Upon the return to the blog...and the soul searching stuff

Photo by Michael D-L Jordan.  2011.

It would be difficult to recount all the things that have happened over the last year or so. 
I could write for ages and never, ever give a full account of the craziness, wonderfulness, cry-till-you-throw-up-ness of the whole thing.

So.  The gallery supports itself.  I teach art during the week.  I adore my family.

I will be 46 years old this month.  I've begun for the first time to write in a journal on a regular, but not daily, basis.  This works very well to get rid of the stress and also I seem to remember that I have actually written a to-do list in there.  For a time in my life, I felt for some reason that keeping everything in separate journals was the "pure" way to do things.  A journal for quotes and a journal for sketches and a journal for the daily stuff.  The reality is that does not work and I can't remember to keep everything divided up, so it all goes into one and I separate it out every couple of weeks as the mood strikes me.

When I say separateI mean I highlight and scribble and pick out the good stuff to use for the gallery, or an art lesson, or a sculpture.  The rest is rubbish, but it's good to know there are usable ideas roaming around in my head.

The journal mentioned returning to the blog.  That is a usable idea.  I warn you that while I am equipped with a camera phone and the need to do good in the world, both remain a little blurry and undefined.

Here is what I know:
I can post knowledgeable information about art tools and techniques, stories about running a gallery, instructions for messy school art projects and TMI about my personal art path. 
 

Drawing and Yoga

I am drawing! It is so fun. I am feeling better about it. More relaxed and like I remember how to do it again. Although she seems to have misplaced her ear...

Michael says she looks sad. I have no idea why she does.

Yoga yesterday and I have homework now. Stretching and spine poses. It was really wonderful. Can't wait for next week.

Listening to Alice

This is my page 3 and 4. They are supposed to be layered with hand prints and stuff. hmm. I guess I didn't get there. I will have to work on that later. This is what came out instead. Number 3 is my drawing - "She Listens to Birds" and number 4 is my drawing of Alice. She is for Vicki and DeeDee.

I'm not sure why Alice is crooked. She got drawn first and then I did the other elements. I think she is disgusted with the rabbit...should she go? Or maybe she has just returned and knows now what that rabbit is up to? Curiouser and Curiouser...

Journaling

Working on my journaling pages, but I find I like the visual aspect more than the journaling/diary part of it. I've been a self talker (in my head usually, btw) ever since I can remember, so I work out things in the car or the shower or while I'm painting a background, so it seems to work itself out before it comes out on paper.

This set of pages is from Sarah Whitmire's journaling prompets, and I liked doing it because it was one word descriptions instead of being coherent on the page. I liked it because it opened up some visuals for me and I played then with some of the other layers. I can't say I'm totally thrilled with the outcome and this "beautiful" presentation - but it was fun and told myself when I started that it wasn't supposed to end up in a magazine anywhere.

I get really hung up on pretty and perfect and presentation, so I have to push myself to just play with concepts and techniques.

I'm going to try this again with different colors and different stencil shapes.

I also need to get back to the paper dolls portion of Sarah's prompts - to go into my hometown drawing. I've had too many ideas, so I just need to stick to one and get it done.

Starting Yoga class tomorrow!!! Inhale...Exhale...

Hmm.

Feeling a little weird these last few days. Been ill, so not a lot of art work to show.
Thinking about work, only four weeks and back to school. And about art work. I always do this when I'm really liking something I'm working on.

I like to do so many things. Is it a blessing or a curse to be able to do many things? I am an art chameleon. My entire life I have been able to design and produce for others on demand.
In college, I was a theater major, but a design major, not an actor. Props, and stage and costume. More college, and I was in graphic design and photography. Now I design lesson plans so anyone can do art and I get to plan my artistic day around the needs of people who want to learn everything they can about art. ( and it is gloriously fun, I might add.)

So, now I am in my groove and I worry. Am I neglecting this other skill? I haven't sewn anything, or made any paper, or constructed an assemblage piece. How do I decide which one is worthy to work on when they all make me happy? Why do I have to feel so scattered when I am in the midst of having a ball and learning something?

Already the shooting stars were falling; some, quite near. Others continued over the Mire and on to the Deepwoods beyond. While one - shining more brightly than the rest - went on further than the professor could even see.

"Curious,' he whispered. The wind howled and the tower creaked. 'Very Curious.'
--The Edge Chronicles

Watercolor Home

Sarah and our group of artists continues to be such a great source of inspiration. This page is Day 12 of our Soul Journal journey together. Sarah has been kind enough to link the other artists who are working on this to her site, so we can visit with each other.

The top page is a simple representation of a home where you felt safe and secure with the rest being the outside world. The neutral tone paper with the floral print is actually a pocket. Then collage and watercolor. I added some pearl paint to the clouds which is hard to see in the photo. More to add today. Join in the fun if you like at Soul Journal.

It is so fun to see what everyone is doing and to feel the kindered spirits at work. I will continue for ever and ever to be amazed at how each person approaches each task differently. And how much I can learn everyday even though I know how paint works.

Artistic Armor

This is a page of texture and painting done with tape. Not done yet, but very nice even still. So touchable.

So, one of the first things Sarah suggested was making a page to represent your artistic armor. List the things you need to do your artwork and feel protected while doing it. I've added my page here so you can see it. I still want to add more things yet, but you get the idea

This bunch of cut-outs is from magazines. She has a list of things to cut-out based on 24 items, and then a set of steps for the page. I added a little room to write some things later.

Creative Life

A couple of quick thoughts for the day...

One.

I love this website very much. http://www.accidentalcreative.com
and I love this series of writings right now -http://www.accidentalcreative.com/series/battlelines especially the second one. It speaks to the "occupation vs. vocation" issue and a life of creativity vs. being creative to just live.

