Thanks, Acolyte. One thing that is nice about the fact that I've been doing this slowly over 7 years is that you can actually go back and see how terrible I used to be. Honestly, seeing some of the old pieces I submitted to this challenge is almost embarrassing.
I hope in another 7 years, the art I'm doing now will look terrible in comparison to the art I'll be doing then. Getting good at painting takes a lot of time and patience, but I believe it's something anyone can do if they're willing to put in the dedication.