We have a guest blogger today, my good friend Cathy McCort from Washington, PA. Cathy was one of six students in the very first sketchbook journaling class I taught back in 2014. She had never picked up a watercolor brush before that class, but wait till you see how far she’s come in five short years!
When I first had the idea to do a monthly calendar back in March 2018, I shared it on the Facebook group I have for my students and asked if anyone else was up for the challenge of sketching every day that month. Cathy accepted the challenge and RAN with it, completing not just 31 but 365 days of calendar sketches! It’s an amazing accomplishment, and one of which she should be justifiably proud. I wish you could have the pleasure of examining each of these 9″ x 12″ calendars in person. The vibrant colors pop off the page, and the creativity, humor, and zest for living that’s shown here tells you a lot about the wonderful woman who created them.
Now, let’s hear from Cathy and see each of her wonderful calendar pages…
Completing 12 months of tiny calendar drawings was indeed a challenge but I was intrigued from the beginning.
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| Copyright © 2019 Cathy McCort |
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| Copyright © 2019 Cathy McCort |
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| Copyright © 2019 Cathy McCort |
Most of the time I painted every day, but sometimes life got in the way, and I would play catch-up by painting several days at a time. Either way, I loved the idea of documenting some life events or just painting an object or idea that I came across that day.
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| Copyright © 2019 Cathy McCort |
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| Copyright © 2019 Cathy McCort |
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| Copyright © 2019 Cathy McCort |
Deciding what to paint is always a challenge for me. I wanted to break free of the little squares at times, and I also chose to do some themes as in July and August.
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| Copyright © 2019 Cathy McCort |
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| Copyright © 2019 Cathy McCort |
I’m not going to lie, some months were more of a struggle than others but I’m just OCD enough to not have given up!
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| Copyright © 2019 Cathy McCort |
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| Copyright © 2019 Cathy McCort |
I loved this exercise mainly because it kept me painting for an entire year even if only for a short time each day.
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| Copyright © 2019 Cathy McCort |
I have framed these twelve pieces in simple frames and they are hanging on a wall in my family room.
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| Copyright © 2019 Cathy McCort |
I haven’t been painting very long, and so for me, this is a huge accomplishment, and I love it! Leslie, thank you for the idea and the constant encouragement!
~ Cathy
Thank you, Cathy, for sharing it with us!
This exercise offers a wonderful way to record life in all its variety – the ups and the downs, the happy times and the days that are a struggle, the joyful moments and the things that drive us crazy. It shows the richness of our experience of being in this world, of making our way and living life to the fullest. Brava! to Cathy for persevering and creating something absolutely WONDERFUL!
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| Copyright © 2019 Cathy McCort |
5 Comments
Congratulations Cathy! This is quite an accomplishment and so well done! I can’t believe you are just a beginner! You should be very proud of these. Bravo!
I am tremendously impressed! Cathy, your work is fabulous and Leslie, you must be an inspiring teacher!
Wow! What a wonderful
commitment and and fabulous accomplishment!
So fantastic! A great way to draw/paint daily! Must try
Jenna
Cathy, this is remarkable. Leslie sure has a way of bringing out the best in her students. Being OCD has its benefits!