At the start of the challenge, I had a “grand plan”. I recently discovered a new technique. At least, new to me. Laly Mille has an encaustic inspired method. I have long been wanting to work in encaustic, so I was really excited when I read her post.
I worked to get ahead on the challenge. I started with five small canvases. Mini Mingus views. And guess what. I bombed. That’s what I get for getting too ambitious. And for not practicing on just one first. One failure would have been easier to take!
From day one, I felt behind schedule. And slightly dissappointed. I hoped to post the January pieces for sale. I will try the technique again. I think I can salvage the duds.
If you have been reading my posts, you know I have had a lot of duds this month. Many “do-over’s”. The big surprise is. I am happy with everything I have worked on this month. Somehow, it all worked out.
Here are my favorites.
The days with the most page views were: 3, 4, 7, 13, 17, 20, 21. Day 21 was the highest by far. What was your favorite?
I am so grateful to all of you who followed along with me this month. Your observations and comments helped to carry me through the difficult days. Such a blessing to wake up and be greeted by friends! (Made new friends too!) Thank you for taking the time.
I have gone way over my data limit, so I will not be commenting on the collages until I return home. I will catch up though! No posts until then as well. I did bring a few supplies with me, and I will be painting when I can.
Happy resting if you are going to rest! Joyful creating to you always! Blessed 2017 to all!
Take a peek at everyone’s collage of 30 paintings!
Pinterest board growing with over 1900
delightful artworks by friends and favorites!
Congratulations for finishing the challenge, Sheila!! What a big achievement to have tried something new, especially since the challenge itself is..well, so darn challenging. ha! I couldn’t think of another word. I think all your paintings are fantastic, btw. 🙂
Wow, thanks so much Katie 🙂 I will take fantastic any day, LOL. The month was a fun one. Difficult and stess filled at times. But looking back, fun 🙂 Looking forward to working more in the “new” soon 🙂
Love seeing them all together and your favourites too. I think it is exciting that you choose to experiment with your painting the last couple of weeks of the challenge. Sometimes our failures (in our eyes) are our real successes – it’s like breaking through a barrier and you have taken your painting to a new level. Will look forward to following your art adventures in the coming months. Thanks for all your commenting and support this past month. Take care Sheila
Aww thanks Janet. Your work is so inspirational, lead me to thinking about different, or in different ways. I always look forward to seeing your latest and greatest 🙂 Chat with you soon 🙂
Dear Seila! A collage of beautiful and you can see your pictures were exciting. Meanwhile, I looked at your work in January, once in a while, and it felt good to read how a creative day spent.
Thank you for visiting, and also gave me feedback, it felt good. I wish you a nice creative days! I use google translate.
Thanks so much for your kind comments, so glad you enjoyed the blog 🙂 Wishing you joyful creating!
Awesome work, Sheila! Your colors look so cool together! I agree that there is no such thing as a “dud”, especially when talking about your artwork. I love your courage to try new things, and to keep learning. Congrats on doing the challenge!
Aww thanks Laurie ? Congrats to you as well on a spectacular month! Your colors always brighten my day ?
It’s so interesting how that lovely coral-pink color showed up in your work almost every day. I really enjoyed following your work all month. Although I only commented a couple times, I was “lurking” and keeping an eye on what you were doing. Your fearlessness is inspiring, Sheila! 😀
So nice to hear you were lurking Barb! Lol ?yesthat is interesting. I don’t think of myself as a pink lover. But you are right. Thanks so much for following along ? So glad you took part as well!
Hi Sheila! What a tremendous month.for you! One of my big favorite is no 26 but I also have many others. Love your new approach to your art.Hugs
Thank you Helen 🙂 Your portraits this month were outstanding! So glad you liked day 26 too. Happy creating to you, looking forward to your new works 🙂
Congratulations, Sheila, on completing another 30 day Challenge. You are amazing!!! I love your Mingus Mountain paintings, and looking back I think my favorite was Day 6… Great job!!! 🙂
Day 6 was fun to work on 🙂 Thanks for visiting Karin, many more Mingus to come! Missed you in the 30 and looking forward to your next piece 🙂
A good collection of works for one month. And I think the failures are important too. They mean you’re exploring and growing. For me, it felt strange to be working on just 3 pieces or so this month. I feel like I dropped out of the challenge because I didn’t post every day. But the truth is I painted every day except for two. These expectations we place upon ourselves – sometimes helpful sometimes not.
Thanks so much Jill. I am so looking forward to seeing your finished piece. I am in awe of how much work you ae putting into it. It is going to be so gorgeous! The parts and piece already are! LOL chat with you soon, enjoy Jill!
Sheila, there are no such things as “duds” in art. You learned what doesn’t work for you. You learned what does produce results that you desire. You inspired a whole bunch of people this month, including me! You’re poking fun at yourself at times always reminds me not to take myself too seriously. The most valuable lesson for all of us is not to give up. Thank you for all your art and creativity this month!
LOL, so nice of you, thank you Laurelle 🙂 Thanks so much for your kind comments, always so nice to hear from you. I am always afraid I sound whiny, but I am really just sharing the bad with the good. Stuff happens right LOL. Happy creating to you – always look forward to seeing your work 🙂
Congrats on completing the 30 day challenge!
In the spirit of The War of Art… Now do it again!
Slave driver! LOL, I have already doen two small pieces. Postcards for friends. Thanks so much for visiting Dave 🙂 Hope all is well in your creative world!
Super work Sheila. My favourite is #24, that free and spontaneous look of that abstract really appealed to me. Enjoy the rest of your visit and have a safe trip home.
Thank you Val, I want to do more like that 🙂 Thanks so much for following my progress and for your generous comments. I am so bummed I can’t visit all of the blogs, But at least I have something to look forward to when I get home. Chat with you soon Val 🙂
Got to figure out how to do this without starting another new account. I like seeing the paintings together though and when you put it with the views it probably tells you a lot about what people react to. Turned out well Sheila and now it is back to experimenting again!! I have to check out the encaustic too.
Do you mean on picmonkey Nelvia? You can click out of that, and go to make collage, and it will let you do that with out an account. You are limited on styles and such, but you can make a decent presentation without that. I add the words in Photoshop to mine. I was surprised by the views. Some of those are pieces I thought were barely postable. LOL. But I noticed this month, that pieces I was only mildly happy with, when I went back later and looked at them, I was much more pleased. Of course it helps to see them through the eyes of others. Sometimes they find merits I hadn’t noticed.
Thanks so much for all of your generous comments this month. So nice chatting with you Nelvia!
Sheila, what a totally terrific month you had! I am in awe.
Thanks to super dooper friends like you Dotty!!
Dear Sheila, your collage is wonderful. What a nice group of paintings !
Congratulations!
Congratulations to you Martine, so glad you took part 🙂 Thanks so much for your support this month!