365 day challenge
I am an artist living and working in the UK, specifically the New Forest. I have set myself a challenge to produce a painting every day for an entire year. This page is dedicated especially to that challenge. I started this challenge on the 22/10/2010, and as of writing this (6/12/10) I am 46 days into the challenge and I have produced 46 paintings to date. These will be uploaded in bulk but otherwise check back as every day I will upload a photo of the painting I complete.
Why am I doing this? Well it's for a number of reasons really, one reason is; ever since I graduated from uni in July 2010, I have not had access to a studio which meant that for a while, I just wasn't painting at all. This challenge was an excuse for me to not focus on lack of space or worry about the size of the painting or the type of paint, but just to actually get on and do some painting.
Another reason for doing this was something which may be considered quite silly really. To make a long story short, I somehow came across a video channel on YouTube called the 'Shaytards'. (And just so you know, these videos are so funny and sometimes very insightful, if you're ever having a bad day they will make you feel better). If you haven't heard of them, here is the link:
http://www.youtube.com/user/shaytards?blend=1&ob=4
Shay is a dad of four (and a fantastic dad at that...) and on his 29th birthday he said to himself that he would make a video dairy to document the last year of his twenties, which meant him making a video every day for a year, from his 29th birthday to his 30th birthday. His success was enormous and I imagined how great it felt to actually accomplish doing something every day for a whole year. So...I thought why not paint for every day of the year?
However, the main reason for doing a painting every day for a year is to challenge myself as an artist. I have always fallen into a 'trap' of making a 'picture' instead of a 'painting'. By that, I am prone to creating paintings that would be considered 'kitsch'. Now there is absolutely nothing wrong with kitsch paintings and I have no disrespect for any artist who creates these types of paintings, especially if it's for their living, but it's just not the type of paintings I wish to produce. So these paintings for this challenge will act as something like a painting diary. I know that I am gong to have bad days, days where the paintings go in a way that I consider to be 'wrong', or days where I am pressed for time. (I have a part time job so that affects my energy and mood). And I am going to have days where quite frankly (and I am not ashamed to say this) I just can't be bothered to paint. I know this is going to happen, but I will also have good days. I primarily paint landscapes, but another good thing about this challenge is, I just don't know what will happen. Some paintings may turn out as portraits, abstract patterns, or something related to events and occasions that we celebrate. I may just surprise myself, so it'll be interesting to see what happens.
So please come along for the ride! This challenge finishes on the 22/10/2011.
PLEASE NOTE: I do not write with the 'professional' and confusing language associated with art. I am a normal person, living a normal life. This challenge is a daily painting dairy, a realistic record of true events that happen to me. I will therefore write in a 'comfortable' manner, detailing the events of the day. I will make jokes, use made up words, and I will even swear sometimes, because that is who I am. I am sorry if this offends anyone, but it suits the challenge. You have been warned...
Why am I doing this? Well it's for a number of reasons really, one reason is; ever since I graduated from uni in July 2010, I have not had access to a studio which meant that for a while, I just wasn't painting at all. This challenge was an excuse for me to not focus on lack of space or worry about the size of the painting or the type of paint, but just to actually get on and do some painting.
Another reason for doing this was something which may be considered quite silly really. To make a long story short, I somehow came across a video channel on YouTube called the 'Shaytards'. (And just so you know, these videos are so funny and sometimes very insightful, if you're ever having a bad day they will make you feel better). If you haven't heard of them, here is the link:
http://www.youtube.com/user/shaytards?blend=1&ob=4
Shay is a dad of four (and a fantastic dad at that...) and on his 29th birthday he said to himself that he would make a video dairy to document the last year of his twenties, which meant him making a video every day for a year, from his 29th birthday to his 30th birthday. His success was enormous and I imagined how great it felt to actually accomplish doing something every day for a whole year. So...I thought why not paint for every day of the year?
However, the main reason for doing a painting every day for a year is to challenge myself as an artist. I have always fallen into a 'trap' of making a 'picture' instead of a 'painting'. By that, I am prone to creating paintings that would be considered 'kitsch'. Now there is absolutely nothing wrong with kitsch paintings and I have no disrespect for any artist who creates these types of paintings, especially if it's for their living, but it's just not the type of paintings I wish to produce. So these paintings for this challenge will act as something like a painting diary. I know that I am gong to have bad days, days where the paintings go in a way that I consider to be 'wrong', or days where I am pressed for time. (I have a part time job so that affects my energy and mood). And I am going to have days where quite frankly (and I am not ashamed to say this) I just can't be bothered to paint. I know this is going to happen, but I will also have good days. I primarily paint landscapes, but another good thing about this challenge is, I just don't know what will happen. Some paintings may turn out as portraits, abstract patterns, or something related to events and occasions that we celebrate. I may just surprise myself, so it'll be interesting to see what happens.
So please come along for the ride! This challenge finishes on the 22/10/2011.
PLEASE NOTE: I do not write with the 'professional' and confusing language associated with art. I am a normal person, living a normal life. This challenge is a daily painting dairy, a realistic record of true events that happen to me. I will therefore write in a 'comfortable' manner, detailing the events of the day. I will make jokes, use made up words, and I will even swear sometimes, because that is who I am. I am sorry if this offends anyone, but it suits the challenge. You have been warned...