Art Events: Strada 2025
Plein air painting near Sundance during the Strada Challenge
Every September I participate in the Strada Challenge, which is a daily art making challenge to paint from life every day of the month. I generally use it as a chance to do some last minute plein air painting before the summer ends for good. This year however I was still quite overwhelmed with moving and unpacking, not to mention a lot of my painting materials were still in boxes because of the project to renovate a bedroom into a painting studio in our new house. I decided that because of all this busyness, I wasn’t quite prepared to take on a daily painting challenge that required a lot of dedication. But also because of that busyness that didn’t involve much painting, I felt antsy to get back into a regular work schedule. I decided therefore to craft a modified Strada challenge for myself. Just to get myself working more regularly and have some more manageable painting projects to work on.
My modified challenge that I ended up settling on was to paint every weekday of the month of September. I started on September 2nd, the day after Labor Day, and continued on until the month ended. I set no specific requirements for the paintings such as only from life, or only plein air, etc. Instead I decided I would take one day at a time and just see what kind of inspiration hit me. I used a variety of reference photos that I had taken in various locations and of various subjects. I also used some reference photos that I had purchased from Patreon, specifically figurative reference that I had been wanting to study for a while. And yes, I did also go plein air painting a couple of times, because of course I had to paint the fall leaves. And so, with those parameters in mind, here is the official gallery of paintings I created in the month of September Modified Strada challenge.
Savior of the World
September 2
My first painting embodies exactly what I wanted from this challenge. Something small, but something different so I could still feel the growth. I decided to go with one of the reference photos I purchased from local artist Howard Lyon’s Patreon. This particular set had two models who had the Middle Eastern heritage that true to life Biblical people would have had. I wanted to just purely study the face and colors and let the subject speak for itself. Needless to say it was a difficult subject, but a rewarding experience.
Mountain Field
September 3
Day 2 I decided to go back to a reference photo I took while plein air painting with a class a few weeks before. We had gone up to a trailhead on the eastern edge of Alpine, Utah. The spot had a beautiful view of the canyons, but also of the entire valley including Utah lake. The painting I did at the time was fine, but I wanted to try the scene again on a smaller scale. I liked the way the little dirt path disappeared into the field of tall yellow grass. I love how the colors of this time of year just are so golden.
Mt. Timpanogos Rainbow
September 4
This painting is another perfect example I how I wanted this challenge to go. This scene is one I saw everyday leaving the home we were living in in Provo, and now that we have moved I was really sad to lose such a brilliant view of Timp, and to be able to watch her change from day to day and season to season (don’t worry, we still have beautiful views, just not this one). I always wanted to make a series out of painting the mountain in its varied states but never got around to it. This is my attempt to rectify that. I took this photo probably sometime in mid January as the sun was going down and splashing the snow covered peak with pastel lights.
The Woman in Purple
Oil painting on board
5”x5”
September 5
This painting was another that I went back to Howard Lyon’s Patreon for. This set is of a model named Halley and something about the lighting and the purple scarf she had wrapped around herself just caught my eye. I had no particular direction or coherent story I wanted to communicate, but I knew I wanted to put her in some sort of environment that would explain the blue light on her shoulders. The more I paint people, the more I want to keep painting portraits and figurative work.
Incoming Storm
September 8
I consider this painting the companion piece to the Mountain Field painting of a few days prior. It is the view at the same spot looking away from the mountains of the valley below. You can see Utah lake in the distance and a storm blowing in creating beautiful shapes with the light. I painted this one from reference that I took at the location. I think this painting is my personal favorite, just because the clouds were so fun to paint, and the whole process felt effortless and instinctive. The scene was also a really beautiful one, and my experience painting on the location was enjoyable and I felt that again as I painted this one.
On the Trail
Oil painting on board of a mountain trail with a snow capped Mt. Timpanogos in the background.
