The 100 Day Project

I first heard of Elle Luna's collaboration with The Great Discontent for The 100 Day Project a few months ago on Instagram and knew I'd love to do it. However, after recently quitting a daily drawing exercise (coincidentally, after 100 days), I worried that it would be flaky to commit to another project, put too much pressure on myself, and need to quit again.

The 100 Day Project can be anything you want to do for 100 days. You could meditate, conjugate a new verb daily, bake something, write a letter, whatever you want. The idea is that it will help you learn something new or hone a skill and hopefully make it a new habit or gain confidence.

After much introspection, I knew I had to follow the tingly/excited feeling in my gut that told me to do this. Plus, one of my favorite internet friends, Michelle Ward, says that if you're equal parts scared and excited, you should go for it. (If you're just scared, don't do it!)

I thought about why my last project fell short. The goal was to paint daily to explore more with my mediums, marks, style, and to have fun - all which I did, and it truly helped with my abstract work. But I couldn't keep up with the daily time commitment because honestly, my heart wasn't into it anymore.

The previous project lacked focus, and no longer aligned with my current goals (I'm starting to sound like my day job). It was making me feel like my style was too disjointed, when I want to be more consistent in order to grow my art and illustration business.

Creatively, I thrive on having limits. By not having stricter limits in place for that exercise, it required more time to sit down and think of what to paint, what to do, and what to work on.

Here I am using Marie Kondo's methods to clean my house, hooked on seasonal capsule wardrobes, and meal planning hacks because it takes out the guesswork and makes my daily life easier. By realizing that I need to apply that to my 100 Day Project, it started to make sense.

So I focused. What do I want to do? I wanted to find a way to paint more without relying on my signature style of black outlines specifically for interiors. I wanted to have more content and ideas for my interior design consulting side hustle. And I had so much fun creating a master bedroom vignette for myself, that I knew that this would become my 100 Day Project.

Day 1: Since the outlines and rules were already set, I just had to wake up a little earlier to paint before work.

Day 2: (technically I fell asleep and painted it on Day 3 instead. Early lesson learned that I need to do this in the morning or I won't be able to complete it). It was my favorite painting so far though!

Day 3: I realized I needed some type of story or character in mind for these designs to make sense and to give me a way to make decisions on what to paint. Or to just give an excuse to do paint something ridiculous.

Day 4: I realized part of the fun was creating the stories and characters. I enjoy it as much as the painting.

Day 5: This one was heavily influenced by myself, as I love having all of the dishes washed before bed lately.

So far, I'm loving this project, and seeing what others have challenged themselves to do. The hardest part is taking a good picture in the morning with natural light! I'm sharing it on a Tumblr page so that all of the paintings and stories are in one place, and of course on Instagram under #100DaysofMHVignettes and #The100DayProject. 

http://marissahuberart.tumblr.com/

Invitation Illustrations for Brunch Wedding at Valley Green Inn

A good friend of mine is getting married this November. We met on the SEPTA 48 bus, back when we had the same commute years ago. We bonded over knitting, poppy red scarves, and she is just a beautiful person. I'm so happy that she has found such a special partner to share her life with. When they asked me to help them with their wedding invitations, I happily agreed, and knew this was one wedding present that would actually be on time! They're having a brunch wedding at The Valley Green Inn. This is on the Wissahickon in Philadelphia, and is a scenic area to hike, bike, or take your kids, and was so much fun to paint. I was tasked to create watercolor, pen and ink illustrations based on their brunch celebration.I love drawing food. I think it's my favorite thing to draw, tied with NARS lipstick these days. Although I'm trying to not use pen & ink all of the time in my drawing these days, it's probably my signature style. It is so satisfying to fill it in with paint once you're finished (and the ink dries of course, lest it smear!)

I hope you had a good weekend, and were lucky enough to get a Mimosa like I did (thanks to an impromptu brunch with a favorite relative in town for a few hours). I'm still sad I didn't get any cake this weekend, but I'm sure I'll rectify that in the next few days.

These are off to the Graphic Designer who will work her magic next. I can't wait to see how it all turns out!

To Move Forward, Sometimes You Have to Quit

Over the years, I've been so inspired by other artists who have incorporated daily practices into their daily routines. When I turned 36 this past November, I decided to do a daily painting exercise. My intention was to have fun with it, explore more with marks and pattern, and to push myself to try new things.

I read this interesting little book while I was visiting my family in Florida over Thanksgiving, "Daily Rituals: How Artists Work" by Mason Currey. The daily lives of artists and creatives of all types (painters, writers, musicians, mathematicians) were outlined. Many took daily walks, they slept few hours, some were tormented, some were refreshingly happy, it truly varied. (Note for perspective: Many of these artists, though not all, had maids, childcare, benefactors, etc.)

