Anonymous Show North Vancouver Art Council

Every year the North Vancouver Art Council have a fundraiser exhibit called the Anonymous Show. Local artists are invited to make an unsigned painting on a 8"x8" canvas. The only way someone can find out who painted it is by buying it. Only then will they find the artist and title on the back of the canvas. Hence the name "The Anonymous Show" (link to past show). All paintings are $100 and there is a 50/50 split between artist and Arts Council.

This is my second time participating in the event. Last year I was overly ambitious and submitted three paintings.  This year I did one, a painting called "Out of the Blue" which was influenced by my exploration into art journaling. Unfortunately I forgot to document it so I don't have any images. I'll take a few at the exhibit.

I've been using art journaling to explore ideas, try out new techniques but mostly to encourage a regular routine in the studio. I find that I can sit for one to two hours using the exercises in Eric Scott and David Modler's "Journal fodder 365". The time goes by quickly and I have visual results of my efforts.

On the right is a sketch I used to explore ideas for the Anonymous Show. Although it is not exactly what the final product looks like it has all the elements.The sketch was done with felt pens on paper and the painting is acrylic on canvas titled "Out of the Blue".

It's a fun way to establish a disciplined work schedule. It's particularly useful when not working on larger pieces.

Do you have any tips for establishing regular work routines? I'd love to hear about them.