30 Paintings in 30 Days - Day One

"Tiny Primitive - Palette Knife Study" - mixed media on aquabord, 6" x 6"

How amazing is it to begin the first day of a new year with the first day of a 30 day painting challenge?   And this is my second year starting the calendar this way. YAHOO!   It could not come at a better time - I spent the last two weeks in a whirlwind of family holiday activities and a super virus which knocked me on my butt.  Getting my mojo back was a bit of a struggle today, and this is just the thing to get me started.

My theme for this month is going even MORE primitive than ever before.  Getting to the raw shapes, textures and colors and using fewer brushes and tools.  My goal is to paint 90% of my pieces with a palette knife or scraper.  This little primitive portrait study was done just that way.  A brush was used for the tiny details, with the remainder of the piece scraped onto the aquabord.

This theme will carry into my non-painting life as well. Really breaking things down to the most basic elements, and letting all the complexity and hectic scheduling go for a bit.  When I think about what really, really matters, day in and day out, it is just this one moment - this breath, this smile, this hug, this clementine.  And while I am in that single moment, life is blissfully beautiful and simple, stressless and serene.  It may be rough around the edges, but it is all I need to be truly content.  Well, that, and the homemade chicken soup my sister made to get me over the flu. 

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