Yes, yes, yes……here are pastels 41 & 42 in my quest to paint 100 pastels. Rules:  same size  5 X 7, completed in 30 minutes and different from the previous 40.   I’m beginning to think I really will succeed in getting the 100 done.   BUT, I won’t decide how I’ll celebrate until after number 75!

Enjoy!

Somewhere in all my moving (I’m converting a room into a studio), I believe I’ve miscounted in my identification of the paintings.  I’ve had a few fall off the boards they are lightly affixed to and I didn’t notice right away.  At this point, I can say that I now have 40 individual paintings on boards in the room, so please ignore any previous identifications.   Hopefully, I can clear up some of the confusion in the room and keep a correct count as I go along.  But, ( whatever the numbers I’ve reported in previous posts), the above three photos are nos. 38, 39 and 40.   I’m getting anxious to at least hit the half-way mark soon.  I’m doing other paintings in between…..I have no idea how long it would take working day and night to complete 100….I’m limited to 30 minutes per painting, but then there’s all the other stuff……cutting pastel paper to size, taking photographs….not to mention eating and sleeping occasionally.  I think some of the Wet Canvas pastel painters that accepted this challenge  last year were probably smart enough to keep their designs simpler.

Anyway, I hope you are enjoying the challenge (and don’t mind the confusion!)

I “believe” these are numbers 39 & 40, but it looks like I’ll have to gather my boards they are mounted on and check the count again……they could be 38 and 39.    Oh, well, I guess the only important number is 100…………..wouldn’t it be awful if I miss-counted and did 101 by mistake?

Enjoy please!

Well, I’m crank’n  them out.   I have daily sketches and MiniPix to show as well, but I just HAD to share with you how far I’ve gotten.

Please enjoy!

(And remember, they aren’t meant to be the “best” in any category.  It’s a challenge that forces me to think about putting colors together that I might not normally do……and it’s working!)

Yes, I just couldn’t leave it at one-third done, so…………..here’s number 34

Here’s number 31…….

Here’s number 32…..

Here’s number 33…….and…….

the 1/3 !!

Enjoy!!

Well, what can I say?  I definitely need practice counting pastels.  I have all of them on boards now, and it turns out this one today is number 30!  I’m going to be rearranging them for better viewing and I’ll post all 30, probably tomorrow.  Then, I’m taking a break to work on my new category called MiniPix.    And, then of course, there’s the daily sketches.   Somewhere in there, I’ll probably be doing some regular sized work, including going back to watercolor for some.   But right now, I’m basking in getting 1/3 of this challenge down!

Enjoy!

Yep!   It’s #28!   I have a feeling I know what I’m going to be doing tomorrow morning…..don’t you?

Since I might not get the latest pastel posted tonight and in reference to a comment on the last post about how everyone is different, I though you might like to see my work space (or place).  I have a table easel on (what else?) a card table.  Items I use while painting include LOTS of paper towel   (see holder on the right) and handy wipes (on left side and which work pretty well keeping my hands clean between colors since I paint as much with fingers as I do the pastel stick.  In other words, unlike many other pastelists, I blend colors with my fingers.   I also wash my hands a lot!)

For this post, I moved my box of pastels divided by color and value around to the front of the table where I normally site.  I have probably 6 different brands represented in the collection.   Some pastels are softer than others, some offer colors the others don’t have, etc. so I like having a lot of choices.  I just counted 58 blues, however there are others in boxes that I have recently purchased and aren’t represented here.  They are divided into 8 color groups, therefore………if my math is  correct, I have around 500 different pastels.   Not sure what the count would be adding in the boxes hiding behind my table easel.

I’ve turned the chair around (note the pillow for my back!) and pulled the pastels to the side for a different view.  The pastel tray is usually running parallel to the table so I can just reach with my left hand for a color.  You’ll notice a small box of pastels just next to the front edge of the easel.   It has a layer of rice in it and as I use a pastel in a painting I return it to this small box, not the big one.  It’s a way of keeping track of the colors already in use, as well as being able to repeat a particular color in another place in the painting without searching madly for it in the big box.  The rice helps hold the pastels away from each other, but I still have to clean them as I pick them up usually.

Here are pictures of two of the poster boards I use to mount the completed paintings.  They are propped up on books and a stand on the far side of the card table so that as I’m working, I can check and make sure I’m not duplicating anything.  As the number rises, I’ll have to rely on photos for that process as I won’t have room to stand the poster boards up after about another 9 pantings.

Enjoy….questions are always welcome

These aren’t all the paintings.   I have another board started that currently holds 6 paintings.  Just didn’t bother taking a picture of it.  (That’s for all of you obsessive art lovers out there that have probably already counted the paintings on the two boards and realize that some are missing from the count of 27…..6 to be exact!   I only say that because it’s probably something I would do if I were looking at someone else’s post!!!)

Have fun.

I feel like I’m really moving on with this challenge.   I already have three color schemes in mind.  Everytime I think, 27 yes, BUT that means 73 to go, I have some moments of anxiety to finish, but, honestly, it is getting even more fun choosing colors and just going at it.

For newbies to this site, I would like to explain that my goal for this blog was to just jump into new methods and new materials and have fun.  If something that day didn’t come out as I expected, I posted anyway  (and looking back at some of the posts, I can only shrug my shoulders and go on to the next painting. )  BUT, for this challenge, the 100 pieces were to be done in pastel, a chosen size (5 X 7) , completed in 30 minutes ….. or just stopping at 30, no matter what still needed to be done!….and each one different.

I decided on this painting to put a little snow on some of the mountains as we’ve actually been seeing snow in our surrounding mountains lately even with 70 degree temps down here by the water.   (Sorry, East Coast!)

Please enjoy!

AND, if you feel like being a part of it, I would truely appreciate you looking back at all 27 and tell me what you like best about them.   Or if you don’t like them, that’s ok, I can take it……..I think!    I’m working on a way that I can post them on the same page.  I can tell you the impact is amazing, if I do say so myself.