What Color Would You Name Today?

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Ron and I met my son Brandon in Berkeley recently for lunch. We dined at Iyasare and then strolled the 4th Street shops. I wanted to show Brandon the Top Drawer store. I knew he’d love it. The shop sells special journals, watercolors, pens, slippers, a few travel bags, a few accessories.

Elegant. Curated. Special.

Many items hail from Japan and France. Think: quality.

He bought a journal he “didn’t need, but loved the color.” I can’t think of a better reason to buy a journal. Writing in that juuuuuust right journal can be just as satisfying as the writing itself.

I find strolling the 4th Street shops invigorating. I love the vibe: the brisk Bay air, the quirky finds, the funky designer clothes.

We all spent most of our time in the Builder’s Booksource book store. Such a gem! I love to see so many of my favorite books prominently displayed—proof that this is the book store for me. Here, they display unconventional and intriguing choices in the forefront.

I came away with One Color a Day: A Daily Art Practice and Visual Diary.

It’s the book I didn’t know I needed. 

And a book I will surely gift.

A bit reluctant to add a (monumental) task to each and every day for an entire year, I couldn’t resist the idea of painting one circle every day that reflects the day and then naming it. (Eek!) My stomach swirled. I paid money.

And I wondered…what color would I name today?

Mood is indeed a color. I couldn’t wait to explore the concept.

This is just the first week and I’m loving it. Since I want to include the entire year, I painted the circles for the first several days of January in two sessions. I needed to catch up. This first week is a reflection of our time in South Lake Tahoe during Christmas. We traveled in a snowstorm to get there—practically a whiteout!—but it wasn’t the white Christmas we expected when we made it to Stateline, down the hill. It snowed briefly….big, white, soft snowflakes floated to the ground, silently and seemingly in slow motion. Truly it was holiday-movie worthy. It didn’t last.

We rented a delightful newly renovated room at The Coachman Hotel. We drank mocktails and beer and cappuccinos, dined on delicious Christmas cuisine, shopped for quirky clothing (me), gambled (Ron), chatted with fellow vacationers and personnel at stores like SideStreet Boutique (yes, we hugged after connecting over some heartfelt stories. I rarely initiate hugs, but people must pick up on something about me that says “I’d love one!”, which I do).  I bought a very similar version of this duster and perused my favorite used book store. I’ll share my literary finds in a later post. Stay tuned.

Painting a circle a day is surely great practice. I hope—trust—that I won’t abandon the challenge. I’m a very, very good starter, but, honestly, completing it over the whole year will be a feat.

I’m hoping you all, dear readers, will hold me accountable.

Will the task become a chore? Will I stay inspired?

The endeavor is worthy on several counts. 

• I get to use use my luscious, unique semi-forgotten watercolors
• I’ll actually create art everyday – a goal I can’t seem to give up on
• It’s a creative writing exercise as well and you all know how I feel about creative writing and how helpful it can be. 

Seems like a win-win-win to me.

I purchased the metallic watercolors from the Chroma Watercolors at the Maker’s Market during the fall in Walnut Creek. I chatted with the artist (charming and knowledgeable), chose colors for my custom palette (tough decisions were made), and I’m just getting around to using them.

I’m a newbie artist so I’m just learning to use watercolors. These are fun but it is somewhat challenging to choose a specific color. What you see isn’t what you get. What looks blue may be brown, gold may shine pink. I absolutely love the metallic feature. They are gorgeous!

What color is your day shaping up to be? 

And what will you name it?

Enthusiastically,

Deborah