Days 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20 of 100

Since Final Day 100 is swooping in fast, I thought I'd grab a few moments and catch up by posting the paintings I did while in California. Oddly sweet and tender to re-visit those days, so early in the 100 in 100 Challenge.

I fulfilled a years-long dream by taking my paints to the sea shore and being brave enough to attempt to paint at water's edge.

[For some reason, all my photos turn the image a quarter turn. Usually I would "correct" this so you could see the image as I'd painted it. But something tells me to just leave this batch of paintings turned on their keisters.]

Day 15--Arrived late in Monterey, CA, just as sun was setting. Curled up in my hotel room and played with the teeny little travel set of watercolors I'd just purchased back home.

Day 16--Next day, during a supply run to the local WalMart, I was led down a particular aisle. A "children's" art product caught my eye. HAD to have it. Sat in my rental car, at one of my favorite beach spots (where I saw a sea otter being birthed on Mother's Day several years ago.) Wind was pretty fierce, so I set up shop in the car. Broke open my NEWEST set of watercolors and couldn't contain myself. First project was to try all the colors, just as I'd done the night before with the OTHER, "adult" set of colors. Interesting now to look back and see how the shapes I laid down differed so. Of course, the first one (Day 15) was also done in the sterility of a motel room, while THIS sampler was painted as I breathed in sea air and let wind and wave crash around me. (The 9x9 pad was scarcely big enough to fit in all the joy, despite being substantially bigger than my 5X7 100 pad)

And this is the official Day 16:



Day 17--I actually bit the bullet and "made" myself be brave enough to set up shop ON the beach, i.e. in the sand, full sun overhead, no shelter or "safe place" to hide. Discovered quickly what it's like to manage natural elements in the midst of painting. Had to move swiftly at one point to avoid incoming waves. Quickest way to "save" drippingly wet painting was to toss sand on it. If you could run your hand over today's piece, you'd feel Big Sur sand . . .





Day 18--more painting at water's edge. Much wind today. Was painting in the 100 journal plus two others, letting each dry or set up, rotating between them all. Had to use my body very inventively to keep pages and paints and cups of rinse water upright. Realized at one point that I was in my "birthing" position, one I remembered well from my three home births. I sat upright, legs outspread, knees akimbo, wet and newly birthed paintings safe between my knees.


This painting was one of several I did, using my fingers to swipe off paint that had spilled out of the trays, and then applying it as fingerprints to the page. Then aquamaureenwaterblue splooshed over them.




Day 19--experimented with brush squiggles. Loved the complementary blue and brown.





Day 20--pure ocean colors. The bleeds are from salt water (from the ocean this time, and not my tears!!)
That was the end of my time just at the beach. Tomorow I would pack up and move to the resort ON the beach, where my Bible conference would begin.