Day 21 of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge - "Inner Peace"

"Inner Peace" - 24" x 30" acrylic on 1.5" canvas

This painting gave me everything BUT inner peace while painting it....in fact it was painted over and over and over again before I finally said "enough."

The original piece had a ton of texture - molding paste; fiber paste; gel sand; gel medium.....and at one point I became so frustrated I actually grabbed some more molding paste and started texturing over the texture!!

No matter what I did (graphite lines; ink drips; bold cruciform composition) I couldn't seem to create a focal point of interest.  And then it hit me.....I didn't NEED a focal point!  The texture WAS the focal point and the soft, blended colors that danced over the surface were the perfect background.  I added gold metallic highlights and that sealed the deal.

I know the photo sucks and you can't really see the shimmer but you can see the subtle colors that  float on the surface.  The finished piece has so much depth it is actually quite beautiful.  This one might just stay in my personal favorite stack!

Day 15 of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge - "Midnight Celebration"

"Midnight Celebration" - 30" x 24" acrylic on 1.5" canvas

Another abstract cityscape that's kind of a hot mess but I forced myself to walk away before I overworked it.  There is a lot about this piece that I like and I knew if I didn't stop, I'd end up ruining it.  So - I'm going to set this one aside for the time being and leave it in plain sight for a few days so I can decide what, if anything, I want to do next.

I'm enjoying this challenge and am thrilled with the progress I've made in paring down my vast inventory of canvases that needed some love.  It's hard to believe we're already halfway through the challenge and halfway through the first month of the new year.  I'm excited about completing the rest of this series, and then developing a marketing plan to promote both the challenge itself and the individual pieces.   I know I should have been uploading them into my on-line shops each day, but I just haven't had the time or the energy to do it. Painting large is actually great exercise, and after a few hours of painting each day, I'm wiped out!

Day 3 of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge - "A Pale Mystique"

"A Pale Mystique" - 12" x 12" acrylic & graphite on .75" canvas

Here's "A Pale Mystique" - a makeover of another old seascape, leaving very little of the original piece intact.  I see several faces in this piece that I didn't see until posting this blog - how any do you see?

Day 2 of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge - Whispers in the Winds"

"Whispers in the Winds" - 12" x 12" acrylic & graphite on .75" canvas

This was a "redo" of an old seascape that I had created while on vacation this past July in Sea Ranch.  I just couldn't seem to get the piece to work, so decided to cover most of it with the neutral colors but left a couple areas of the old ocean for good measure.  The dark turquoise area in the center reminds me of a vessel, and the swirls are list quiet whispers in the wind.....

Day 1 of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge - "Bound for Glory"

"Bound for Glory" - 12" x 12" on .75" canvas - acrylic & graphite

I'm excited about participating in my 6th "30 Paintings in 30 Days" challenge.  Each time I try to work with a theme, and for 2016, I'm on a mission to simplify my life and let go of things and stuff in general.  Since I've managed to collect a rather embarrassing number of paintings over the years that just don't rock my world anymore, I decided it was time to paint over them.

The old paintings are all different sizes and on different substrates including canvas, wood panels and paper.  Many of the canvases are larger ones (12" x 12" to 36" x 72") and I'm excited about painting larger for the next 30 days.

Here is "Bound for Glory" - a redo of an old abstract that needed some work.  I'm also trying to use more neutral colors in my newer works, and am looking forward to incorporating them into this new series called "Reflections."  I toyed with the idea of posting "before and after" shots, but decided to just let the old designs pass peacefully away as I attempt to breathe new life into their memories.  Let me know what you think!!