Well, I'll kill the suspense.  Gearing up for the Cherry Creek Arts Festival over the July 4th weekend became the focus of the challenge, rather than experimenting with painting, and I produced tile landscapes daily that were posted on instagram.  But then I hit an unexpected slump and never resumed the challenge.  And several shows were coming up, three in August, three in October, more after that.  It was easier to fall back into the old rhythm of production.

Even though I didn't finish the 100 days of painting, a shift in my work occurred: more diversity in the landscapes I'm doing on tiles.  Now I'm considering whether to resume painting or to do a challenge in another area such as drawing - closely related and good practice; or for 100 days writing about my art.  It may not be evident, but writing is part of having an art business (think emails, for one); and it not only  improves with practice, but helps me be more articulate about my work because I have to think about a process that is intuitive and not part of the brain connected to words.  It helps others see, appreciate and understand my work... and, unexpectedly, me too.   Hmm, why did I make that?

Another idea for a challenge is  to come up with 10 new ideas every day.  (I wrote about this in the 1/13/2016 entry.)  It stretches the creative muscle and is a discipline I would hope to carry beyond 100 days to become a daily habit.  Even if it's not 10 ideas, some time set aside for that purpose.

For the record, here are a few of the fired results from the original challenge.  Each one below is approximately 9 x 12 x 2 and hangs by a wire in the back. $249.

Bird in Apples, 5.5 x 21.  Sold.

A few pieces done in this period were variations on this theme.
Garden Tea with Poppies, 14 x 21, hangs by a wire in the back.  $450

For a while I have wanted to make a good travel mug like one a friend gave me (that broke when I was rushing around in a state and accidentally knocked it onto a tile floor).  It has been missed ever since.  It held 16+ ounces and was great for a two-teabag cup.  I found some beautiful and sturdy travel mug lids on the internet and have been throwing mugs to fit them.  They have to fit exactly if the piece is going to work as a travel mug.  The first batch was too small for the lid, so I've just thrown a second batch slightly larger.   

The other experiment, lotion/soap dispensers, I have done before but then didn't pursue the idea.  It has a wider lidded top to make it easier to refill.  I don't know about you, but I always found that standard small opening on refillable dispensers tedious and difficult to refill.  I'll see what the reaction is to these at the upcoming shows in February.  It may not be the best test market for them because on the East coast, where there's humidity, lotion pumps are not the big seller they are in Colorado.  Decorated simply, each is $40.

Sharyn Blond Linens in the Kansas City area has carried my work for a few years and placed a new order that was delivered in October.  She's at 2718 W. 53rd St. in Fairway, KS.  Check out her site to see what else she carries at sharynblondlinens.com.

Also, the Foothills Art Center's Holiday Art Market in Golden, CO, is still open until the end of the year.  I dropped off a lot of new inventory there on Dec. 18th.

Other places around the country to find my work are on my site (www.ohappyclay.com) under About the Artist.  Or, go to Upcoming Events to see what shows I'm participating in.

In addition, I just added more work to my site, and a new category: Under $50.  When you click on Current Work on the banner on the top, it will open to a page with a list on the left.  Under $50 is under Sub-Category and so far has 13 items.