thirty in thirty

(s-p-e-a-k)

(one trick pony)

(some day)

(necking)

(pinkie swear)

(take out)

in November of 2008 i participated in a group show in Seattle called The Forgotten Works Challenge. the guidelines were the following:

– apply (and get accepted)

– pick up 30 8″ x 10″ canvas boards

– 30 days later, drop off said canvas boards (now covered in your art)

sounds simple enough, right? well, for some people it may have been. unfortunately, i tend to get over ambitious and i also tend to think i can squeeze square pegs through round holes. i am a procrastinator at heart and do my best work under pressure. during those thirty precious days, i was going to be out of town for 8 days of them. i told myself, “no sweat, i’ll get it done in a breeze.”

well. by day 22, i had around 12 pieces complete. this was not good. i had to make 18 pieces in 8 days – that’s the kind of pressure i’m talking about. and i couldn’t just churn out sub par pieces, i wanted these pieces to be great because – if i sold them, i would be gathering a generous commission. do you see how much was at stake? and do you see how foolish i was for my poor planning?

in any case, by the skin of my teeth, i completed the project (delivering the canvases around 3 minutes before the deadline). i pulled three all nighters in a row (thank you, Red Bull – which, when consumed in large quantities will cause great stomach cramps, jitters, and all around psychosis). during all my time at school, you’d think i’d have myself trained to do this (some people train for marathons, i thought i was training for all nighters). well, in school i did train but i was a couple of years older now and my stamina was just not what it used to be. does it really only take a couple of years to feel your age?

so, the above are some samples from the show. i dare not show all of them because i will admit, with shame, that the last few pieces were not what i would consider my best work. painting when one is sleep deprived and suffering from energy drink induced stomach cramps does not exactly inspire one to make their best work. it was at this moment i was most grateful for the small size of these canvases.

i am happy to report that i sold around 23 or so of the 30 pieces that i made. i was very grateful for the support of my friends and family, the free wine, and the fact that it was over and i could once again sleep. i used to think that sleep was overrated. i was wrong. i love sleeping. and i never loved it more than after those thirty d*mn paintings were complete. would i do it again? absolutely.

[acrylic + ink + mixed media on canvas board(s)]

jessi