40 days and counting

In spite of my prolonged holiday absence from the blogosphere, I've continued daily work on my 40-day creativity experiment (well past the 40 day mark) and I think it's finally done.

I've never spent this much time on a single piece (I started it November 11th) and I learned so much from working this way.  I've gained trust in my intuition, and an appreciation for patience and restraint.  I've learned that nearly obliterating a months worth of work makes for a much more complex painting.  I've learned to accept the ugly phases, and not feel compeled to cover them quickly.  I've learned how much I like working on a large piece, and how satisfying it is to have a long relationship with a painting.  Its constant presence in the studio was a pleasure.  Some days my one minute of work on it was the only creative thing I did.  Other days it bore witness to a blizzard of other activity, satisfied with its own slow progress.

I suspect that this layer-a-day experience is going to change my approach to painting in 2013
It has already prompted a series of work, exploring the colors, shapes and layers I used on this piece.

Here are two works in progress (on canvas this time!)

and here are four small works on paper (4"x6")

My thanks to Damini for inspiring this project (and to Corrine for pointing the way.)
It is remarkable how much personal growth came out of a humble paper bag.
You can see all 40+ layers develop in this slideshow.