Another 30 in 30 Painting Challenge Begins

Boys Wading - Inspired by Winslow Homer , watercolor, 8 x 10"

I did it AGAIN! I can't believe I signed up for the 4th 30 in 30 Painting Challenge with Leslie Saeta and... drum roll please... 700 other artists! Yes that's right 700 other artists from around the world - All creating a painting a day for the next 30 days! It should be so much fun to check out all this new and beautiful artwork posted on Leslie's blog each day.

For some of you who have been following my blog for a while now, you know that the first challenge I did back in January 2012  my theme was Connecticut Treasures. I completed all 30 paintings with lots of encouragement from my friends on Facebook and even held a one day show at Six Summit Gallery in Ivoryton, CT to showcase all 30 paintings! I have to admit it was hard work but well worth the effort. 

When the second challenge came around in September of 2012 my theme was dogs! 30 Dogs 30 Days! What in the world was I thinking?! I spent many hours last September in my studio working on one adorable dog portrait after another! Some paintings took up to 8 hours to complete! at the end, we had a one day show in my studio to showcase all 30 dogs! Lots of friends and family came out on that rainy October day. 24 of the 30 paintings were framed and sold to family, friends and new friends. I was busy for the next three months with plenty of pet portraits!

The third challenge was in January of this year - my theme "In the Kitchen" - This time I wasn't able to keep up with challenge because of a new project that required so much of my attention that I only completed 15 of the 30. Am I disappointed? No, not at all... each painting is a learning experience and I can always go back and complete the rest of the paintings at a later date. 

So here we are, September 1st and I've completed my first painting. It's called Boys Wading Inspired by Winslow Homer. My theme is "Inspirations from the Masters"- One of the best learning tools for me is to not only study the Masters works but to recreate it. In this month I will share with you some useful exercises and lessons that I have learned along my 20 year art journey, my love for art history and the Master Artists that have inspired me plus.... my daily paintings that I will create either in my studio or en plein air. September is a wonderful time to paint plein air in Connecticut and I want to take advantage of every bright and sunny day possible this month!

Like always... thanks for reading my blog!
with much gratitude,
Linda

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