Dd is for Day 30 and Done (at least for now)

We are cups, constantly and quietly being filled. The trick is, knowing how to tip ourselves 

over and let the beautiful stuff out. 

~ Ray Bradbury

This year's challenge is drawing to a close - and I am experiencing a collection of emotions; relief, sadness, exhilaration and satisfaction for the chance to focus on a daily creation. Everyday brought the question of what to do - but it got easier over the days, and less scary to put something out there.

Today, I reviewed the last 29 pieces I have posted, and I am slightly awed by what I have done - by the variety of techniques and styles I used, and by the fact that, even on my busiest days, I followed through on my commitment to do this. If I were an athlete, I would say that I feel that my muscles are stronger and more limber for all this practice.

Of course, so much of the inspiration to keep at this, has come from  the ideas, comments and support I have received from friends, and from other participants. There are so many talented people working out there - doing so many interesting things; I want to try them all. And, I want to thank all of you who visited the blog and shared your thoughts. I have learned SO much - and I have enjoyed every moment of this month.

As I said at the beginning, my goal for this month has been to develop my ability to work abstractly. Today's post - the grand 2011 finale, is an abstract painting, acrylics on canvas, completely from my imagination, though related in theme and style to another, smaller work I created a month ago (see A is for Abstract). It is the largest I have ever attempted - 36"x24" - and it was pure pleasure to paint. I can't wait to start on another.

Bb is for Bright and Bold

I have been trying for days to bring a mandala pattern that I drew into Photoshop so that I could work with it. The problems with this include (but are not limited to) capturing the image with my camera so that it is not warped, getting rid of the shadows on the page so that Photoshop does not see the darker areas as shapes, ensuring that the lines are dark enough to be read by Photoshop as complete lines, and that the shapes remain individual so they can be filled with color. Nothing really worked well enough - maybe I lack the skill to do it right.

So, when all else kept failing, I used Adobe Illustrator to create the basic template for this, and then brought it into Photoshop to color and work with effects. I probably could have done it all in Illustrator, but I am more familiar with Photoshop. I love the results, but more than that, I love the feeling of having figured out the solution to this problem.

Aa is for Abstract and Acrylics

My teacher always reminds the class to look for the "one perfect square inch" in every work. I find this advice to be a great way to look at a piece that is not entirely successful, and yet see what is working.

Today's image is a part of a painting on canvas I have been playing with for weeks - still in progress.

One of the charms of acrylic paints is that they can be painted over, build upon and altered - the layers adding texture and depth. I like this section of the painting which has gone from an awkward seascape to a fractured landscape. I am trying to find the balance of abstraction and readability, and in this part, I can see some of what I am looking for begin to appear.