So I started posting my daily painting exercises on Instagram (my favorite social media) with the hashtag #paintcadadía. Cada día means "each day" in Spanish. It is a reminder to paint, but also that daily practice can make a big difference. I don't speak Spanish fluently, but I understood way more when was practicing daily a few years ago with a tutor.

It has been four months since I started this journey. While I think that daily practice is amazing, and would recommend it for anyone, frankly, I am flagging.

But that is okay. I have a full time job. I have a two year old boy that I am the primary caregiver to due to my husband's work schedule. I have to go to the laundromat. I have to cook. I want to draw more, but I cannot do everything I want all the time. At least not while maintaining my sanity and being present for my son, which is my most important priority right now.

What is that great quote? "You can do anything, but not everything."

So I'm going to stop this exercise. I will still paint as much as I can, but I'm not going to force myself to adhere to a strict schedule and feel bad about it if I chose to do something else that day, like play at the park with my son, read a book, take a nap, or lets be real - KonMari my house!

Did I do it for the whole year? No. But did I fail? Absolutely not.

I choose to say that I succeeded in my goal, even if I did it for 1/3 of the time originally slated. Let's just say I was remarkably efficient in my endeavors.

I had fun. I made wonderful connections with other artists.

I explored with my style which clarified what I want to focus on next, which is more abstract painting, food, and makeup product drawings. I want to try relying less on ink with my watercolor illustrations. I want to paint more interiors again.

I carved out time for myself to focus on something important to me. I showed my son that a mom should also have her own time to work on what she loves, which is part of being a good role model in my opinion (granted that child is fed first!).

And when I look at what I posted on Instagram, I'm proud of the variety and amount of drawings and paintings I created these 4 months. I even posted some of the watercolor paintings for sale as art prints on my new Society6 page.

I spoke to my goal oriented cousin this weekend, and I told her, you are "enough" doing what you're doing right now. That is enough! I'm glad I finally listened to my own advice.

Packed + Shipped

My Etsy Shop has been open since October 1st and I've had the good fortune to sell five of my color study paintings! I've always loved wrapping presents, and it's been such a pleasure to wrap these packages nicely and ship them off across the country. I will say that my first and second sale were to a friend in Philly, so those were delivered by hand with two hugs.

The painting inspired by Rainier Cherries at the Headhouse Row Farmer's Market in Philadelphia was sent to Baltimore to celebrate someone's birthday.

Inspired by a hot pink and orange sunset, this painting was sent to a sweet friend in Louisville, Kentucky.

Two of my favorite colors, pink from fruit juice and purple from a cloth napkin, were done in ink, and shipped to Chicago.

The sales are going straight to my Rhineback Sheep and Wool trip fund this weekend! I'm traveling to upstate New York with four girlfriends to check out livestock, enjoy the Fall leaves, drink cider and meet up with some pals. I'm looking forward to it, and have fingers and legs crossed for no rain! I don't really need any yarn, but if I see a sheepskin I love, I may have to buy it...you know, for the baby, right? It would be rude not to!

Crossing #10 Off the Life List

Intentions are a tricky thing. You have them in your mind, and you completely mean to do something, but you find excuses or other things take priority. Then it becomes so huge, you keep putting it off. Or perhaps that is just me! Maybe it's the impending arrival of another human being to give me the proverbial kick in the rear to put my intentions to action. Without further ado, I have finally crossed #10 off my Life List and have opened an Etsy Shop to sell paintings and drawings! If I sell something, great, but if not, I'm  happy that I actually put myself out there.

You can find my Etsy shop at MarissaHuber! I'm starting by selling my original color study paintings, and will be putting up smaller series in the future.

I tried to get the best photos I can, and I'm sure there will be a learning curve as I progress. At this point though, I'm sick of waiting for unreachable perfection and never getting anywhere.

Cheers to new beginnings!

Indiana Art Show

Exactly ten years ago, I drove back to Indiana University to finish college after a summer interior design internship in Las Vegas. When I returned to my college job as a salesperson at Pygmalion's, (which is the most wonderful independent art store), I had no idea that I'd meet the guy I'd end up sharing my life with. Mike thought I was a customer, and me being a typical smart alec, quickly put him in his place. We became good friends, but he was not my type. You know how ridiculous 23 year old girls can be with who they think they like. I very quickly realized that cute, intelligent and sweet guys should really become my type, and before he knew it, he was stuck with me! (I kid).

We have kept in close touch with the art store owners, and our fellow coworkers, nicknamed "Pygs" who are scattered all over the country. This art store had the most creative, friendly, knowledgeable, and cool people as employees and customers. We knew our technical information, and loved learning about new techniques and supplies. We ranged from sculptors to painters to designers to paper artists. It was a gold starred time in my life. I learned to garden from the owner, Jane, by tending to the plants out front of the store when it was too nice to be cooped up inside. We learned to make books completely by hand from Sandra, another beloved employee. I became serious about my lifelong love with artist grade watercolors. We got to make robot costumes out of old boxes, handmade signs (see one of Mike's below), and play with the store cats, Matisse and Cassatt.

