"I have always been interested in the concept of journals, diaries, logbooks and calendars—the ways we humans track, trace, record and organize our lives. My first exploration with daily paintings was in response to the anticipation of Y2K: I had in mind that on January 1st 2000, I would commence doing a small painting every day, in celebration of the year 2000. This was also a time in my life when I had a full time “real world” job which allowed me little— if any—time to pursue my art. The series therefore also grew out of a desire and goal to wet my paintbrush every day.

"Then in late August 1999, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. As a way of coping with my heartache over this news, on September 1st I began to do a daily watercolor. I decided to see if I could maintain the discipline of painting daily for the whole month. For if I couldn’t do it for a month, I certainly would not be able to do it for a whole year.

"From that point I proceeded to do a watercolor every day for two years: from September 1st 1999 through September 30th 2001. I discontinued the series in October 2001, when I embarked on a long journey by bicycle overseas and realized I would unlikely be able to maintain the discipline of painting daily.

"Last summer I again became inspired to embark on a daily series—only this time I would do two: one in color, and an “echo” of it in black and white. The inspiration to return to the daily series stems, in part, from a desire to bring a form of creative ritual into my life each day.

And so I have."

Dawn Chandler
Taos, New Mexico
August 2006

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