August Painting Challenge Final - 31 paintings in 29 days

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August Painting Challenge Complete! 

31 paintings in 29 days. 

This month I set myself the challenge of (averaging) one painting per day. 

Almost every painting was done in the evening, after the girls were asleep, with what little brain power I had left after a full day. Each painting was done within about 60 minutes before I ran out of steam.

Some days I had the inspiration and energy to do life-like paintings, where other days required color meditation. 

These photos have not been edited or retouched. 

I'm really proud of about 1/3 of these - the rest, not so much. 

I'm not someone who usually paints quickly - many of my favorite paintings have been done over the course of months, if not years. Completing paintings in about an hour was definitely a new challenge for me - not to mention doing so day after day for a month. 

Here, in order, are this months daily paintings:

Tired after a day of driving the girls to Maine on my own.

An exhausting day adjusting to the new (vacation) location and schedule and shepherding the girls through a place where events and meals do not wait for us to arrive.

The view from our cabin becomes a little more clear.

No, the canoe isn't sinking. I just didn't feel like painting the tree that was in the way.

A vacation from vacation.

Evening canoe.

Larger painting done for donation, then cropped to edit out blurry head.

Lalla's Hydrangeas

One afternoon in Maine, as I sat in the river with C and A (everyone else was on outings) we had the great pleasure of watching a great blue heron walk back and forth along the bank fishing, for more than half an hour. 

 Wild (low bush) blueberries picked along the bike path in Maine

Wild blueberry

Started as a life-like painting and then morphed into colors.

Little friends.

I ran out of brainpower before completing this painting of the Rudolf Steiner House in London

From a favorite Aunt's photo of a blueberry  with milk from her cereal.

Hinnomaki Red Gooseberries - I tried to buy myself some gooseberry plants for my birthday but couldn't find them anywhere. A local place that was sold out for the year, so I'll have to order some in time for my birthday next year.

I opted not to paint from my photo with C's hand trying to pet the bumble bee. 

 I love these colors, and the vibrancy of this paint!

Bridge of Flowers, Shelburne Falls, MA

and finally...

#31

Phew! 

There were many evenings I didn't want to paint. Toward the end, I was really done spending all my grown-up time, every single evening, painting. I worked ahead a few days so as to have time off.

Without the accountability of the challenge (or a show), I might not have painted at all, never mind worked through so many different exercises/styles/challenges.

I'm really thrilled to have completed it and really stretched my painting muscles to do better work in shorter blocks of time. 

Stay tuned for next months challenge! 

For our other monthly challenges click here.  

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