Monday, 30 September 2013

Day 30 of Leslie Saeta's 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge - Grandma's Colander

                                         Acrylic on board 15cm x 15cm (6" x 6")

Yay! 30 paintings in 30 days!! I can't quite believe that I did it!

Maybe the incredulity that I'd actually achieved such a lofty goal was what made me start to second guess myself. I began to wonder if I could legitimately claim to have done 30 paintings after all. In the first week of the challenge, I had done a cloud painting that had gone from bad to worse and I ended up wiping it off, but not before I had taken a photo of it shortly before it went past the point of no return. I had definitely done a painting - and I had the photo to prove that I'd done a painting, but I no longer had the painting - so did it count? The obsessive in me kept worrying that it didn't. But I reeeally didn't want to do another painting after having already mentally high fived myself for finally finishing the challenge. But my pedantic ways got the better of me and I decided I must do another (sigh!). I thought it fitting that it should be another cloud painting, but this time, no matter how ugly it got (and it would get ugly - because I refused to spend more than 15 minutes on it) I must keep it as one of the challenge pieces. I just wanted to Finish. The. Challenge!!!! I grabbed a board, slathered it with gesso, then dab, blob and splat - it was done!

                                                   Clouds at Sunset - Acrylic on small board
(It has actually come up looking nicer as a photo than a painting - so it looks more respectable than it deserves.)

I'm really grateful to Leslie Saeta for hosting the challenge. It was so much fun to do it en masse with so many others. I really appreciate all the support I got from my wonderful blogging buddies (old and new), the comments really helped to keep me motivated thank you!! I also got a lot of support from family and friends via email, phone and face to face - and Facebook - thanks so much! And my father-in-law was indispensable and a great help by sourcing the particle boards and cutting them to size for me. It's all been so much fun! I plan to make October a writing challenge month but still hope to paint at least once a week.


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32 comments:

  1. Sergio DS30 September 2013 at 03:22

    Your acrylic is amazing, very realist, it seems a photograph.

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    1. Wendy Barrett1 October 2013 at 21:53

      Thanks so much for visiting Sergio and for your lovely comments.

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  2. Celia Blanco30 September 2013 at 05:16

    Congratulations Wendy!!!
    Your final painting is a delight, I adore vintage kitchen items, they tell a story and you did a great job portraying that!
    I can't believe you painted another cloud painting, so you painted 31 paintings!
    Your posts were fun to read! You made it enjoyable to follow along with photos and anecdotes about your day. You are a very talented writer and artist! Take a rest and enjoy your writing!!

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    1. Wendy Barrett1 October 2013 at 22:03

      Thanks so much Celia, You've been such a great cheerleader throughout the challenge! I've really appreciated it. I'm glad you enjoyed visiting my blog. Love your latest painting!

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  3. Laura30 September 2013 at 07:13

    Congrats Wendy. You did it. You can breathe now. You have some wonderful pieces to remind you of your challenge now. Love Grandma's Colander. Great for a kitchen wall.

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    1. Wendy Barrett1 October 2013 at 22:04

      Thanks so much Laura for all your encouraging comments! It will be nice to be able to pace myself again for a bit.

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  4. Unknown30 September 2013 at 08:29

    You did a great job on the colander! You told the story with an everyday item and made such a wonderful painting. Great job!

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    1. Wendy Barrett1 October 2013 at 22:05

      Thanks so much Judy! I love all the beautiful flower paintings you did for the challenge!

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  5. Kaethe Bealer30 September 2013 at 08:50

    I love this! I can't believe we have arrived! Wendy, I just love your work. Thank you for all the support and kind words you have left. You are a gifted artist and a positive spirit. Here is to more painting!

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    1. Wendy Barrett1 October 2013 at 22:07

      Thanks so much Kaethe! Yes, we made it! I really appreciated all your support throughout and have thoroughly enjoyed following your blog with one stunning painting after another! To more painting indeed!!

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  6. Diane Mannion30 September 2013 at 13:44

    Bravo to you, Wendy! Love the colander... well done. Rest up for the next challenge in January.

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    1. Wendy Barrett1 October 2013 at 22:09

      Thanks Diane! I love the beautiful work you did throughout the challenge! Not sure I'm keen to think ahead to January right now! :)

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  7. Anonymous30 September 2013 at 14:42

    Congratulations with achieving the challenge, Wendy!! Yay, you did it!! :D
    And you saved the best for last; I LOVE your grandma's colander. Perfect how you painted the light on the colander and the oldness of the object. I thought it was a photograph too. Thanks for sharing all your beautiful paintings, I really enjoyed your blog posts!!

