A Thirty Day Painting Challenge, with a Twist

Have you ever tried a thirty day painting challenge? A thirty day challenge is simply a small change you make in your daily habits for thirty days in a row. Maybe you want to drink water every day or go to the gym. I’ve read about the Thirty Day Maker’s Challenge and tried a One Hundred Day (paint every day for one hundred days in a row) Painting Challenge. You can read more about thirty day challenges and if they work here.

The Thirty Day Painting Challenge, with a Twist

Instead of doing a thirty or one hundred day painting challenge where an artist commits to painting for so many consecutive days, I decided to make my challenge a little bit different. First of all, I didn’t want to paint every day. Sunday is a day of rest, so I try not to paint on Sunday unless I just want to go in the studio and play around. Plus, I have two kids that play softball, so painting every single day is not workable for me. Instead, I’m painting every day I can until I complete thirty different finished (that means varnish and all) paintings on canvas. Canvas #26, Coastal Sunrise Painting, was completed this morning.

My Other Manic Periods

As my husband and kids will tell you, I’ve had other manic pursuits in the past. When I get the urge to do something a lot, I don’t fight it, I just “vibe.” Before I began to paint manically, I was actually on a spree where I was cooking every recipe (in my wooden recipe box) that I hadn’t tried before. I was still in the letter A section, and had just made an apple raisin cake, when something life-changing happened at our house.

My husband started getting chest pains on the day of the NFC/AFC Championship Game. Later that night, we were in the emergency room. If you’ve ever had chest pains before, you know they’re quite scary. In 2021, I went to the ER with chest pains. We thought I had covid, but it was my sensitive esophagus rebeling against the acid in my stomach.

The Painting Began

Luckily, my husband did not have a heart attack. The heart doctor installed two stents, and he was allowed to go home three days later. When we came back home, I was a little shell-shocked by our brush with mortality. We were also behind on laundry, lessons for co op, and everything else.

The plan to cook every recipe in the wooden box was gone. After spending a few weeks getting things caught up, I suddenly got the urge to paint something in my brand new studio.

My first painting was a Spring Gnome Painting. I created a pattern and a tutorial, and listed the painting in my Etsy Shop.

The Painting Urge Became Stronger

The desire to paint was stronger than ever before. What a great time to experiment and find out which things I really liked to paint. That first week I painted pets and ponds. The Cottage Rose Cat was first. Then came the Pond, Floral Dog, and Gray Cat paintings. At this point, I was also posting each piece of art on Instagram and Facebook. The feedback for this set was so-so.

My next five paintings were fruits and flowers. My daughter kept the Blossom Painting, and I listed the Hydrangea, Bird Nest, Abstract Sunflower, and Abstract Strawberry in my shop. The strawberry painting was my first big canvas in a while. It is 24″ by 30.” I also sold two custom bird’s nest paintings to someone on Facebook. The sale convinced me that things were finally clicking.

The French Country Series

Since I was on a role with 8″ paintings, I decided to do a fun French Country Series. The idea was to take ordinary items and adapt them to the French Country decor style. I put a nice French stripe and some roses on the French Country Dog and French Hen paintings. The French Strawberry and the other paintings feature names painted in a French-styled cursive font.

Flora and Flauna

Along the way I painted a 24″ by 30″ Blue Hydrangea, a Pink Hydrangea Painting, and a Wildflower Painting. You can never go wrong with painted flowers.

Painting the Lowcountry

Ten of my twenty-six paintings were inspired by the South Carolina Lowcountry where I live. The Oyster and Palmetto Tree paintings are sold. Palmetto Tree Pond, Blue Heron, Georgetown Papermill, Bottlebrush Tree, Whimsical Marsh Grass, Coastal Sunrise, Abstract Turtle, and Oyster Roast paintings are listed in my shop. Whenever I finish a painting, I varnish it, photograph it, then list it for sale.

Subjects for the Last Four Paintings

The beach will definitely be featured in at least one of my last four paintings. As for the rest, I’ll have to go exploring and look for inspiration. Most of my paintings are based on my own photographs. It is so exciting to see something interesting, photograph it, then bring it to life in the studio. Plein Air Painting is wonderful as well, so maybe I will incorporate that too.

What I’ve Learned from the Thirty Day Painting Challenge

• I use White paint and Blending Medium more than anything else.
• Painting loose is fun, but I’m not as good with the big brushes as I want to be.
• My sky-painting game is lacking.
• Painting a small canvas is enjoyable because it can be completed in one sitting.
• My favorite painting is always the one I am currently working on.
• I like bright colors.
• Painted animals and flowers make me happy.
• I want to improve my landscapes.
• Abstract flower, fruit, and landscape paintings are wonderful to behold.
• Selling my work makes me feel validated.

I hope you enjoyed A Thirty Day Painting Challenge, with a Twist!

Blessings,

Kristie

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