Forrest + Daydream
I MUST be crazy, not only am I committing to D. Michele Perry’s #100daysofwonder2024 project, but I’m also going to document and blog about it. Let me tell you why I am committing to this.
For those of you who don’t know me or my background I’ll give you the quick version. I’m an artist, currently obsessed with learning watercolors and painting in the wet-on-wet style and I work full time as a Team Leader for Whole Foods Market, managing one of the largest Whole Body departments in the company with a team of 8.
I took over the Whole Body team a couple years ago right in the middle of the Pandemic and boy it was a challenge. I poured my heart and soul into keeping the team a float and making it successful, but during that time, I knew that the way I was working was eventually going to burn me out and shut down my nervous system. Something had to change or I would not survive.
As a Self-care tactic to help balance my stress, I decided I was going to start painting again after a 10 year hiatus. I told myself I would paint or make the attempt to paint at least once a week and just see where it goes. Back in the day, I was into oil painting (and still am) but this time watercolors sparked my curiosity. So watercolors it was!
See, I told you I’m crazy (or I like to dive into the unknown headfirst) ! I knew absolutely nothing about watercolor, not one thing. I struggled too, almost gave up, but I didn’t. I read books and tried all kinds of paper and paint and sketchbooks and then one day, something clicked. I found my paper, my preferred paint and brushes and then I just played. If you want to see my early watercolor attempts, just scroll to the bottom of my IG and you will see.
Fast forward to 2024 and I have been painting about 2-3 times a week. I am obsessed with landscapes and the wet-on-wet technique. I’m part of Andy Evansen’s Watercolor for All Seasons Mentoring Cousre and Matthew White’s Watercolor Community and have completed nearly 80 paintings and have been in 3 juried shows in 2023.
I wasn’t looking to add more onto my plate but somehow The 100 Days of Wonder project caught my eye. You can find all the info and details here on D. Michele Perry’s website if your curious and want to join in. I’m super excited to embark on this project!
Stay tuned for my next blog post where I showcase what materials I’m using and how it’s going.
Jen