Finishing What I Started

"End of the Day" - #100/100 - 6" x 6" acrylic on paper

At last, I've completed my 100 paintings for the "100 Artwork/Painting Challenge" and I'm ecstatic.  It took me 4.5 months to finish, but I'm done, done, done and am happy to say I've made friends with another  "frenemy" - neutral colors & a limited palette.  After this exercise, I'd even go so far as to say neutral colors/limited palette and I are now "besties!"

"Watch Me Grow" - #99/100 - 6" x 6" acrylic on paper

I have learned so much from this project - and am thrilled to report that apparently my followers and collectors love the new works too.  So far I've sold nearly 30% of these little gems and received two commissions.  Not bad for a challenge accepted on a lark!

"Simple Pleasures for 3" - #98/100 - 5" x 7" mixed media on paper

Takeaways from this project include: 

• There is no such thing as an "ugly" color - beige is indeed beautiful!
• Less is best in many cases
• The little blue flowers seem to be popular
•  "Vessels" are in
• I really enjoyed working in the primitive style.  Simple shapes and limited colors made it easy for me to concentrate on composition and values.  

"Day is Done" - 97/100 - 6" x 6" acrylic on paper

After I took design classes in college in the early 1990's, I vowed I would stay away from boring, neutral colors forever.  From my work over the past couple of decades, you can see I'm a stubborn artist who keeps my word.  But as I've matured (aka aged) I've been drawn to the neutral colors other artists use and wanted to try using these colors in my own work, but no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't seem to do it.

The 100 Artwork/Painting challenge changed that for me and now I can't wait to do more neutral paintings on a larger scale.  I'm adoring the simple shapes and the minimalist style, and this challenge has even inspired me to organize and clear out my closets, drawers, and other cluttered spaces in my home and studio!

"Old Friends" - 96/100 - 5" x 5" mixed media on paper

So tonight I breathe a giant sigh of satisfaction and relief as I wrap up final photos and posts about this wonderful exercise.  I may even indulge in a nice glass of wine tonight to celebrate this huge personal accomplishment! 

But tomorrow I start preparing for another project - starting September 1st I will be participating in yet another "30 Paintings in 30 Days" challenge.  This time my theme will be small abstract works on paper using neutral colors.  I'm leaving the vessels behind and concentrating on dots, lines, texture and composition.  Feels good to get back to my roots and I'm looking forward to embracing my new found friends again, neutral colors and a limited palette!