It's time for the 30 in 30 challenge hosted by Artist Leslie Saeta.  This challenge is about making time to paint daily, and seeing profitable results in skill.  This is why I decided to participate in the challenge January 2017.

Watercolor is a beautiful medium in which I've never been formally trained in, but I really wanted to learn.  So last year when I heard of the 30 in 30 challenge; I thought it would be a great excuse to play with watercolors.  It was fun, challenging, and rewarding because I saw progress in my paintings, and although I have much to learn, it has given me the confidence to paint with watercolors.  

Not only did I see improvement in my skill, but my Woodland collection was birthed while participating in the challenge (you can see that collection here).

Some of my favs from the 30 in 30 challenge 2017

The 30 in 30 challenge is back, and I'm ready to learn another skill while working on my need of control.  I will be painting everyday using a palette knife, and here are my reasons why...

1.  It looks like so much fun just pushing the thick paint with the knife, and we need to have a bit of fun, right?

2.  Like I said, I'm a control freak.  My work is much too tight, and I like to jump right in with the details...[I know, but I just can't help myself].  Using a pallet knife takes away the precision that I get using a small brush leaving me to concentrate more on shapes and values.

3.  I just like the look of the thick painterly style that I just can't achieve with a brush [I work an area way too much with a brush].

So now that I have shared with you the reasons I continue to participate in this challenge, and why I've decided to strictly use palette knives; Let's get started on this journey!

Day 1 :

Country Cotton  8x10 oil on canvas sheet

For my first palette knife painting I chose to paint cotton stems.  I just love the simple beauty of the cotton, and I felt like their circular shape would be a good start.  I also decided to work on canvas sheets rather than stretched canvas.  For some reason, the canvas sheets seem much less intimidating than a nice white canvas, and it will be much easier to store all of those 30 [being optimistic] paintings. 

I did struggle with the knife as it would not move the way I was used to moving a brush, and I found myself picking up paint and unintentionally smearing it in other areas of the painting.  This has taught me to wipe my knife often, and when I say often I mean after every stroke of paint to canvas.  

Overall, I am pleased with the outcome of this painting, and I'm loving the lose thick strokes of the knife.  I am encouraged to keep on going, and I can't wait to see how each day progresses.

I invite you to check in daily to see my paintings and follow along with my journey of palette knife painting!