Sat, 03 Sep 2016 18:26:16 +0000Besides being a novelist and book coach, I am also a visual artist. In January 2016, I started a painting a day series called Outside the Lines, where I committed to painting one 9×12 watercolor every single day for an entire year. I paint while on holiday, while in the hospital (even on the day I had surgery), and even if I’m utterly exhausted.

The project was conceived after I came across a kindergarten report card where the teacher gave me a minus for coloring “outside the lines”. I wanted to own the unconvential side of myself and take back my power as an aritst.

I run a business and am writing my third novel. Sometimes I only have 20 to 30 minutes to do the painting. Painting hard and fast helps me break through my inner critic, and has improved my skills as an artist immeasurably. Also, being a visual artist is as much a part of my path as being a writer, so doing the painting a day means I get to paint everyday and it fills up my soul.

For the month of September, I joined 30 in 30 — a painting a day series for one month started by another artist. It features artists from across the US posting their daily paintings for the 30 days in September.

This is Atlas, painted Saturday, Sep. 3, 2016. carolineallen.com. Sometimes with the paintings a day, I will just put blobs of paint on watercolor paper (stream of consciousness) and see what image emerges. Below Atlas is the stream of consciousness I started with before creating the painting.

See more on my website at www.carolineallen.com. I am the author of two novels, Earth and Air, links to online booksellers are also available on my website. Visit my Etsy shop.