#20for20 Artist Spotlight: Shannon Colvin

Shannon Colvin jumped into the #20for20 at the last minute and knew she needed to design something that would fit her busy life. So she thought back to where she was facing struggle in her practice, and decided to throw some focused curiosity at it. You can learn more about Colvin on Instagram.

You had worked on paintings in the past 20for20s, but you approached this one differently. Could you explain how you set up your Challenge and why?

First of all, I decided at the last minute to join the challenge. I was unsure I wanted to commit to the January challenge since I would be traveling part of the month.

However, the buzz and excitement got to me, and frankly, I missed the camaraderie of the Learn to Paint group. Because my decision to join was last minute, I needed a quick and easy-ish project. Earlier in the year, I had been painting landscapes and struggling with my greens, especially the dark ones. I decided that a swatching project was approachable for this 20for20.

What was the prep work coming into the Challenge?

I decided to set up swatches in my sketchbook beforehand. I scoured random magazines and fliers for greens. I cut one inch squares from the sources and glued them to my page. I glued three per page.

When I ran out of sources at home, I went to the hardware store and pulled green paint chips to use for the swatches. I didn’t really have a plan for warm versus cool or dark versus light greens. It really was random.

How did you decide what colors to use to mix each day? Why those?

I started with primary yellow, primary magenta, and ultramarine blue. I think I chose those colors at first because they were the closest to the colors that I was using earlier in the year to paint my landscapes.

As the challenge progressed, I did change some of the colors. Sometimes, I needed a cooler or brighter blue. Sometimes I just wanted to see if a warm or lighter yellow would make a difference.

There was a lot of experimentation and play. If one of the primaries wasn’t working for me, I didn’t hesitate to change it out.

Additionally, I left room for improvisation. For example, one participant commented that yellow and black made great greens, so of course I had to try that color combo.

What benefits did you find getting that focused?

I think being that focused allows you to eliminate other variables. For example, during the project I learned about color exclusively. I was able to experiment with my starting colors and really concentrate on how they could be combined to make green. I didn’t worry about brushes, mediums, surfaces, etc. and that allowed me to learn in a very controlled way.

Time wise, you approached your Challenge with 20 minutes min? Why?

In the past I have tried to do the 20 minute challenge at the very beginning of the day. This time, I still tried to do it first thing, but I also fit it in when I could if the beginning of the day didn’t work.

Also, I prioritized it. I told my husband what I was doing and treated it like work. He respected that I would be unavailable sometimes.

Additionally, I worked on the weekends. This was new to me. In the other two challenges, I took Saturday and Sunday off. I think taking the weekends off put me behind from the beginning. I learned that working the weekends wasn’t a big deal. Going forward, I would do it again.

At some point you realized the color mixing didn’t quite take up enough time. How did you adjust your project and how did that feel?

At first, I used the remaining minutes to make more swatches. I had not made all twenty of them ahead of time. Also, I “played” with my leftover paints to make new variations of green.

Finally, I was jealous of all of the neat paintings I was seeing on Instagram from other challenge participants. I began working on the cardinal inspiration photo just for fun. So on days that the swatching didn’t take the full amount of time, I continued to work on art, just on different projects.

Did any days bring some aha moments either around color mixing or your art habit? Could you share what those were?

One aha moment I had was when I decided that sometimes greens needed white. I’m not sure where I had gotten the idea that I shouldn’t use white to lighten green, but I found that sometimes using it was necessary to achieve the color I was trying to reach.

Another realization that I came to was to quit adding burnt umber to my greens. I had used it in the past to try to achieve some of the darker greens in my landscapes, but while working on the challenge I decided that I needed to add blue instead.

Finally, I become less afraid of using Phthalo Blue. It is an intense color, but it sure makes a beautiful jade green.

You had done other Challenges but this was the first one you made it through all 20 days. What was different about how you approached this Challenge that made that possible this time?

I think that I kept the project very simple. Also, I didn’t intend to bring it along with me as I traveled, instead, I “doubled up” some days so that I had all twenty days completed before I left for my trip.

Additionally, I didn’t try to stick to a certain time of day. I worked the twenty minutes whenever I had the time. Usually that was at the beginning of the day.

Finally, I think I was stubborn about this challenge in a way that I hadn't been for the others. It bothered me that I hadn’t finished the other two I participated in. I REALLY wanted to finish this one.

If you did a focused color mixing project again, would you adjust anything knowing what you know now?

I might have more swatch samples than just three, especially if I wanted to take up a full twenty minutes. I’ve also seen projects where an artist takes an existing painting, usually one that is considered a “masterpiece,” and tries to swatch from it – that seems like fun. Oh, and I would definitely visit the hardware store from the very beginning to get those paint swatches.

What was the most helpful mindset for you to try and keep during the 20for20?

I found that during the challenge I really looked forward to seeing others’ efforts on Facebook and Instagram. I enjoyed reading the comments and “talking” with other artists. I can’t deny that there is some accountability when you’re connecting with others about the challenge. Also, it helped that I had pre-made the swatch pages - they were ready and waiting for me to show up.

So often the focus is on finished and beautiful work. Did you feel any difference in shifting the focus to the showing up (the habit)?

I admit that I was feeling a little left out when I saw all of the incredible paintings that others were posting. But I knew that type of project wasn’t right for me at the time.

What I discovered about two thirds of the way through, though, is that I was super motivated. I was eager to show up in the studio and work on my swatches. And then I was still eager to continue to work on other projects that had been percolating in my brain. I am STILL motivated. This particular 20for20 really was a catalyst for my art making process. I think it was probably a combination of the community that the 20for20 brings, the time of year, and the success of completing the challenge.

How have the #20for20s helped you grow as an artist?

I am becoming more confident in my art making abilities and in my desire to label myself “ARTIST.” At my current stage of life, most of my peers identify themselves by their profession. Even though I quit my full-time job a few years ago and began to pursue my personal art more fully, I am still hesitant to own that moniker.

The 20for20 challenges have opened up a community of fellow artists that have allowed me to see working artists at many different stages, and the challenges have given me a structure in which to present my art to other people with little risk.