Thirteen new paintings in one month is not bad, especially when they’re images I’ve been intending to paint either for only days, or for decades, and I really like each one of them.

One thing I caught myself doing this time was putting my goal of a variety in medium and subject, size and style ahead of just painting. In January’s 30 in 30 challenge it had been a while since I’d electively painted “just because” and I felt out of practice and I wanted to give myself a warm up with these paintings and brush up on all the media I enjoy using and the ones I feel a little rusty at using, and get into the habit of following my ideas more frequently.

As in January as well, I actually found that goal a hindrance for this painting challenge. If I found I kept wanting to paint landscapes but had painted a landscape yesterday and told myself to find another idea. I wanted to use pastel each day and I told myself to pull out all the materials and use ones other than pastel, to look for subjects that would work well for other media. I really, really wanted to do a detailed pencil drawing. By the time I found another subject and decided on the best medium for that image, the tiny bit of spare time I had for painting something not assigned or commissioned each day was gone.

In January I slapped my own wrists for that because it was preventing me from painting. If I had painted landscapes in pastel every day I probably would have learned something new about landscape painting—because there is always something to learn—and I probably would have improved my skills and confidence that much more. And been happier that I’d done more paintings.

But after finding that I also tended toward that goal in September I was again frustrated for most of the month, especially when I had to take off more than a week in the middle. However, once I resumed and looked at the paintings I’d done in the first two weeks, I decided that because I’d chosen each of the images for the criteria of subject, medium and style rather than just because they were convenient, I really wanted to paint each one, put more thought into them, spent more time on them, and actually like them better than if I’d followed my other idea of just painting anything I wanted in any medium I wanted each day. I really like each painting. And there will always be another painting challenge, and, as time goes on, more time for me to paint.

Here is a gallery of each of the paintings which you can click to see larger versions or scroll through as a slideshow. Below that is a list of each painting linked to the post about it so you can read more. Do you have a favorite? A favorite medium? Please share any feedback. I don’t paint just for me. I want to share the moment and share the idea. Below the September challenge I’ve also shared the January challenge paintings. Don’t forget that all original art is on sale from the Autumnal Equinox to the Winter Solstice all original art is 25% off with the coupon code SPLENDOROFAUTUMN25.

Marsh Road

Geraniums and Parsley

Sunset, Moonset

Mimi in the Laundry Shade

Sunset Cruise

Poppies

Late Winter Sunbath

Tulip Garden

Main Street, September Morning

Flowers for Sale

Allegheny River Reflections

I Want To Be Where That Gull Is Standing

Book Cover Illustration

January 2017 30 Paintings in 30 Days

And just for fun, Here is the January 2017 30 in 30 painting challenge gallery too. You can find all of them on the page Creative Challenges

One has been sold, most of them have “Add to Cart” buttons which I added depending on the popularity of each painting. If you are interested please use the drop-down list to choose your painting or print. If there is no “Add to Cart” button, just send me an email with the name of the painting. Eventually these paintings will be included in the galleries where they belong under “Fine Art and Portraiture”, but this post will always be available.

Thanks again for visiting!

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