Putting thoughts and ideas on paper

In anticipation of a slower work schedule I ordered some art supplies so that I can try some new mediums to work in. It looks like there won't be much down time this winter (a good thing) but I can do some exploring in the evenings. The alcohol inks are something I have been thinking about for more than a year. Over the holidays I spent some time watching youtube instructional videos and they inspired me to take the plunge. Another site that I find inspiring is Cloth Paper Scissors. Lots of mixed media ideas there. I bought the gesso to re-purpose an art auction catalog into an art journal.

I am experimenting with coating the pages with a couple coats of gesso, covering them entirely, or applying it thin to others, letting some images show through, or leaving them un-coated. The pages are quite wrinkly when wet, but sort of smooth out as they dry. The gesso will give me a good surface to use a variety of mediums. 

It takes quite awhile for gesso to dry. I can only coat two pages a day... it might be 2020 before I am done!

Sketchbook

This morning I was reading Ben Putnam's blog post about "sketchbook practice". At the end of the post is a link to a sketchbook practice project that he did some time ago. Ben had approached me about participating and sadly I had to decline. I have been terrible about keeping a sketchbook. I realized when he asked me, that the only time I have regularly kept up with one, was when I have been part of an art journal group. I have a collection of sketchbooks of varying types. Most have lots of blank pages with postcards, letters, and newspaper clippings tucked in between. Right now I can't even find my favorite one, the one that probably has more sketches in it than any other. I am sure it is tucked in a box in the office, which is a horrid mess right now. Someday it will get unpacked and organized. Someday I will get in the habit of keeping a sketchbook.
But not until this studio move is complete. Until then, there is no creativity happening here.
Just manual labor.

*Secrets*

I finally finished my art journal pages. It really consumed me for nearly three days. I had to remind myself that I don't get paid to do this, that I needed to squeeze in some pottery making!

This journal belongs to my friend Jane Kaufmann. Her theme is "Secrets".

The artwork below is one of my favorites in the journal. It was created by Leah Murphy.

I completed two painting in watercolor batik...

How do they fit in with the theme of "Secrets"?
... it's a secret that I am not telling.

better late than never?

 I was really hoping to coordinate an art journal group this year, but I never seemed to have the time to get it off the ground. My good friend Cindy managed to pulled it all together. Cindy is one of those friends that you can always count on.

I was on the ball with choosing my theme and had completed my cover a month ago. My big plan was to use the time that Jeff was in Korea to finish a couple more pages and get everything glued in place. But as you know, life through me a curve ball and the next thing I knew I was on a plane to New Hampshire. I have been home for a couple of days, which have been spent doing laundry, book work, and buttoning up this journal.

Today it's finished and I am waiting for some of the glue and paint to dry before sending it off. In many ways my theme of "HOME" seems even more fitting after what the last week and a half has brought to me. I realize that I now have two homes. North Carolina and New Hampshire.

The beginning of my journal is the north. A portion of a map of New England and ginkgo leaves representing the tree outside of my NH pottery studio.

The back of the journal is south. A map of central NC and the "705" sign... my new home in Seagrove.

Now to start on the next journal in the queue... the theme is doppelganger. I have NO clue where I am going with that one, but I am determined not to be late!

the art journal project

Some old time readers may remember that in 2009 I joined a year long art journal project. My good friend Cindy approached me in December of 2008 about joining this group she was coordinating. JZ had recently died, and she thought it would be good for me to get involved. You may be familiar with how this works, but I will explain anyway...
There are twelve members and each person decides on a theme for their journal. The journals can made of anything... store bought, handmade, recycled books, etc. The first month is spent creating a cover and artwork for your own journal.  A list is created with journaler's (I don't think that is really a word!) addresses. At the end of the month you ship your journal to the next name on the list and you receive a journal from the person whose name is before yours. Over the next month you create one or two pages of artwork based on that journal's theme.
The theme I chose was "Loss". When I got my journal back at the end of the project, it was very emotional. Here are few photos of pages in the book...

 The cover is a photo that JZ took of his vintage Esquire. The drawing I did represents him and the things I associate with his being. Some may find it morbid that I represented him as a skeleton shortly after his passing. The skeleton represents not only his death, but also his fascination with skulls. I still have his favorite goat and steer skulls hanging in the log cabin.

This is my friend Cindy's page. Underneath an abstract water color painting, are layers of tissue paper stitched to the page with gold thread. Under each layer are the stories of friends that have died.

 And sometimes loss is GOOD thing! 

 This page is very sweet. A collage of letters and envelopes that a father wrote to his daughter over the span of many years.

 More sweet pages with father daughter memories

Abstract painting, glued into the pages. Sometimes journalers wrote explanatory notes along with their entries, others left you guessing.

Some months I opened my journal package and was immediately inspired. Other times it was a struggle to complete. The project was a catalyst for me to get back to work in the studio and at the same to explore other mediums, and a little art therapy while grieving is a good thing! In the past I shared some photos from the other journals. I may post some more over the next couple of days.

So you may be asking why I am writing about this now...

I am considering getting a new journal group together for 2013. Who better to ask than my blog readers & writers, are any of you interested? If shipping costs concern you, the journals are shipped USPS media mail, which is the least expensive (but slow). I would do my best to have the person that you ship to, live as close as possible to you.

You don't have to be a visual artist to participate. This is very open ended... there was lots of poetry in the journals, collages, photography, stories. I am looking for 10 (Cindy get first refusal) or possibly 11 people to join in. 

If you think you may be interested please comment and ask questions... I have 6 months to pull this thing together!