I started off Create-A-Thon 2017 with a pretty ambitious goal of trying a new creative material or technique each week, attempting several monthly challenges, and completing a six month Instax Mini film project.

I completed my six month 26 Instax Packs project of using different instax mini cameras, creative techniques, and decorative film frames, most of which came from ebay. There are many more decorative film frames that I would like to get to add to my collection.

Other successful projects were filling an entire 110 page 8 1/2 by 11 sketchbook in 30 days, and filling a Brooklyn Art Library Sketchbook Project book for the yearly Inktober challenge.

Things that I didn't get to this year were to make prints in my darkroom, and building some of the models in my anatomy collection. I ran out of energy and time to complete the weekly creative material or technique around about July when I was working on Sketchbook Summer and trying to do World Watercolor month at the same time. And I took a break from film shooting and developing for most of the year, focusing instead on using my different instant film cameras.

Though I wasn't able to complete my yearlong weekly Create-A-Thon 2017 as I envisioned, I discovered creative things that I really enjoy doing, like making digital collages on my iPad Pro with Apple Pencil, ballpoint pen scribble art, acrylic plein air painting, and urban sketching.

So, that brings me to this year's creative challenge, or focus - One Year/100 Paintings. I've been listening to several art-related podcasts and the message is that to get better at painting, you just need to paint more. I found that I really enjoy plein air painting and hope that I can do a majority of the 100 paintings in that manner. The focus will be on acrylic painting but I may vary the medium as the year progresses. I will be starting off with smaller 4x4, 5x7, and 8x10 size paintings on panels and explore different painting styles - plein air, still life, live model, from photograph reference, and copying masterworks to discover my painting style.

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