My 2013 favorites and Yellow Braids, Day 1 of 30 Paintings in 30 Days

Yellow Braids kicks off the 30 paintings in 30 days challenge.

If you’re coming here from Leslie’s blog, hello and welcome! Please leave a comment, so I can visit your blog in return.Back in September, I did this challenge, and my theme was photo booth paintings. This time around, I don’t have a theme. I want to be free to choose what I want to do in the moment. I’m going to be spontaneous! It might be an art journal page, a large painting, a collage painting, an abstract painting or a small 4×4 inch painting. It might be a serious portrait or a raw, primitive one. I may decide to paint like a child, which is harder than it sounds. Who knows what I’ll be posting? Check back each day to see.

I was going to do a year in review blog, but meh. I painted too much in 2013. There’s no way I want to go back, and collect all the photos. I painted 72 paintings in October alone!! It would take me forever to do a post including the entire year. What I’m going to do instead is link to some my favorite finds of 2013. That will be more fun, huh?

I’m not an affiliate of any of the products. I just like them.

Favorite new artists I found:  Lita Cabellut, Goxwa, Tom Birkner, Alex Kanevsky, France Jodoin
Favorite new acrylic paint I’ve been using: Soho Urban Artist Quality Paint – I like it better than Golden. It’s creamy, reminds me a lot of oil paint, has rich pigment, and it’s less expensive than Golden.
Favorite brush cleaner: Murphy’s Oil Soap..I leave hardened brushes soaking in it for a few days. Makes them soft and usable again, almost like magic.
Favorite tv show: Breaking Bad I’m a sucker for bad boys, what can I say?
Favorite songs: I Used to Know How to Walk on Water by Joseph Arthur, and The Dreamers by Josh Woodward
Favorite book I read: Stones from the River by Ursula Hegi, and Heading Out to Wonderful by Robert Goolrick
Favorite movies I watched: Fish Tank, Hello Lonesome, Great Expectations, Gonzo, The Future, Rid of Me, and Shameless..the UK version, which isn’t a movie, but I’m putting it on my list anyway.
Favorite body lotion: Coconut Vanilla
Favorite makeup: L’Oréal

I welcome 2014 with open arms. I hope it’s good to all of us.