By Christine Schaefer | Daily Reporter
HANCOCK COUNTY — Artist Janet Darling participated in September’s “A Painting-a-Day Challenge” for several years before bringing the idea to Hancock County Arts. When the planned September show at the group’s Twenty North Gallery fell through, Darling had just the idea to fill the empty spot in the schedule.
As marketing director for the arts council, Darling is in charge of keeping the Hancock Arts Facebook page fresh and up-to-date. She peppers the page with inspiration from artists, writers and great thinkers. She promotes Arts Council activities and community arts events. And on September 1, Darling threw down the gauntlet to all area artists to participate in the September Painting-a-Day Challenge.
March is Youth Art Month, April is National Poetry Month, June is National Great Outdoors Month (for the record, it’s also National Accordion Appreciation Month), July is World Watercolor Month, August is National Family Fun Month and September is the Painting-a-Day Challenge Month.
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The rules are simple: artists should challenge themselves to create one work of art — using acrylics, watercolors, oils, charcoal or even stained glass — a day. The only regulation is that the work must be started and finished in one 24-hour period.
Artists competing in the self-imposed goal were asked to share photos of their artwork on the Hancock Arts Facebook page. And at the end of the month, they were invited to bring their artwork to the gallery for an exhibit that would run through the month of October.
Several artists participated and submitted artwork to the page — including Carol Barrett, Candy Downey, Greg Gearlds, Alice Heddon, Rachel Holmes, Cathleen Huffman, Karen Kellogg and Deborah Smith — but Janet Darling painted 30 paintings, one for every day in September.
Darling is happy to have completed her goal, but she thinks her family may have felt a little neglected.
“A couple of days I painted for 12 straight hours,” Darling admits. “I wasn’t going to let the painting win.”
Darling had the additional challenge of painting oil. For the uninitiated, oil painting is slow to dry. Acrylic paint can dry in about 10 minutes, but an oil painting can take up to 14 days to dry completely.
“I don’t think I cooked a lot of meals,” she adds. “Even the dogs felt ignored. They sat down in the studio and just watched me. They usually don’t do that.”
Of the 30 pieces Darling turned out over the 30 days, her favorite is “Little Sunshine.” The painting features her six-year-old niece Avery in a pink dress.
Darling thinks it’s important to do art every day.
“It’s good for your soul,” she said.
The Twenty North Gallery is open Wednesdays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Happy Pandemic Painting-a-Day Challenge exhibit is on display through Oct. 31.
