Embarking on a new challenge can be hard, but not if you plan accordingly. It can also be fun if you let it be. The September challenge is hosted by the Strada company who make elite artist travel easels that are indestructible. Artists from all over the world compete in this challenge. The primary goal is to challenge yourself to paint from life for 30 days. They allow you to paint or draw from life. You are not allowed to use a photograph or your imagination during this challenge.
I keep putting off trying to paint daily while always citing that I am too busy or too tired after working full time in something that is left brained. If I plan right, I can make this happen. Another challenge, that is additive, is that September tends to be a busy month in the Ellmers Household. Busy in a sense that we invite guests over to enjoy the fall foliage, apple season, hiking galore prior to winter, sprucing up the yard and prepare for winter, and travel. With all of this, I will have to plan to carve out a small chunk of time to dedicate to my creativity.
In mapping out my ideas for a month of paintings, I will start out with a few simple still-life paintings, mixed in with some drawings. If time permits then I will take more than an hour on some. But this month is a big month, in that I will end with drawings of the Wyoming/Montana landscape. My wife and I had to cancel our trip to Italy given COVID, but traveling out west has always been on my list. Now is the time. I am going to try to post daily in my blog as the challenge continues, but may not near the end of the month.
Lets have fun with this!
Cheers!
Day 1 - Green Bell Peppers (1 hour) #stradaeasel
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