When I made the half-hearted commitment to paint 100 meadows, I didn’t think I would make it this far.  I was planning on not making it this far.  But, this challenge has been a surprise and a gift.  I never expected to see this much progress or to experience this much growth.  I didn’t know I would start to feel at home in front of an easel and working with oils, a medium that was so foreign and intimidating, would become a preference. Above all, it’s shown me that artistic ability, which most of us stand back and watch people who possess it with some element of wonder and envy, can be learned, practiced, and improved.  Seeing that truth play out at the end of my own brush has encouraged me to challenge myself even further and not shy away from subjects that intimidate me. I hope some of you

I can’t believe I’ve made it over the halfway mark in the #100meadows project!  When I started, I was pretty sure that I wouldn’t even make it this far, but now it looks like I will easily reach 100 and beyond.  I’m already thinking about what my next art challenge will be! I still have a lot to learn, but it’s so encouraging to see how much improvement I’ve made just by daily discipline, practice, and reading up on oil landscape painting. As usual, I’ll share each painting, some of my notes on them, as well as the inspiration picture. No. 41 I was excited about painting another barn, but the shape and color of this barn had me a little apprehensive.  I like how the sky turned out and the overall color and composition, but this one ended up lacking value and depth, so it looks a little flat. 

Well, I’ve been sticking with the 100 meadows project and I do believe that I will make it to 100!  I am almost halfway there and I found myself getting emotional when I completed #40.  I have grown so much and learned so much.  This has been such a worthwhile artistic undertaking on so many levels and it has pushed me to explore oils and practice them almost daily. If you’d like to see my progress from the beginning, you can check out 1-20 HERE. I’ve also shared about the 100 Meadows Project HERE and what I’ve learned so far about working with oils in PART 1 and PART 2. In this post, I’m sharing paintings 21-40… My second group of 20 was kicked off with a yellow-flower-filled meadow in Switzerland.  I struggled on the tree and the composition of this one, but I was enjoying skies more and I

I shared all about the paints, brushes, and painting surfaces I’m using in PART ONE of this series following my oil painting journey.  The post was getting really long, so I split it into two posts.  I would suggest reading the first one, if you haven’t, so you hear the story behind this journey.  I also want to restate that I am new to oils, so I’m just sharing what I’m doing and take it with a grain of salt.  I hope that I communicate – If I can do it, you can do it.   And I don’t mean that we’re going to be good all the time!  But we can have fun learning and expanding our horizons. So, let me share about inspiration… I am regularly sucked down the rabbit hole of oil painting tutorials on You Tube, painting blogs, forums, etc. and I’ve picked up a lot just