Duo - Also, Concerning New Years

So I'm late with updating of course, unavoidable what with all the traveling to Indiana for the holidays, plus a trip to Michigan for some skiing. However, this painting above is where I mark the 2nd anniversary of my daily paintings.

Since I began this endeavor, my main goal was and always has been is to "exercise" my ability to paint. That said, I restricted myself to things only from life, and to things accomplished in one day, preferably one sitting. This became of course the little mundane everyday objects you and I see all around us everyday. Things we tend to use and disregard, and take for granted. Of course that's not originally how this idea came about, really it came about as a still life everyday, and then to the more simplistic, "I could paint this really easily". Those details are unimportant because in the scheme of things I only wanted to do one thing - Get better at watercolors. And I can say that I have done that.

2 Years after my first painting for this series, I can happily say that my first painting ability has made leaps and bounds. And hopefully will continue to in the later years. My change for this year is to switch the format from 9x12, to 7x10 creating a bigger(or smaller) challenge for myself in that now I'm cutting the space I've grown accustomed to down.

I hope everyone who's been looking at this enjoys them as much as I do, and can attempt to feel my emotions through the year. I've had ups and downs, moments of inspiration and moments where I might as well have been painting left handed, or blindfolded. I've had amazing paintings, and terrible ones as well as a bunch of mediocre ones interspersed between them all.
I 've had friends tell me that I've inspired them to also take up this challenge, in their own ways. We've all got different things we'd like to be better at, and I for one like to attempt everything in my life with all my heart. I don't like to do anything half heartedly, and I would rather fail at something I tried my best at, then succeed at something I never really cared about in the first place.

I could go on, but I'm afraid of my poor writing embarrassing me, as well as the idea that I hate to be too preachy.
My goal for this year is a quote from my friend Anthony Kosar, which is a quote from somebody else I forget.

Never Stay Comfortable.

or something like that.