4.5”x5.5”
September 9
This spot on the Bonneville Shoreline trail is near our old house that we lived at in Provo. I would walk it with our dog, and by myself after our dog passed. It’s a special spot to me and representative of the time we spent in that home. It is indicative of my favorite time of year, after the snow has melted in the valley and green things are starting to grow again, but winter still lingers on in the mountaintops, adding a beautiful contrast to the bright colors of the springtime. I found, like I always do, that getting the accurate color of the dirt on the trail was very difficult. It’s at once warmer and cooler in hue than I initially think. As well as being a lot lighter than it seems it should be. I think every time I attempt to paint a trail I get better at it.
Rhododendron
September 10
This painting is a bit of a departure from what I usually choose to paint, and I think it was a really good choice. I wanted to tell a little bit more of a story, and I am limited on my experience in painting hands. This reference photo jumped out at me for being exactly what I wanted to do. I took a picture of this scene when I was in the Botanical Gardens in Geneva, Switzerland. I was entranced by all the growing things around me and in turn looking for something to paint. I was actually there during another month long painting challenge and ended up trying to paint the greenhouse. That painting was something of a failure. I was feeling a little burnt out and had a hard time settling on anything until after a couple hours of wandering through the gardens. I finally set up and put a few brushstrokes down when it started raining. I took that as my sign that I had tried my best and I was ok taking a loss for that day’s painting. Though I came away from that excursion feeling a little like a failure, what I didn’t realize at the time was the number of beautiful reference photos I took of all of the different flowers and plants. Those gardens are a magical place and I continue to be inspired by them. Rhodies especially are a favorite for me.
Swallowtail
September 11
This painting came about because I wanted to do something simple. I felt this image of a swallowtail I took on a Utah hiking trail was exactly what I was looking for. A chance for my brain to just slow down and focus on patterns and colors instead of fully inventing a scene and making more complex choices. My panel was also already toned with a light green color, so I used that as negative space in the butterfly’s wings, only reinforcing edges and adjusting the color as needed.
Fall Tree
September 12
This painting was intended as a study of fall leaves. I didn’t want to think too hard about composition or environment, I just wanted to focus fully on the leaves and their bright colors. The oranges, reds, browns, and yellows in this tree made for some beautiful shapes and contrast with the green grass and pine trees in the distance. It always amazes me how neutral the colors in fall foliage actually are. But it is that neutrality in hue that allows the brighter saturated midtoned colors to shine.
Wisteria
Gouache painting on paper with matt board framing.
5”x7”
SHOP HERE
September 15
You know my motivation and energy are low when I pull out the gouache. I’m mostly joking. But without an official studio, painting in oils is a lot more of a hassle and so on this Monday morning I decided to pull out the gouache and sit at a table, of all things. It ended up being the best decision because this painting of a clump of wisteria blooms was an absolute joy to paint. I allowed myself to be a lot more abstract in the paint application and to just relax and not think too hard about the end result, just enjoy the process of getting there. That process left me feeling rejuvenated and ready to continue the challenge the rest of the week.
Apple Tree
September 16
I started this painting in person in an orchard in Alpine, Utah. By this point, the paint was dry and I decided to finish what I’d started. My initial block in was an interesting experience - this board use to have a different painting on it and I had sanded it off. But what I didn’t realize was that a lot of oil paint dust was still sticking to the surface, so as I painted fresh paint over the top, the paint took on an almost chalk like texture. It definitely made it a little more difficult to paint on, but the end result is actually really interesting, and in person looks quite different than my usual style. It was a fun, accidental experiment.
Light of the World
September 17
This is another portrait study from reference. I have to admit I always feel nervous about attempting to paint the Savior or spiritual subject matters, not because it doesn’t appeal to me, but because I don’t always feel up to the task. It’s intimidating to contemplate trying to communicate such sacred feelings in a visual language that often feels trite or overused. But a local artist, Howard Lyon, has made some Biblical style photo references available on his Patreon and I felt the lighting in this particular photo was interesting, and the look on the model’s face was something I wanted to try and capture. So my process just involved a lot of honestly and simply trying to capture those two things that initially drew me to it. The rest is for you to interpret.
