i took the CHALLENGE!

I've been wanting to take the Second Floor Challenge that my sweet friends Nat Kalbach and Julie Balzer started a few months ago. Work, family, travel -- well -- life just got in the way. Last night, I decided to just do it for two reasons. The first -- circles -- really? I love circles. And second -- Criminal Minds was freaking me out a little, ha ha.  So, I gave myself an hour -- from 9 to 10 -- and then back to work on video editing -- to see if I could take it to the next level.

 Right out of the gate I was scared. Like the first 2 minutes I was thinking what am I doing. ha ha. The answer - getting out of your comfort zone and taking it to the next lesson.  I used $1.99 a bottle Martha Stewart craft  paint -- they are beautiful colors and ones I love  and an 8x10 board from Ampersand. 

my goal was to start.  
somewhere.
anywhere.

And start I did. I began with a brush and mixed colors on the canvas to get rid of the white base, the first layer of paint is a mix of pink, green and orange -- and it's a lovely, yummy green. I used an eraser to make circles in the wet paint to reveal the white Ampersand board. Fun. It looked cool and I almost stopped for the night there. After 10 minutes. Ha ha, I really was uncomfortable.

I quickly switched to painting the circles with my fingers, I used a color eraser to make marks in the paint -- oh and a pencil for skinnier marks.

Before I subtracted the background color with black gesso, this thing was a bit on the scary side. I was pretty anxious at 9:43 because I didn't think I could turn it around. I finished my glass of wine and soldiered on.

Don't get me wrong -- there are spots on this little painting that I love. Like these sweet pink dots on the blue background. 

and the orange sand-dollar.

and the yellow upside down waves.

and the peach flower down there on the right.

that big maroon/red blob in the center. something about that thing isn't right. the design -- yes love that. I think it's the color. I will probably re-work that blob to see if I can turn it around and love it like I love the others. then again -- maybe I won't.

As a whole, this morning -- I like it. The first Lesson I learned -- this painting would have been so much easier on a big canvas. When I say big I mean 20 x 20 or 18 x 24 -- maybe even really out of my zone and bigger than that. This little 8x10 board was hard to do what I wanted. I'm going to consider this sweet thang an understudy for larger things to come.

The second Lesson -- get some heavier body acrylic paint and try this challenge again.

Now that I have tried the Second Floor Challenge -- I'm anxious for the next. THANKS ladies for getting me off the couch last night! Have you taken the challenge yet?