99 Paintings

Collage, 12" x 12' with photo of my grandparents Tommie and Sonny Crawford

Last May, I decided that I needed a break from years of sitting behind the computer working as a graphic designer.  I had always wanted to be a serious artist but I lacked the experience and confidence.  
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Then, I ran out of my usual podcasts and started searching for something for creatives.  Well, I found a few really good ones.  I also indulged in a few books on Audible.  I listened to "War of Art" and "Do the Work" by Steven Pressfield, "Big Magic" by Elizabeth Gilbert," On Writinng" by Stephen King, Art &Fear by David Bayles, "Rising Strong" by Brene Brown and several others.

Needless to say, my whole attitude changed.  Though I had always considered myself a 'creative" person, I did not embrace the title of "artist" completely.

It's hard to feel like a REAL artist when you know that almost everything you have ever created was made to A) please a client, B) mimic a trend or style, or C) impress others.  I had not really started to question, "how can I impress myself?"

So, I dove into the idea of painting 99 paintings in one year.  I am somewhere around 70 at the moment with 5 months to go. Some of them are horrible, some of them or ho-hum, but a few of them feel really honest and true.  I plan on painting onward and maybe at the end of May, I will have a retrospective slide show to see the progress, the process and even the mess.  

A new shipment of big canvases are set to arrive in a few days along with some new paint sticks.  This is so much fun!

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