Life After 100 Days of Wonder / June 22, 2024 by Jen Kievit

This has been an incredible journey, but now what? I was super nervous about how to transition out of this “habit”. I had this constant dialogue in my head of “what am I going to do? I need a project now.” “Am I ever going to paint again?” It was so overwhelming that I decided to just let myself be. Be in the moment of it’s over, that’s ok, look forward.

Through all of those thoughts and mini panics, time went on and slowly I began to get back at it. After 100 Days of being uncomfortable and learning new things, my practice felt rusty and unfamiliar. So I decided to take a floral painting class. Still not finished with the course but here are a few practice pieces.

After a month or so and granting myself lots of grace to not paint, just breathe, I found my way back to the paper. Really good things are now flowing!

Summer Morning on Boulder Reservoir, 11 x15

Week 14 –The Final Week of 100 Days of Wonder 2024 / May 24, 2024 by Jen Kievit

This is it! I made it, 14 weeks and 100 prompts! I love that “Sunset” was prompt 100 it was incredibly fitting to close this project.

Week 13 of 100 Days of Wonder 2024 / May 17, 2024 by Jen Kievit

Sometimes you need to depart from your regular practice to become better at it. This is something I have been reflecting on as of late with my 100 Days of Wonder practice. I love to paint landscapes and I have an idea of what I want my style to look like but I’m also learning the medium of watercolor - which is not easy. It’s like learning a new language as an adult. It takes time, practice and patience to understand the pigments and how they interact with water and cotton.

Having a project like 100 days of Wonder gets me out of my comfort zone, forced to use my creative mind and hand to convey the prompts. This actually makes my own practice easier and more fluid. Growing is a wonderful thing.

Week 12 of 100 Days of Wonder 2024 / May 9, 2024 by Jen Kievit

Week 12. Here we go, we are almost to the end of this 100 days of Wonder and I feel so proud and accomplished. This project has not only distracted me through the wintery months but it has helped me build a consistent habit of practicing watercolors and meeting deadlines AND carving out time for my work every week.

I have found a rhythm and a balance that is enjoyable and sustainable. This I will be carrying forward.

Week 11 of 100 Days of Wonder 2024 / May 3, 2024 by Jen Kievit

Week 11 had it’s challenges and it’s fun. The biggest thing I have learned about my creative process in this journey is that it’s better for me not to over think what I want to paint. It’s better if I just dive in when i feel that little spark of passion. Overthinking puts unrealistic expectations on the process and most times frustration and disappointment in the end result.

Week 11 also felt fast and furious. Am I getting into the rhythm of painting nearly everyday? It almost feels like it did when I did chalkboard art as job for Whole Foods Market. I loved those years!

Week 10 of 100 Days of Wonder 2024 / April 26, 2024 by Jen Kievit

Week 10, can’t believe we are into May! Half of this week was done here in Colorado and the other half in Florida with my plein air setup. I loved painting every morning on the porch in Leisureville. Yes, that’s the actual name of the 55+ community we stayed in. Check out the photo below.

Back to Week 10. Thistle is my favorite. I really like the composition and macro-like camera angle I chose to represent it. i want to paint more flowers and weeds like this. Maybe a large series of desert/mountain botanicals is next on my plate.

If I had to pick one thing that drains my creative energy I might say it’s my day job. But, I might also say it’s neglecting my health (going without food for long periods of time, etc) that clouds my energy.

So, I’m doing new things to make sure I have the energy to do all the things I want outside of my 9-5 job in retail. Qi Gong and lots of protein are what I added to my self-care regime this week. Getting morning sunlight on my eyes, while walking the dogs grounded, has also been a nourishing game changer.

Week 9 of 100 Days of Wonder 2024 / April 19, 2024 by Jen Kievit

Interesting week, Week 9. Some where wins, some eh. I’ve decided to keep it simple here and show the 2-3 pieces that I really like. I’ve chosen Valley, Satchel and Creekside. Valley and creekside are subjects I have and still are struggling with so I chose to work on them again!

Each time I paint these scenes I feel like I learn a bit more about how to represent the subjects. Satchel is a painting of my favorite LV bag, nothing more.

Week 8 of 100 Days of Wonder 2024 / April 11, 2024 by Jen Kievit

April 11, Week 8. This has been an interesting and fun unexpected journey. It feels really amazing to have committed to this practice for 50 days! I’m already planning my next 100 days project and it may have something to do with plein air practice or maybe value studies.

My favorite tiny painting of this week is no. 50 Window. I painted this fairly quickly from a photo I took during a recent trip back to NYC. I feel like I captured the energy of the city in this little painting. No. 56 Fable kinda stumped me at first until I decided to use a recent dream to represent the prompt. Yes, I had a dream of a frog, snake and turtle blocking an entry way to my parent’s home. Weird and kinda fable like.