Jordan River
Oil painting on board of the Jordan River in Saratoga Springs, Utah
8.25”x8.75”
September 18
I joined a friend this day to paint on the Jordan River trail in Saratoga Springs. I loved the way the riverbanks reflected into the water, and also cast shadows, with shadow and reflection layering over each other in an interesting way. I wish I could have gotten to the spot before sunrise though! The pink light on the mountains at that time would have been really lovely to try and capture.
Crescent Moon Sunset
September 19
Another day, another experiment. I love painting sunsets, and each time I paint one, I feel like I’m learning more about color and how it can shift and change and how it affects the colors around it. I also learn a lot about light, and how to focus attention on the brightest and highest point of contrast through the saturation of colors and through the texture of the paint. It also gives me the opportunity to just use saturated colors in ways I don’t normally get to.
Stick Season
September 22
This painting was initially a simple study I did a few years ago plein air that I have always felt had potential, but never got around to fixing. So I decided in a month of painting everyday and painting small and painting things I always wanted to, that this painting was a great one to work on. I gave the tree a little more definition, and darkened and blued the shadows to contrast with the high key snowscape in the background. I don’t usually think of leafless trees as beautiful, but I felt that this particular scene and the way the branches stuck out at odd angles was beautiful. It is very indicative of Utah in the winter, the gnarled Cottonwood, the yellowed grass sticking through the frost, the layers of snow and rock on a hillside behind. It is a scene I have grown to love.
Fall Timp Study
Oil painting on canvas board of Mt. Timpanogos in the fall with sunset light on it.
8”x10”
September 24
You will notice that this is the point that this challenge began to fall apart a little bit. Things in my personal life started taking a stressful turn and I had less of a bandwidth for daily painting. This particular day I let it slide, as it was my birthday. We went hiking in the evening and I was able to do a painting of Timp in gold glowing evening light. This light also accentuated the orange and yellow of the fall leaves, which is why I wanted to paint there.
Sundance
Oil painting on canvas board
8”x10”
September 25
This was another day spent painting outside. Thank goodness for artist friends who invite me to paint with them, otherwise this challenge may have ended here. For some reason my motivation was shot through and just getting out to paint took all of my energy. But it definitely was worth it. I have painted this scene many times over the years, but during the fall with the rainbow of colors showing off is the best. Fall foliage lasts such a short span of time, especially in the mountains. I am glad I was able to paint up there a few times.
Autumn Canyon
September 29
This painting was the labor of a couple days. I started it on a short trip up American Fork Canyon. We have slowly been exploring our new area and this is now the closest access we have to the mountains. We stopped at a little pull out off the main road in the canyon and I pulled out my paints and started this one in the short time I had before it got dark. I then finished it in the studio after the weekend and it had dried a little. I may have exaggerated the size of that free standing cliff in the background, but I think it communicates just how dramatic the canyon walls feel, as opposed to how they actually look. I hope that grandeur comes through in this small painting.
Autumn Forest
September 30
At last we come to the final day of my challenge. I wasn’t done yet with exploring the fall leaves and so I turned to a reference photo I actually took the same day I started the last painting in American Fork Canyon. I love the abstraction and chaos that a forest floor offers, but I never am sure how to compose it. I decided to give it a try, and this painting is the result. I let the colors and contrasting values be my guide. Instead of focusing on what I was painting, I tried to make interesting shapes and composition with abstraction. It was actually a really fun experiment and I would love to try it in person some time.
That is the last painting. I missed a few days here and there, but after a solid couple weeks of painting mostly every weekday, I felt more grounded and ready to get back into work after moving and all the distractions that entails. I achieved my goal of getting myself out of a creative slump, and experimenting a little bit more, and trying to take some of the pressure off of myself to be perfect. I got myself out of the rut I was in and I have 19 new paintings. I call that a success.