“This Sweet Simple Existence”…My Year of Daily Painting. January 2026 Recap
Late last year, I had decided to embark on a rather daunting project. I would make 2026 my year of living creatively, my year of daily painting, a personal art project called “This Sweet Simple Existence” focused on painting objects (whether still life, food, household objects, etc), images and scenes from everyday life to showcase the magical and extraordinary in the seemingly mundane daily existence.
Magnolia Studies - Garden Blooms Collection- Acrylic on stretched canvas 10” x 12”
My next paintings is a set of 2 small magnolia studies painted with acrylic paint on stretched canvas that I stretched myself, both 10" x 12". The first painting is called "Magnolia Study I", loosely based on a royalty free image.
"Garden Blooms" - Acrylic on stretched canvas, 20” x 20”
The "Garden Blooms" set consists of 4 floral acrylic paintings, the first 2 of which are on 20" x 20" square canvasses. I wanted to experiment with different painting techniques and compare and contrast them. One painting was a relatively tight painting with more visible details and texture and the other is a looser more dynamic painting with quick brushstrokes and minimal texture.
Lessons from my long art break
Over the past year, I haven't been painting much. Sporadically, now and then I would dust off my sketchbook and do a few half-hearted sketches but otherwise, I've been in a creative rut.