30 Paintings in 30 Days - The Last Day

"Jen" - mixed media on aquabord, 9"x12"   Ready to frame, or can be leaned upon a shelf.  Available on Artfinder.
"Ida" - mixed media on aquabord, 16"x20".  Ready to frame, or can be leaned upon a shelf.  Available on Artfinder.

INSPECTOR END OF FILM : Move along. There's nothing to see! Keep moving!
(Suddenly he notices the cameras. As the black maria drives away QUICK SHOT through window of all the KNIGHTS huddled inside.)
INSPECTOR END OF FILM (to Camera) :All right, put that away sonny.
(He walks over to it and puts his hand over the lens. The film runs out through the gate and the projector shines on the screen.)
​                        - from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, end of film.

The credits are rolling and the house lights are up.  Our movie has come to an end.  Arthur and his noble knights have been arrested and bundled off in a police car for causing a ruckus.  Another brilliant blurring of the lines of time and space.  Maybe we should post bail?

The last day, so a two-fer for your pleasure.  As is my custom, a self portrait of a bleary-eyed-from-lack-of-sleep me, and another of the finally finished girls from this week's demo.  Ida was my great-grandmother's name.  I never knew her, but I heard tales she was a sweetie.

My studio is a royal mess.  There’s been no time to neaten the paints, thoroughly clean the brushes or sweep the floor.  New characters are chattering and jostling for position on the walls and fighting over who gets to be framed first.  And I’m pretty sure one of the rabbits has begun eating the gesso.  But this is what the end of a marathon looks like, and once again I am really thrilled to have done it.

It makes me wonder though…if we can do THIS as artists (30 paintings in 30 days), what more could we do?  Could we have an extreme paint-off, Project Runway style?  Give artists one day and some unconventional materials and pit them against each other reality t.v. show style?  Give them $100 and 30 minutes to shop at Jerry’s Artarama and then tell them to “make it work”?  Who would be our Tim Gunn?  I am totally game for this.  We just need a venue and a sponsor. :)

Clearly, the lack of sleep is making me loopy.

But there is this:  by stretching beyond what we think we can do, our self-confidence, bravery and willingness to try grows exponentially.  The prize here is the amount of artistic growth that can be crammed into one month - and it belongs to  us forever.  No one can take away this trophy.  It’s a forever win.

The most incredible part of 30 in 30 is, as always (which leaves me grinning and grateful) your participation in this journey, dear reader!  Your encouragement and laughter, your shared stories and tears, your willingness to spend part of your precious time each day following this adventure.  Thank you, thank you.  There is an exquisite joy in being surrounded by tribe.  Even if we are all banging coconuts together.

INSPECTOR END OF FILM: Now go on, there is nothing more to see here!