This Sweet Simple Existence

A Year of Daily Painting | 2026

The Project

This Sweet Simple Existence is my daily painting project for 2026 — a personal challenge to create one painting every day for an entire year.

I've always had this fantasy of spending an entire year living creatively, where making art would be part of my everyday routine rather than something I squeezed into weekends or whenever I found the time.

A couple of years before starting this project, I read Carol Marine's book Daily Painting: Paint Small and Often to Become a More Creative, Productive, and Successful Artist. I was inspired by her approach to painting and the idea that working small and often could help build confidence, encourage experimentation, and take some of the fear and doubt out of the painting process.

I had also come across other artists who had undertaken similar year-long painting challenges and shared how much their work had improved through daily practice. Many spoke about becoming more confident, less intimidated by the blank canvas, and finding it easier to overcome creative blocks. I found their experiences encouraging and wondered what a year of painting every day might do for my own work.

This particularly resonated with me because I've often approached a blank canvas or sheet of paper with some trepidation, especially after not painting for several weeks. I wanted to reach a point where picking up a brush felt more natural, without so much hesitation or pressure to produce something good every time.

After being laid off from my job in June 2025, I began thinking more seriously about my painting practice. I had been painting inconsistently for years, and I saw an opportunity to finally commit to something I'd wanted to do for a long time.

I decided to challenge myself to create one painting every day throughout 2026 and document the process along the way. I wanted to improve my painting skills, become more observant, experiment with different mediums and techniques, and see how my work might develop through regular practice.

I also liked the idea of creating a visual record of a year in my life through painting, one day at a time.

The project is as much about learning to paint with greater confidence and consistency as it is about the finished paintings.

The Theme — A Year in the Everyday

From the beginning, I wanted this project to fit around my life, including the possibility of returning to work. I didn't want painting every day to become an overwhelming commitment or something that took over everything else. Instead, I wanted to find a way to incorporate painting into my daily routine, whatever my circumstances might be.

That was one of the reasons I decided to keep the paintings relatively small and focus mainly on still life and everyday subjects. I wanted to be able to paint things that were easily accessible, without needing elaborate preparation or large amounts of time, space, or materials.

My inspiration comes from ordinary things — food, flowers, household objects, interiors, familiar places, and the changing seasons. Part of the challenge has been learning to look more closely at things I might otherwise overlook.

But the paintings aren't necessarily a record of what happened on any particular day.

Sometimes I paint something I've seen or experienced. Other times, I work from reference images that remind me of a place, a memory, or something I've been thinking about. I might choose to paint a particular food simply because I'm craving it, or an apple because I want to experiment with the way light and shadow fall across its surface.

Some paintings have personal stories behind them, while others are simply studies and experiments. I haven't wanted to restrict myself to one subject or style, or decide in advance what every month should be about. As the year has progressed, certain themes have emerged naturally.

Alongside the daily paintings, I also planned to document the project by sharing my work on my website and social media, and writing a blog post at the end of each month. I wanted the blog posts to be an opportunity to reflect on the month's experience — what I had painted, what I'd experimented with, the challenges I'd encountered, and anything I'd learned along the way. That way, I would have not only a collection of paintings at the end of the year, but also a written record of the experience.

Together, these paintings form a visual record of a year spent observing, experimenting, learning, and making art.

Materials & Process

Throughout the project, I've experimented with different mediums, including oils, acrylics, watercolour, gouache, wax pastels, and ink. I've painted on a variety of surfaces, including paper, canvas, wood panels, and in sketchbooks.

The paintings are generally small, ranging from around 6 × 6 inches to 12 × 12 inches. Keeping the paintings relatively small has allowed me to work within the time and space available. Some are more finished pieces, while others are quick studies or experiments with colour, light, composition, and technique.

I've deliberately kept the process flexible, using the project as an opportunity to try different things, revisit familiar techniques, and discover what works for me.

My monthly blog posts offer a more detailed account of the materials and techniques I've explored, along with my experiences, challenges, and observations throughout the project.