In late July 2025 I started an armchair travel project. I took on the challenge of painting a gouache postcard for each of our 50 US states. They are mostly landscapes, because that’s what I enjoy painting. A few times I proceeded during periods of distraction and low energy and painted a state animal or state flower.
The quality of the paintings is very uneven. Some views were just very difficult to capture in gouache. Perhaps I should have lifted the constraint of a single medium.
I used a variety of papers, some 100% cotton and some cellulose. I used a 48 color set of HiMi jellycup gouache. I began to drift away from painting my gouache totally opaque, and leveraged its ability to flow like watercolor when it suited the subject better.
My last two postcards were Utah and Alaska:
I painted in the midst of a very trying period when we were beset by several serious health issues in my family, a time when my mental health began to crack under the strain of caregiving and worry. It was, at times my only self-care, to grab little interludes of quiet to paint these small postcards.
There were many points at which I just wanted to stop, I couldn’t see a way to finish all 50, and it became a nagging to-do item hanging in the back of my mind. I am glad I persevered though.
I remain aware that our history includes both shame and pride. I hold in my heart both hope for our future and sadness about our past and current state. I pray that we can heal our divisions and injustices. Doing this project has given me at least the beginning of some ability to hold frustration and compassion in my heart at the same time, both for my country and the people in my life.
So what’s next? I can take some lessons forward from this project. In no particular order, here they are.
-There are days when it is better for me to avoid journaling, and get right to swiping a brush across paper.
-Let the subject dictate the art medium
-Fewer colors make for a better painting
-I am not living a life of establishing daily habits or keeping a streaks. I am in a period of recovery, but I don’t know if I will ever try to do so again. I have too many interests and enjoy asking the day what type of therapeutic creativity would be best.
-Creativity is not always intended as therapy, but it always provides a sense of satisfaction and calm, even when the outcome misses the mark
-Never use colors out of the box, as a dab of its complement makes everything more interesting
-Substack bullets are not working for me today
I am midway through my adult ed watercolor semester, so expect to see more watercolor work soon. I have returned to sketching in pencil and pen and I keep my sketching material handy in my bag and in my car. I have been getting to my appointments a few minutes early and I sit in my car and sketch what is in front of me.
Do I have a favorite from my fifty paintings? No, there are many that I love, and a few that I should have scrapped and done over. How about you? If you watch the video, tell me which one or two you like the best.
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