Mid-February Check-in
I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe and dry. It’s been quite rainy here and I’ve been hearing reports of snow from my friends and family on the east coast. This month has felt both slow and fast; I feel like I’ve been making slow progress on my paintings, which makes time feel slow, but then the days fly by quickly.
What I’m working on:
I finished the 30”x40” seashell painting that I mentioned in my last update, after making a few adjustments to the background. With that painting finished, I started another one in the series. This painting is 24”x18” inches and follows the theme of macro seashells on the shore. I’m hoping to paint seven paintings in this series and I have them planned out in my sketchbook. They’re quite detailed paintings and overall larger than my previous paintings, so each one is taking quite a bit of time.
I’m taking a pause on my smaller flower paintings. I am trying to be better about focusing on one project at a time in the hopes that focusing will allow me to paint them well and a little bit faster. I’m not sure if it’s working, but I think focus will be good for me. That being said, I’m hoping to participate in a “100 day project” challenge that is starting on February 18t. This is a challenge where the goal is to create something small for 100 days to build a creative habit. I’ve been thinking about painting some small watercolor paintings for this challenge as a way to try something new-ish (I started out painting with watercolors before oil painting). Right now, I don’t plan on doing anything with these paintings beyond having fun and experimenting, so I’m looking forward to seeing what happens. I also have a few accountability buddies who will be doing the challenge with me to help us all make it to 100 days!
I also have a number of individual grant applications and art calls that I’m working on that are due this month and in the beginning of March. So it’s probably a good thing that I’m focusing on one big painting, because I am spending a lot of time and energy on other opportunities. I am learning how to have a bit more balance in my day to day by having enough variety in my activities but trying not to do too much at once. I don’t think I’ve found the right balance yet, but it’s something I’m thinking about!
Outings
Two weekends ago, I visited a couple of galleries and a friend’s opening reception at the San Jose CIty College art gallery. It was a great opportunity to see what my friends have been working on and talk to them about their inspiration and projects. It made me realize that I should probably take more opportunities to visit exhibits and see other people’s work. Last month, I had spent a lot of time at home/in the studio working on my projects and I think I had begun isolating myself without realizing it. So I think moving forward, I want to have one day a month where I visit multiple galleries/exhibits to see other people’s art and talk to other artists about their work. It helps give me perspective on what I’m working on and makes me feel more connected to the artist community around me.
I didn’t end up going to Point Reyes this past weekend because the rental I was planning to stay at lost power from the winter storms we’ve been having over the last month. The trip is rescheduled for early March. Instead, I went down to Santa Cruz and visited some tidal pools during the low tide of the King Tide this month. The low tide goes out further than usual during the King Tide, so you’re able to see a number of sea creatures in the tidal pools.
That’s all for my update this week. Let me know if you have any thoughts or ideas relating to finding balance between having variety in your activities/pursuits and not trying to do too much at once - I would love any advice!
