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JANUARY: 31 days of Daily Painting from Life

Every few months I get the urge to push myself by joining a daily art challenge. Last year I participated in the Strada Easel Daily Art (painting, sketching, most anything) from LIFE! Working from photos not allowed, but working multiple days on a single pieces was OK. I used a variety of medium including charcoal, pencil, acrylic, watercolor, ink, and even combined a lot. Here's a collage of all the pieces I completed.

(HEY, I'm doing it again right now! January 2023! Keep track of my progress on Instagram or Facebook pages!)

FEBRUARY: Year of the Tiger: Discovering charcoal

Hadn't created anything serious in charcoal for years. I liked sketching with it in January so much I decided to do a feature piece from one of my photos. This was the results! I even used it for a give away calendar, both online and in person.

MARCH: Pencil Sketching: Revisited

Sketching is an extremely valuable practice, but sometimes as an experienced artist, I forget how valuable it is and will often skip that preliminary step in a project or feel it's takes too much time to just 'practice'. This month I decided I need to brush up a bit, and I really enjoyed it.

APRIL: The Ocean Calls: FINISHED!

It's always satisfying to complete a painting that's been in the works for a while. I did the background a year before I added the main subjects (baby turtles).

MAY: Van Camping: Art on the road

A brand new exciting activity. It's so freeing to have your 'home' with you at all times. We've traveled by car a lot over the decades, usually only staying a single night at each motel on 2 week roadtrips. I loved not having to lug everything in and out of our room. However, it's also a lot of work to set up camp – just a lot more fun and satisfying.

I tried hard to sketch and paint, but it's much more difficult to do than you might think. Even though I'm totally use to plein air painting on location, on trips my energy is depleted and I have to justify taking the time to settle into one spot for an extended period of time. Then of course there's the weather, bugs, other people, and many other obstacles. But still very enjoyable. 

       

JUNE: Plein Air Event: Trying a new style

What better time to try a new style idea with several consecutive days of painting. Acrylic on canvas painted like watercolor in a line and wash style. I was looking for a quicker way to paint outdoors and still have the convenience of not having to frame at the end of the event. It worked, but there was still the issue of the acrylic drying on my palette and in my brushes!

JULY: Feeding the Soul: Nature & art by others

I went on a few day trips (with my husband). One of my favorites was to the Quad Cities to visit the Botanical Center and the Figge Museum. Nature of course is always inspirational, but looking at other artists works and visions can be very inspiring also.

AUGUST: Best of Show – WooHoo!

I have won a few awards here and there for both photography and painting but never Best of Show!

SEPTEMBER: Plein Air Event: Trying ANOTHER new style

Once again I decided to take advantage of daily painting en plein air. Still looking for that perfect style that I don't have to frame at the end of the event. Most plein air competitions want well presented pieces for a show at the end of the event. If I paint on canvas, even if I choose to frame, I don't have to handle glass. This time I experimented with watercolor on canvas.

OCTOBER: Getting Organized: Preparing for change

In addition to some short trips, I had also made the decision to move out of my away studio. This month is often when I start thinking ahead to the next year and began contemplating how the move would effect everything

Since I would no longer have a 'showroom' for my finished art, what would I do with it; how would I sell it? My conclusion was to enter competitions that end in a show/sale. To get organized for that, I made a wall of projects as you can see here. It's working out great!

NOVEMBER: Moving Home

It's amazing what you can collect in only 3 years in a space. I have a space for watercolor and a second for acrylic. Both are a shambles because of all the things moved home from my previous 'away' studio. But I'll sort it all out as I have time and energy. This is the way my home studio use to look... I'm sure I can whip it into shape soon.

More pictures and story... Full Article

DECEMBER: A Time to Reflect

The end of the year is always a bit sad, but full of hope for the new year to come. It is a time to reflect on the past year and look forward to the future. As an artist, it can be a time of great excitement and anticipation. The end of the year marks the start of a new journey, with a fresh palette of ideas and possibilities to explore.

This is the perfect time to review my accomplishments, take a break to recharge, and plan for the upcoming year. I look back at the art I've created throughout the year, and think about what inspired me, what I would like to build on, and what new areas I might explore.

It's time for me to get organized, set goals and create a plan for how to achieve them. I'm looking at ways to use my art to make a difference in the world. Maybe to help raise awareness of the critical stage nature has found herself in (the 6th Mass Extinction is on the horizon - yes, it's a 'real' thing), or to help domestic animals deal with overpopulation and abuse. Sometimes just painting pretty pictures isn't enough, often it feels a bit hollow and unimportant when stacked against so many other issues.

As we look forward to 2023, embrace the opportunity to create something unique and meaningful. Take time to dream, imagine, and explore. May this be the start of a beautiful, successful and fulfilling journey for you and for my art.

Thanks for listening!
Lori Lee Sampson, StarglowStudio.com

PS: Nature Journaling is still my favorite way to spend my time!