they were initially intended as an elaborate ‘to do‘ list, to make me more productive. but this very quickly became more of a dairy. used to record events and track my fluctuating mental states on a daily basis [i do have every day accounted for!]

february 2012 [acrylic on A3 canvas. 01 feb-01 march 2012]

it’s fascinating for me, to see the evolution of the paintings..  the first part of the year is vibrant and colourful. this gives way to a pastel tranquillity. which quickly turns dark and chaotic. the subsequent months are a mix of subdued darkness and high contrast. i will get some decent photos of the whole collection!

it has been a very insightful and often therapeutic process for me. i love to spot the themes and the people who have repeatedly cropped up. there are tiny details which spark memories of times forgotten too. and there are a few aspects of my life that i have tracked which tell me an awful lot about myself [mainly stuff i didn't want to know!]

so now – 366 days later – the year cycle is complete.

but what next?

i have been concerned that if i start another painting, then i am committing myself to do this for another year…  a whole ‘nother year! believe me, that’s a long time when you’re just living day-to-day. but in many respects i feel like ive been telling somebody’s story – and it’s not quite finished yet – so i must continue.

maybe it will be necessary to record it for another few months? maybe i’ll be doing these for years to come?  i guess we shall see…

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so, i have put brush to canvas and started on the next one. for comparison, let me show you the 1st march 2011 next to 1st march 2012..

oh dear!

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[acrylic on A3 canvas. painted 01 - 31 jan 2012]

not much to say about this one…

i didn’t have any nights out, i didn’t read any books, and i barely smiled. it was a very boring bland month, dominated utterly by my brainchild project.

february’s painting is nothing like this!

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