12:1 - I Had A Bad Day

#01 - I Had A Bad Day

4" x 5"

Oil on Canvas

Hello 2012! Let's get started!

So far, 2012 hasn't really been anything to write home about. Today was a particularly frustrating day, but I'm not going to whine about it. I only bring it up because I didn't have time to get my thoughts together about what I was going to paint tonight. That made me even more grumpy (grumpier?) I thought, well, why don't I paint that. My grouchiness. I snapped a quick pic with my camera phone and shazam. By the time I finished it, my mood was much better. It's pretty hard to take yourself seriously when you're making faces at your phone. And it's a lot cheaper than therapy. I highly recommend this method.

I haven't quite decided to attempt 100 paintings this year yet. We'll see how it goes.

Welcome to 2012!

Well, so long 2011! I didn't quite make my goal of 100, but I did end up with 47 paintings that for the most part, I am very, very proud of. So onward to 2012! I will be changing the name of the blog to reflect 2012, but the address will stay the same, so all of my 7 followers, don't you worry, you're good!

What are my goals for 2012? 3 days in and I haven't quite decided yet. I could try to do the 100 paintings again. I did learn a lot about how to accomplish the task. A couple of main things:

1. Work Small - Stick to 8"x 8" or under. 6" x 6" is better. Something that can be finished in one sitting, whatever size that is for you.

2. Dedicate time to paint! - I don't like to plan. I like to be spontaneous. This often leads me to unintentionally procrastinate and things slip through the cracks. This task forced me to plan ahead and schedule my week. Thank goodness for my set studio class time that I had each week for most of the year. I will take that class as long as they will let me just so I have that time dedicated each week!

So, how did it all turn out in retrospect? You be the judge. Keep in mind that I'm blowing the dust off of around 10 years of no painting.

Here's the first painting of the year:



















Here is #47:
























PS -The guy, Adam, whose blog inspired me to attempt 100 paintings in the first place? He started in March and did it again! 2010 and 2011. Wow! Go check him out.

Update: Snapshots of the whole year.