Well, this year, with a lot of hard work from present and former owners and employees, and sponsorship from the John Waldron Arts Center, Pygmalion's is having a 40 year anniversary art show featuring the works of their talented employees. The opening is tomorrow, August 3rd. I'm so disappointed that Mike and I were not able to be there for the opening and reunion barbeque, but instead we both sent a piece to be included in the show.

The beautiful still life on the left is one of my favorite's of Mike's paintings. I sent a cut paper and gouache collage I made during my color study project.

This piece makes me happy, and makes me remember smiling while riding my bike home on a gray day and seeing pops of this cheerful hue everywhere.

Perfect piece to represent a gold starred time in my life for sure.

Marimekko Colors

I spent the majority of my summer working in Raleigh and Durham, North Carolina this year. One of the conversations that sticks in my mind is a friendly disagreement I had with friends over pink and red. They all felt that those colors clashed, while I think they're gorgeous together done right. One sweet Southerner named Charlotte agreed with me. We both exclaimed, "Look at Marimekko!" as the winning evidence (in our opinion). I'd also like to offer up Sarah Jessica Parker's color blocked hot pink pants and carmine blouse for further consideration.

I don't have the hot pink pants yet, but man do I daydream about a pair. I do wear one of my favorite ruffled sweaters which is my favorite shade of poppy-orangish-red. Paired with some hot pink polish, it provided inspiration for color study #47.

Color study #47: Marimekko Colors. My camera is rendering these colors on the cool side, but you can get the point while I save my money for a new one.

I added some ochre to give it a different look, and to stray from my standard bright colors when it comes to painting.

Speaking of which, I better get cracking if I want to meet my goal of 100 color study paintings by December 31, 2011. Let's start with the cracking tomorrow, shall we?

En Route to El Vez

Rainy days can be beautiful because they change the colors of everything. The rain makes the colors different and more saturated. On a walk to meet my friend Robin for her birthday dinner at El Vez, I snapped this picture of a wood fence and paint peeling.

Color study painting #46.

I loved the blue gray of the wood fence.

Sky blue paint peeling was fun to interpret too.

#44 Mike's Oil Paints

As you may know, my husband is a very talented artist.  He just finished an cityscape of Philadelphia that is 48 square feet and took him over 500 hours to finish.  He is pretty amazing and the hardest worker I know.  We went to Mike's studio this weekend to check his paint supply and see what he needed at the art store.  When we were checking out his frequently used paints, I just loved the three paint tubes next to each other. The paints are messy and kind of gross, but gorgeous just the same.  What I love about Mike is that he encourages me to try new things, which is what helped lead me to finally try oil painting.  I don't know about you, but it can be intimidating to try something new when you're surrounded by experts.  When I worked in the art store though, I always told customers that I believed making art or pursuing their passions is for everyone.  If you enjoy doing it, that is what matters.  I'd rather see someone love what they are doing, than someone who is talented but with no passion.  It also helps to get over caring so much about what everyone thinks of you!

It would have been so easy to just steal Mike's paints and use them, right? Ah, but the point is to work on my mixing and use the paints I have.  So I mixed and experimented and was pretty pleased with my results.

Here's a detail.  It reminds me of a sunrise, clouds and flower petals all at once.  I'll admit, this painting is one of my favorites.

Trying new things is empowering! Which reminds me, I really want to make a life list a la the charming Erin Loechner of Design For Mankind by the end of this year and post it. Does anyone want to join me?

Color Study Paintings

I started a color study project in February 2010.  Mike gave me the idea when I mentioned that I wanted to start oil painting but didn't know where to start.  He suggested I start small with color studies to practice mixing color and seeing how things work against each other.  The idea stayed in my head for a few months until the sunlight on a day in February was so pretty that I was compelled to start the project. I must also mention one of my favorite blog friends, Susan Lutjen O'Connor of Sulu-Design.  Her Original Intent Series is always inspiring with the photographs she translates into her beautiful jewelry.

Too many options can be paralyzing, so I set up some loose limitations on myself:

I can use any medium or technique, but can only paint colors that I've seen on that day.

If I am lazy and wait until the next day, too bad!

The format is always vertical and measures 5" x 7" on watercolor or canvas board.

My goal is to finish 100 by December 31, 2011.  Here are paintings #1 - #42.  You can click on the links to see them larger and see the descriptions.  The entire set is on my Flickr account here.

              

                

              

               

                

              

              

              

              

              

              

              

                

          

            

So far I'm really enjoying this project.  It makes me notice my surroundings more, and try to think of different color combinations and palettes that I usually don't gravitate towards.

I plan on ending this at the end of this year, but may do it again from time to time.