31 Paintings in 31 Days

30 of the 31 paintings (couldn't fit 31)

 Phew!! I did it 31 paintings in 31 days, that's a painting every day in January. Thanks to Strada Easel.

What better way is there for an artist to start the year but to take up a painting challenge??

Strada Easel throw out a challenge twice a year inviting artists to take part in painting from life every day for a whole month.

This is the first time I've done the Strada challenge and would totally recommend it to anyone thinking of taking part. I mean, how hard can it be to paint every day for 31 days?? 

 I think the main issue is, not the fact that you commit to paint every day, but committing to share a painting every day with the world!!!! 

Suddenly there isn't any time for mistakes so even on the days that I wasn't entirely happy with the painting, I still posted it, warts and all.

To become better at what you do, and to grow as an artist you need to commit, you need to sacrifice, you need to work hard. In doing so you gain confidence,  loosen up, and try new things. Often it's too easy to stay in our comfort zone but by pushing ourselves to try something different we can become more creative!! By sharing my work, I got to learn from others too. 

It's a great kickstart to the year and I found a lot of inspiration and encouragement from the other participating artists. I met some great people and really connected with them. Now that it's over, it's a strange feeling not to be committed to painting, I so looked forward each day to seeing what people had posted on Instagram. I think it's a bit like how I used to feel at the end of a school year.

I am definitely looking forward to the next challenge. Meanwhile, I have made a promise to myself to paint more often.

Painting is a journey for me and I will never stop learning!!!