Lent 2019 - 40 Days of Painting

Lent 2019 - after the success of my 2018 project, I was excited to try again for 2019. I forgot to account for some additional activities, most notably a pilgrimage to Rome, Italy in the middle of Lent. This naturally involved preparing for the trip, being gone for about a week, and being sick with a nasty cold for about a week afterward. I also spent plenty of time reviewing and editing photos from the experience. Quite frankly, I bit off more than I could chew.

Yet I still managed to work in a quarter of my challenge. One of the images was even from my trip to Italy. I also complicated the challenge by including a larger pastel painting. Thus, part of my lesson from 2019 is that time management is crucial to success in any endeavor. Desire and excitement alone are insufficient for success.

I considered leaving this project out, but humility is a lesson too. Failure is simply a teaching moment, and failure might be too strong a word for this project. I succeeded in learning. I succeeded in making some interesting images. I succeeded in trying. I succeeded in the “fasting” aspect of my personal challenge (again giving up social media for 40 days). I merely fell short of my goal of 40 paintings. Falling short is a significant part of being human, and a reminder of our need for God and his mercy.

Peace be with you!

—Leigh