Second.

I found a very fun site with a talented artist Sarah Whitmire. She is doing a few days of journaling and I'm going to step right in. Looks like it will be a grand 'ole time.

Journal Extensions

Feeling better today and getting loads of work done. Thanks everyone for your well wishes. Migraines are something I've lived with since I was a teenager. They are easier to deal with now - I have a great Dr - and good meds - and they happen less and less frequently as long as I pay attention to some important things mostly having to do with sleep. I have Rheumatoid Arthritis, which is a factor too. So, sometimes, it is what it is, and I have to plan around it.

Hubby and I are fixing the basement up into an office for him. Cleared out everything today. Dry walling tomorrow. Eww. Messy job, but needs to be done.

It will be so nice for him. His work has changed so much over the last couple of years. We used to have a studio downtown where we live, but it was smarter for us to rent that out to a retail business, since Michael is on the road more often than not. But this left him without an office. And this has left camera equipment all over our front room, which is now his office. Hehe. No complaints. We just need some organization around here.

Yesterday (before migraine) I bought some wonderful new markers - gold, silver, white and some water-based iridescent, oh so nice. And, they inspired me to do some new stuff with my journal. Finished my color exercises. Yellow, blue, red, green, orange, purple and white. I've learned a lot from them, but I wanted to do something more with them, so...

I extended the pages by adding flaps to them. I think they look really nice, and now give me an area to write on. I also, painted around some of the areas with the decided color, and I like the look.

This photo is with the flap open:

I liked doing this green one. I used copper tape for the veins.

And here's the blue one.

Blue

My blue is relaxing. I love birds, eggs and wings. Children. Faces, and eyes. Skies with moons. Strong horizontal lines and strong vertical lines. Fabric with weird texture in it. I'm noticing these in all my color collages.

Anahata Katkin (at bottom of page) calls this a "symbolic alphabet". A visual signature that you are drawn to and use regularly as an artist, and thus it defines you and your style. This is really interesting to me while I revisit some of the things I'm doing in my artwork, what I like, what I'm using, what skills I want to improve on.

Quote Journal

Ok.

I couldn't stand it. I had to make a journal that I could put quotes in. Above is the cover.

The words on the outside are "word garden". I just love that. So many possibilities.

It is really limiting to sit and read and not have some place to write down the things that stand out as significant. I can't do it. I have to stop reading and look for paper. Finding something to write with, in my house, without going to my art room, is impossible. This journal makes it easier for my obsessive compulsion to write those things down, and, where my working journal is 9x12, this one is half that size and much easier to carry around with me. I feel relief. I can quote the Wicked Witch. That's important to me. So...now I have a journal for art and a journal for words. Hmm. Can I stop there?

Working. Working. Working. I have six weeks before school starts up. Isn't strange how everything gets done faster in your head than it does in life? Before I get back to the students this is what I want to do:

1. finish/send bird collage cards to atc swap
2. finish piece for art guild show
3. final touches on renovated bathroom (long story - I'll post before and afters for that)
4. Open Etsy store
5. Marketing plan for DLP fine art
6. finish organizing art room
7. finish cleaning out closet
8. redo son's room
9. outline lesson plans for incoming students

In the meantime, work in journal daily, read my book list, and play with son as much as possible.

Not much to do there. No sir.

"Wicked" journal page

Elphie wore her hat to bed,

Just in case it rained!

I've finished "Wicked". A very enjoyable book. Political and "good" and "evil" and the Wicked Witch is not at all what she seems....

"People always did like to talk, didn't they? That's why I call myself a witch now: The Wicked Witch of the West, if you want the full glory of it. As long as people are going to call you a lunatic anyway, why not get the benefit of it? It liberates you from convention."

"You're not wicked," said Boq.

"How do you know? It's been so long," said the Witch, but she smiled at him.

Yellow

I'm working in my journal on a color lesson.

I've culled through a bunch of magazines I have and ripped out the photos/words I like. Now I'm going to make full spread pages of color, to see where my heart takes me. I use this lesson a lot with adults who tell me they can't collage. It's time to revisit it for myself. The important part of this lesson is to use only what you really like, don't settle for something because it is in front of you. Images by someone else release your fear of creating something and allow you to just look and say "hey, I like that".

Rules:

1. Don't "settle". If you don't like it, don't use it.

2. No sissors, rip only.

3. Glue it to the page. It's your page, place it how you want. Over lap, rip to fit, cover up what bugs you.

4. Work with one color at a time. This helps you to "see and focus".

(you can click on the photo to see better detail)

Crowns and Princesses

princesses wear crowns
to remind them that they are
beautiful and special,
because some days
it's easy to forget.


buy your crown here

Open

I started a journal. I've wanted to for so long and I've finally have done it. Eric Maisel suggests writing your autobiography in about 2500 words (like I am so interesting) any way you want as a beginning to opening your creativity. So anyway I want includes putting it into a journal that I can scribble in or make pretty or sew in like SuziBlu girl. And let's face it, there is nothing like the tactile experience of paper and paints and art stuff. Oh...and fabric. Please don't forget fabric.

I never started because I kept thinking it always had to be beautiful and perfect and just right. Bah! Bah! I say. The few pages I've done have been fun and liberating. Thank you Sandy friend. I also kept getting bogged down in the idea that I need a journal for art, and a writing journal, and a quote journal, and a clippings journal, and a technique journal....

Okay, I am just not that organizied. One journal is good for everything. Really. Then I never have to wonder where I put that one special thing. How exhausting! It was just an excuse not to start a journal and just to collect all the ones I was going to start one day.