Saturday, January 31, 2009

Journals from the Past



I have stumbled across another type of art journal. A journal indicates a passing of time, and is a recording of events of the lives of the people journaling.

In August last year, my mom gave me a quilt that was passed on to her when her mother-in-law, my grandmother died. The quilt came to my grandmother from her mother and I believe, her mother either made it with my grandmother’s grandmother, or on her own.

The quilt is what is known as a Crazy Quilt. The blocks are made from black and brown velvet and top stitched with bright cotton thread. There were also several blocks made from violet silk, this material did not pass the test of time. When I think back to the women working away, making the quilt, I see them using carefully saved scraps from the best dresses made in that household for a decade or more. There is a little embroidered spider along one side that my grandmother was allowed to stitch on as a reward for some accomplishment. She was about 10 years old when she got to add the spider. And she remembered it as a highlight of her growing up. If you look closely you will see the spider along the bottom edge, near the bad fray.

The quilt I received is dirty and frayed, with several blocks of stringy raw silk hanging with just the top embroidery holding it together. Still it gives the sense of lush beauty overall.

This is a journal with large blocks of time between entries. I think it was the bedspread on my Gramma’s bed when I stayed with her when one of my brothers was born in 1955. My Gramma passed away in the late 1970’s and the old quilt has been in one trunk or another ever since.

Now it is in the process of being restored, well that isn’t exactly the right word, a friend and I are taking it apart, replacing the shredded parts with parts that are still whole, and making it into a wall hanging.

I haven’t sewn much since I was a girl but I find my awkward hand stitching and my friends experienced cutting very satisfying. Between us we are adding a block of time to this journal of cloth. I expect it to hang on my wall until I die and pass it on to my granddaughter. It will need to be cleaned and maybe somewhere along the line it will get sewn back into one piece…those blocks of time will be for another to decide.


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Saturday, January 17, 2009

Insights

You know insights seem to happen in the moment, but there are a myriad of things that lead up to having the insight. In this case I went to the Denver Art Museum (first time), visited a friend's studio (and nearly drooled), have been reading magazines and books on my particular art genre, and also have been collaging quite a bit since early December to complete 2008 and envision 2009. I think that all of these 'doings' led to my insight.

I write, and as a writer it is very important to read. Every class, workshop and many books I have read about writing, all recommend lots of reading. And it is recommended that a person read all kinds of things to see how other folk do it – not so you do it like them, but so you see different ways and methods that you can use.

Insight - It's the same with art! To create, no matter what form of creativity you choose, it will serve you to surround yourself with an environment of art! I am not saying you need to move or buy a new house or tons of original art. But you could get an annual pass to the local Art Museum, make a point of visiting the summer art fairs, subscribe to an art magazine, join an art association for your type of art or participate in an art group.

We all know (we do - don't we?) that insights are worthless if they are not followed with effective action. So for your first action get out a pen and list what actions you will take to bring art to your daily environment.

Monday, January 12, 2009

How Many Recycled Containers Can you See?

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Keep Your Eyes Open for Supplies!

Playing in the art world could be a costly habit, but over time I have developed a strategy; spend big money on brushes, paper, paint and classes, save everywhere else.
In keeping with this strategy I haunt the thrift stores, rummage through the recycling bin and clip coupons from the Sunday paper. Here are my favorites:

Recycle & Re-use:
  • Costco Salad boxes are sturdy clear plastic with lids and the Roma Tomato containers are a long slim tray once the lid is cut off. Both make great storage bins.
  • Sometimes Costco also has great deals on pens, papers and storage drawers.
  • Lettuce boxes from other grocery stores are smaller, but also have nice lids and make good storage containers for smaller things like glue sticks or ephemera
  • Large Cottage cheese and Yogurt Containers – good for holding brushes and water and have many other uses.
  • Large Laundry jug lids and Small yogurt containers – perfect small paint & glue containers.
  • Sleeves for to-go hot drinks – for texture and patterns.
  • Gift wrap that is no longer good enough for presents (especially tissue).

Thrift stores & Garage Sales:
  • Micro-wave muffin ‘tins’ 6 cup indentations great for several paint colors and mixing for a project – one of my best finds, and there are always one or two hidden in the cookware section.
  • Lazy Susans, large and small, good way to keep pens, brushes, punches, scissors and rulers handy.
  • Silk ties for small fabric projects.
  • Dress patterns for collage and art dolls.
  • Always watch for paint brushes.
  • Discarded rug kits, the netting/webbing make great patterns for rubbing or spraying or even adding to a collage.

Sales & Sunday Paper Coupons - I use these when I run out of something essential and more expensive, like acrylic matte medium or gel medium or journals!
  • Michael’s, Jo-Anne’s and Hobby Lobby – most Sundays these Stores have a 40% – 50% off coupon in their advertisements
  • Annual clearance sales at the fancier stores, Meininger’s had a great sale last September, and after the December Holidays, many stores are cleaning up, for space and tax purposes. College bookstores often have a summer sale.
Auctions - boom or bust – you never know - look up auctions for your state on Google when you have time for a weekend jaunt.

The fact remains that I spend a lot of money on art supplies, I am satisfied though that I could spend much more if I didn’t watch for bargains and savings. Keep your eyes open!

