Artsy Inspiration Wrought from Everyday Life

I wrote about the Strada Easel Challenge years ago. Bryan Mark Taylor, renowned artist and founder of the easel company, started a biannual (September & January) challenge for artists (anyone can participate) to draw or paint from life -not photos- for a month and post the work daily on social media with the hashtag #stradaeasel. He draws names from artists who complete the month-long challenge and gives away five of his deluxe Strada easels. Like many things that begin on January 1, there's a drop-out rate. Over 1100 artists from around the world began the challenge, and around 800 remain. I started participating several years ago to win an easel. I continue taking part (except last January) because the practice of doing a quick painting from life daily is so beneficial to my skill development. [...]