Painting challenge

My challenge was to  create small landscapes every weekday for a month starting October 2021. 

A drive through the Danseys Pass in the Otago inspired works in the first part of the challenge, followed by the skies around Invercargill.  A family journey to the southern arm of Lake Manapouri in Fiordland gave rise to the final three works.

I’ve arranged it so you can easily start at the beginning.

boy in red t shirt and black pants jumping on gray wooden floor

What I did to kickstart getting back to my easel

“To create one’s own world in any of the arts takes courage.” – Georgia O’Keefe. Kickstarting my oil Painting Practice My easel stood dormant for nearly a year and a half while I reclaimed my studio.  Commitment was now the key to restart my oil painting practice. Social media? Perfect

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man wearing hoodie and black pants climbing up pile of rocks

What I had to change on the 2nd day of my painting challenge

Danseys Pass St Bathans II A great personal result! Yesterday’s challenge—painted, edited, posted!! Being kind to myself, I discovered I needed to adjust my approach to painting. Usually I start by blocking in the darkest and the lightest values and build on that. There won’t be enough time for the

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abstract painting

Warm and cold concerns

The Vulcan Hotel St bathans The Vulcan Hotel St. Bathans is a beloved landmark– a remnant from old mining days. We didn’t stop in for a cuppa(cup of coffee or tea in New Zealand vernacular). Took photos. Moved on. Got to Timaru before dark. A lockdown threat loomed. Back home

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shallow focus photography of paintbrush

Choosing to cut back chroma

The painting is inspired by the start of the Kyeburn Diggings outside St. Bathans in the Danseys Pass in the middle of the South Island of New Zealand.  Cloud, light, and shadow cast a mood that mirrored ours as we hurried through to get home before the March 2020  Level

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close up shot of ancient concrete pillars

Hmmm! Yes! Less colour can work!

Muted colours of the danseys pass I’m going for monochrome in  this work from our trip deeper into the Kyeburn Diggings.  Yesterday, cutting back the chroma to show the muted colours of the Danseys Pass took a lot more time than I’d planned.  It’s Friday and I have weekend plans.

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Making this challenge fit around my life

Kyeburn diggings, danseys pass II What a great weekend relaxing at home and looking at my five completed challenge paintings. I needed to make this challenge fit my life. To paint each work and then edit and post the video took about 4 hours. More time was required for paintings

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