette knives, a gift card, a one-inch brush, and my fingers. I used both craft paints and artist paints. Also matte gel for extra body.
The dark band at the top of the sky actually looks perfect in daylight. It is softer and blends well. I still have “lines’ of color, but it’s no longer like nails on a chalkboard. Haha. 🙂
You can click on any image below if you want a closer look.
Texture.
Waves Close-Up 1
Waves Close-Up 2
Misty 1
Misty 2
Misty 3
I was trying to mimic the feel of a painting by Hiroshi Matsumoto. I love his work. I had narrowed down my favorites to: May 2019, and June 2019. I love the feel of these two.
I decided on his June piece. The light, the shades of blue, the misty horizon. The abstract, chunky colors. The southern California-ness.
It bombed. Haha, haha. I just don’t have the right tools. I think I needed larger knives. Heavier body paint. I changed course midstream.
After looking at my piece on the wall, I have decided I want something calm in that space. Color, with hints of detail. Haha. Make up your mind Sheila!
Lastly, I think the main problem with this piece, is that it feels like separate paintings, chopped and put together. It isn’t integrated. Unified.
I promise I won’t write a novel for each piece this month. Thanks for visiting, suggestions are welcome! Happy creating everyone! 🙂