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    1. Wendy Barrett1 October 2013 at 22:13

      Thanks so much Hilje! You are always such a wonderful support for me and I have really appreciated your regular visits and comments. It has been nice to know that friends such as yourself have been following my progress. I'm glad you liked the colander. I was quite surprised it worked as well as it did as I found it incredibly difficult to work out a colour that came close to the old enamel. Happy painting!

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  8. Darla McDowell30 September 2013 at 18:05

    Congratulations, Wendy! And great work on Grandma's Colander. Keep up the awesome work! :)

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  9. Sheila30 September 2013 at 22:03

    Love this! You have it spot on. YES! It counts. I had to cheat 3 times. I did the work, but had no painting to show for it. I was told by other artists, that yes, it was OK to count. So there you go, I am passing it on. ha ha
    You art is wonderful! I really enjoy seeing your inspiration photos too.

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    1. Wendy Barrett1 October 2013 at 23:35

      Thanks so much Sheila! I'm glad that it counted. Being that it was the last day of the challenge, I didn't have time to consult with others, so thought I'd just do another one to be sure. I enjoyed visiting your lovely blog!

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  10. Jane1 October 2013 at 04:42

    Oh yes, I know this kind of colanders and love them, you did an amazing finishing painting , congrats !

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    1. Wendy Barrett1 October 2013 at 23:36

      Thanks Jane! I feel inspired now to move on to the set of cannisters from the same set!

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  11. Debi Murray1 October 2013 at 06:35

    Wendy, I love your colander - very well done. But, I am really writing today to express my respect and awe of your completion of the challenge. I love your transparency, how you share your thought processes, write about your struggles and even posting paintings you're not totally pleased with - along with your many obvious successes! I can't imagine being able to paint or write every day - you are inspiration to me! I look forward to your writing challenge!

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    1. Wendy Barrett1 October 2013 at 23:39

      Debbie what lovely comments you have written! I really appreciate it! Even as recently as a year ago I could never have dreamed that I'd be able to stick to such a challenge. I began with a ten day challenge when I began painting again at the beginning of 2012 and I found that hard going. It just shows how one thing leads to another. I have set myself 10 hours to spend on my book this week - I haven't begun yet (gulp!)

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  12. Tammie Dickerson1 October 2013 at 09:18

    This is a beautiful colander painting! Great work!

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    1. Wendy Barrett1 October 2013 at 23:53

      Thanks so much Tammie. I am in awe of what you have been achieving on the art front!

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  13. art by Michael Perchard1 October 2013 at 11:54

    We all have a "Grandma's Colander" someplace! Wendy, this latest painting is so well done. Brought back so many wonderful memories of my grandmother's "old school" colander! The little worn out spots and all! Bravo! Congratulations on completing the challenge! (It was also a wonderful and exciting challenge for me to keep up with all your wonderful paintings! Thank you mate. Well done! You did it and you did it well! Keep on making great art Mate!
    Michael

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    1. Wendy Barrett1 October 2013 at 23:57

      Thanks so much Michael, you are such a great and consistent supporter which I appreciate so much! I always look forward to your comments and am never disappointed! It was nice to have you along for the journey! I'm glad the colander brought back wonderful memories of your own grandmother.
      I love your latest wave painting - glorious as ever!
      Your art cobber Wendy

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  14. Unknown2 October 2013 at 15:04

    Congratulations to you and to everybody who completed the challenge! I want to know what kind of revelations have occurred to you about your artmaking during this process?

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  15. Wendy Barrett7 October 2013 at 05:49

    Hi Katherine, Thanks so much for your interest and encouragement.
    There were definitely a lot of benefits that came from doing the challenge. I was very pleased that some specific goals I had in mind prior to beginning came to fruition over the duration. I felt I was able to loosen up in a way that had previously eluded me until that point. I also wanted to create some more images for greeting cards. There were a few particular subjects that had long been on my list of things to try. And last but not least was the satisfaction that comes with fulfilling a challenge. It will allow me to feel more confident with future projects. I now know that I have it in me to follow through on something that only a short time ago I would have felt was way out of my league to attempt.Thanks for asking!!

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  16. Karen Johnston Daily Paintings7 October 2013 at 18:56

    I love the colander!! It looks so real! Congrats on the 30/30 challenge...I know it's not easy doing these challenges. I love your palettes too, very creative. I have been busy painting for the Olive Festival here in November, so now I'm finally catching up with everyone!!

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    1. Wendy Barrett19 October 2013 at 06:59

      Thanks so much Karen! Your olive themed paintings are fantastic!

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  17. Unknown19 October 2013 at 04:33

    This colander is just fantastic! Just had to comment... Now I will go peruse the rest of your work. Gorgeous!

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    1. Wendy Barrett19 October 2013 at 06:59

      Thanks so much Amy! I love your lovely loose style!

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