Introduction

This is my very first entry in my blog, so congratulations to me! I’m really not sure what I’m doing here, but my reason for doing a blog is to easily share with my family and friends the art I’m creating, to journal my painting experiences to learn from them, and to share my goal of painting 100 paintings. I’ve learned that one of the keys to meeting your goals is to share them with others. If I don’t tell anyone my plan, then I can just give up and no one will be the wiser, but if I tell the world, then there are a great many people to hold me accountable... I guess only if anyone really cares!? I currently have 21 paintings, so I have some catching up to do before I’m current with this blog. My next entry will be painting number 1.

Why is it important to me to paint 100 paintings? I was inspired to do so by a fellow student at the Creative Arts Center in Dallas. I have been taking classes from Kathleen Dello Stritto for over 2 years and I started these classes with 2 other students, Gail and Karen Rike. I don’t mention Gail’s last name because I’m not sure she really wants to be associated with me, but I do know Karen sells art online and will appreciate the plug, as well as Kathleen. So, go buy their art! All 3 are talented, and there are many other talented students at the center, but I digress. Karen told us about an artist who heard that you didn’t quite “own” your painting talent until you've painted 100 paintings. This particular artist was skeptical until she reached her 100th painting, and then she too felt this was true. At that point she felt she had mastered her technique and really, I mean REALLY understood the process. Kathleen had heard the same and I believe she agreed at the time. She said you don't have to spend hours on each painting, but just quick paintings would suffice. Perhaps that’s how the painting a day concept came about; someone’s idea of a fast track on the journey. Call it an artist’s myth, a magical number, and excuse for not being good now, but this stuck in my brain and I haven’t been able to let it go. So I fully expect that my 100th painting will be a masterpiece and then I can consider myself a true hobbyist, and not a student. I don't aspire to be a professional painter. I design for a living and spend most of my days being creative, but always to please others. I took on painting to please myself and I don't really want to fall into the trap of art for money and the pressure that goes along with it. But who am I kidding? I don't have room to store these paintings and the cash would be great.

Now that I’m almost a quarter of the way to accomplishing the goal, I'm feeling confident that it will happen. I hope you take the remaining part of the journey with me, and feel free to comment on my work. And when that day finally comes I'll... I don't know, paint to 200? Quit? At the very least, I'll let you know if the myth is true for me.