And this is it. The last two images of the August paint-along challenge to do every episode of Bob Ross’s “Beauty is Everywhere” series on Netflix. I started on August 3rd, allowing myself just 28 days to do 26 paintings. And the challenge concluded when I declared painting 26 complete after about 80 minutes of work…at 11:59 pm on August 31. Literally took this right up to the last minute.

August was full of surprises, setbacks, work overload, commissions, freelance projects, and general familial hootnanny that prohibited me from committing the evenings I wanted to just hunker down and paint. But despite these obstacles and deflections, here we are. The challenge has been accepted, and it has been done.

There’s many feelings atop the aura of accomplishment. I feel proud of the work I did, definitely feeling a sense of improvement. I feel more confident as I have refined and built comfort around the creation and usage of several brushes and brushing techniques that will help me tremendously in the future. But most of all, I just feel relief.

I just wanted to see if I could do it.

And over time, many more of you people jumped in, also wanting to see the same.

The relief comes not just in knowing I proved it to myself, but in proving to the ensemble of viewers who hopped along for the ride.

And it was their presence that truly motivated me to keep pushing, especially at a time when the finish line still felt so far away.

So to all of you who hung out in the streams, who reblogged and favorited my progress, who sent me comments, encouragement, and critique along the way.

Thank you.

