Thanks, Ria, for encouraging and pushing us to make our art. My constraint is to paint only with watercolor - no pencil or ink sketches or outlning. I hope to loosen up and let the watercolors do their magic. Looking forward to the fun of it, hits and misses, and learning from both.

02.01.16 ROOT

The first thing that came into my head was carrots - root vegetables. These were the first seeds I planted, grew and ate, at age four (thanks to my mom). Planting new seeds here with this project - hope to harvest some improved skills and confidence along with having fun. "Carrots"

Embrace Your Art Challenge - February 2016 - image 1 - student project

02.02.16 PLACE

My favorite place in the world - Yosemite. From my Instagram photo. "Half Dome"

Embrace Your Art Challenge - February 2016 - image 2 - student project

02.03.16 MUSIC

The happiest music I can imagine is Pharrell Williams' "Happy" - I'm calling this one "Room without a Roof" :-)

Embrace Your Art Challenge - February 2016 - image 3 - student project

02.04.16 LIGHT

Light is everything in art - so hard to capture. Here's my attempt. "Orange"

Embrace Your Art Challenge - February 2016 - image 4 - student project

02.05.16 SHADOW

I tried to depict a little plaster bust I have of a reader (a copy of one that was in my great grandma's house!) using only shadow. My constraint of no sketching or outlining, using only watercolor, made this extra challenging, but it was a good learning experience. "Reader"

Embrace Your Art Challenge - February 2016 - image 5 - student project

02.06.16 COMFORT

When I feel stressed or down and the weather's not too bad, I like to go take a walk in nature. We are lucky to live near the American River, and there's a lovely bike path that never fails to bring me up. "American River Parkway"

Embrace Your Art Challenge - February 2016 - image 6 - student project

02.07.16 COMPOSITION

I went to a wonderful exhibit called Looking East at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, and took a picture of a gorgeous kimono in one of the galleries. My intent was to incorporate information I learned from the exhibit about how artists in Europe and America incorporated elements of Japanese art into their paintings, prints and decorative arts in the mid- to late-1800s. For example, many Japanese artists placed a subject in the foreground of a painting that made the viewer feel he was in the scene. I was not able to portray this as I would have liked, but, again, there's the learning experience. :-) "Kimono"

Embrace Your Art Challenge - February 2016 - image 7 - student project

02.08.16 MEMORIES

My dad and mom started taking my brother and me on backpack trips in the high Sierras (some on the Pacific Crest Trail where Cheryl Strayed's "Wild" takes place) when we were five and four years old. These adventures, which lasted through early high school years, definitely provided foundational memories for us all. I remember not liking to wear itchy wool socks with my hiking boots, but now the thought of them only makes me smile and recall the incredible natural sights and fun times we had as a family. "Wool Socks"

Embrace Your Art Challenge - February 2016 - image 8 - student project

02.09.16 TEXTURE

I've always loved the feel of walking on grass in my bare feet!

Embrace Your Art Challenge - February 2016 - image 9 - student project

02.10.16 TIME

Moon phases - they're mystical, and they seem to have more to do with how I feel than "sun time." This was another (sub-optimal!) experiment using a technique I just learned: watercolor over paper covered with two coats of gesso thinned to the consistency of milk - you get whites (or whatever color gesso you used) by subtracting the paint. Here I used a quarter wrapped in a damp paper towel to mark the circles, then used a wet brush to take away the color, trying to make some crater-y looks.

Embrace Your Art Challenge - February 2016 - image 10 - student project

Here's a little 6x6" blooming quince painting I did in the workshop where Floy Zittin taught the technique:

Embrace Your Art Challenge - February 2016 - image 11 - student project

02.11.16 PERSPECTIVE

I saw this wonderful article about a woman who painted 363 tiny artworks on her used (dried) teabags! I took that as a sign to look for something different to paint on, and (not too creatively) I chose my used coffee filter. The 3D effect of a collage also gives it a little more "perspective" than a plain old sketchbook page.

Embrace Your Art Challenge - February 2016 - image 12 - student project

02.12.16 SPACE

This prompt made me think of wide open spaces. "Road through Monument Valley"

Embrace Your Art Challenge - February 2016 - image 13 - student project

02.13.16

OPEN

Who opened my heart? My new little grandson, Noah. Believe me, this quick sketch does not do him justice! :-)

Embrace Your Art Challenge - February 2016 - image 14 - student project

02.14.16 GIFT

The gift I can give myself is art - making and enjoying.

Embrace Your Art Challenge - February 2016 - image 15 - student project

02.15.16 BALANCE

Infusing my practice with gentleness and discipline looks like this to me: a little messy mix of "Water and Fire."

Embrace Your Art Challenge - February 2016 - image 16 - student project

02.16.16 DEPTH

One of my biggest watercolor challenges has been to "go dark" - get the most intense depth in my pigment and apply it evenly. Here is yet another attempt.

Embrace Your Art Challenge - February 2016 - image 17 - student project

02.17.16 NURTURE

Growing your art practice is like gardening - there's no such thing as instant gratification.

Embrace Your Art Challenge - February 2016 - image 18 - student project

02.18.16 PAST

After working for 47 years, I took a big leap and retired last March. I am so grateful to trade the pressure of a paycheck for time to do whatever I choose, including participating in this daily challenge!

Embrace Your Art Challenge - February 2016 - image 19 - student project

02.19.16 THEME

I've always been, and hope to always be "Curious."

Embrace Your Art Challenge - February 2016 - image 20 - student project

02.20.16 PRECIOUS

My husband of 38 years is the person most precious to me. I'll continue to work on a better likeness... :-) (Tombow marker and wet brush)

Embrace Your Art Challenge - February 2016 - image 21 - student project

02.21.16 DREAM

Daydreaming as a child - lying on my back in the grass and looking for shapes in the clouds.

Embrace Your Art Challenge - February 2016 - image 22 - student project

02.22.16 FEAR

Not being good enough...but I'll keep practicing!! ;-)

Embrace Your Art Challenge - February 2016 - image 23 - student project

02.23.16

02.23.16 STRUCTURE

I'd be much happier if all my supplies were more organized. My goal is to make it happen.

Embrace Your Art Challenge - February 2016 - image 24 - student project

02.24.16 DETAIL

Didn't capture much of the detail, but the exercise sure made me appreciate it.

Embrace Your Art Challenge - February 2016 - image 25 - student project

02.25.16 SAFE

A supportive environment, which I'm very lucky to have, makes me feel safe.

Embrace Your Art Challenge - February 2016 - image 26 - student project

02.26.16 MAGIC

Love to see all of the different ways people interpret and execute the prompts! It is magic!

Embrace Your Art Challenge - February 2016 - image 27 - student project

02.27.16 GROW

This workshop has helped me grow in skills and confidence - thank you, Sharon!

Embrace Your Art Challenge - February 2016 - image 28 - student project

02.28.16 BLISS

It's a new day - sunrise.

Embrace Your Art Challenge - February 2016 - image 29 - student project

02.29.16 LEAP

Ready to take the next big steps on my art journey.

Embrace Your Art Challenge - February 2016 - image 30 - student project

It's been really fun cranking out these ideas and seeing how everyone else has had so many different ideas and roads to arrive at this same place. Hope to see you all around!

Kathleen Noble

Aspiring artist - working on it!

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