Soccer in Greenland

Last September, I read an article about the national soccer tournament in Greenland which takes place over 6 days and is considered one of the most grueling tournaments in the world. The teams that qualify come from tiny towns scattered around the edges of the country, many of which cannot be accessed by roads, so a large fishing vessel will go from port to port, collecting the teams that qualify and bringing them to Sisimiut, where the tournament is held. The journey on the boat takes longer than the tournament itself. While Sisimiut boasts a turf field, there are no stands, so spectators sit along the edge of a tall cliff. Reading that article made it clear to me that I need to find a way to get to Greenland. I want to watch soccer from the side of a cliff!

My work has always heavily drawn from travel and the nature moments I get to experience almost daily as a teacher at Fountain Valley School. I have been fortunate that I have had the time and the means over the past 10 years to see some extraordinary vistas, both in the US and abroad. I'm eager to add a Greenlandic soccer game to my collection.

So, at the end of #Inktober, I decided to carry that momentum into a 100 day painting challenge. Every day, I would find at least an hour to complete a piece that showed something I've seen since I graduated from Washington University in St. Louis in May 2010. Commissioned work would not count towards my total. Armed with a stack of discarded canvases from my students, and the easel my grandmother gave me for my 11th birthday, I've diligently finished a piece every day since October 26th.

As of this post I've completed 32 paintings and will continue to post work and update this site once a week. If I stay on schedule, I should be finished with my challenge by the beginning of February, 2020. Let me know if you are inspired by my challenge to purchase a piece. Painting by painting, perhaps I'll be able to achieve my silly goal (no pun intended).