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Time to Organize


One way to encourage yourself when setting out on a new art venture is to have an easily accessible set of supplies.

I am one of those people that is continually trying out new ideas. I will read about a certain type of pen or new way of doing something and I want to try it. This is great fun, but it also leads to having many, many supplies and materials.

I often find myself with time to work on a project only to arrive at an art table buried deep in stacks of magazines, or piles of pens or the remains of the last kid day. OR if the art table is cleared (miracles of miracles) and I get to work on my project, I spend half the time trying to locate a specific paint, or picture or rubber stamp. I have reorganized any number of times and still find that I am not organized.

This time, through the yearly Big Organizing Push, I have decided to put each project that I am currently working on in its own bin. I use the big clear boxes that salad greens come in from Costco. (See project bins in the picture.) They are a good size and the clear plastic lets me see instantly which project is inside. They also have nice lids. For example: I have just started a project in needle felting so my bin has swatches of roving
in several colors, three or four felted balls, a packet of felting needles and some yarn in the right colors. When I want to work on this project I just grab the bin, I don’t have to locate the needles or stop and go get the right color of roving. I just poke along!

Another way to use my bin set-up will be to collect the stamps, paints and ephemera that I want to use on a project - before I start - and keep them together until the project is done. This way not only will I not be searching for the pieces, I will remember what I wanted to include in the first place. In the case of the afore mentioned Girlfriends Altered Book I have fragments scattered through out the art room and am surprised and chagrined each time I accidentally find a piece that I spent a couple of hours making last year.

Just recently I came across a brilliant book by Gwen Diehn, she has more than one book out, but this one is The Decorated Page, Journals, Scrapbooks & Albums Made Simply Beautiful. (See under My Favorites in the sidebar.) Among other great tips, techniques and illustrations, the author has come up with an organization system that works really well. She has:
1. Everyday Supply Kit
2. Supply Kit for Customizing Books and Preparing Pages and
3. Travel Supply Kit.

In the book she lists what she keeps in her kits, and these lists can be easily modified for your own needs. In the same section of the book she also clearly says how to set up a workstation. The idea is that when you walk up to your art table or when you have a moment to do art, the supplies are waiting right there all in one place for your use and you valuable time is spent creating, not searching.
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Saturday, January 10, 2009

Collage Fits Art Journaling

col-lage (ke-lazh’) n. An artistic composition of objects and materials pasted on a surface [Gk. holla glue]

Last night I went to a party at my friend, Valli McDougle’s place. It was a Pampered Chef party for women. (If you haven’t been to a Pampered Chef party well, get yourself to one, they are fun and the food is fast, nutritious and delicious!)

Valli, our host, came to the first Art Camp for Women in 2007 and is an extraordinary water media artist. Her home is new and luxury of luxuries, she has TWO art studios, one upstairs and one downstairs. And she has acres of wall space to hang her art.

Right now she is taking a series of courses on collage technique and at the end of the evening she and I were huddled in the studio looking at her latest pieces. Collage to die for. This is one of her pieces
A Bridge to Nowhere.

Collage fits right in with Art Journaling and also is an accurate depiction of how my life is structured. In this day and age we are not a people of long continuums and big families. That era has passed. In my life I have patches and pieces of many different categories or domains of life. My income is from several different sources and endeavors. My social life has different age groups and different interest groups. Likewise, my creativity shows up in blurts of expression, rather than a long string of watercolors or photographs or years of dance. Even my health regime has several different expressions, run club with the kids, gym with my grown daughter, nutrition and cleansing with a peer, household veggie garden and kitchen organization with my husband.

Thus the collage of my life is more accurately reflected in the art of collage or again in the blurbs of art journaling.


Post Card from the Edge - Valli McDougle 1/09

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Leaking Creativity

I am particularly drawn to art blogs in my genre that have creative challenges. Some have weekly challenges and some have monthly challenges, some have a theme for the year…all of them leave me thinking – well couldn’t I do that? Wouldn’t that - meeting a deadline or matching a theme - get me moving in a time frame or structure? Wouldn’t I do more art that way? Recently I have been thinking about a site that I visit from time to time http://www.creativeeveryday.com . This site is fairly low-key but it has me thinking about being creative every day. And feeling that even though I have good intentions I fall far short of the mark.

I was fairly frustrated this week having planned to get organized and set up for my artwork “as soon as I get the Christmas things put away.” Here it is Thursday the 8th day of the month and I still am not set up for artwork on a daily basis. On a good day I get through the business and the household chores in good order and then fold. My good intentions lost in the press to make dinner or just get caught up on the latest DVD or book or you name it.

Yesterday in particular, though I was outwardly calm, seemed fraught with emergencies, interruptions and unexpected needs. My two business partners were evacuated from their homes because of fire, and my two grandchildren are sick and needed to stay at our house overnight – I mean this is real stuff!

Then during my meditation this morning I thought – well heck, I’ve gotten at least three pages written each morning, I posted to my blog three times so far and have two other pieces written for it though not posted, I got the written parts for my altered book done, I painted two pages in the same altered book as well as made a place for the introduction. My vision board collage for 2009 is half done and I have worked on it a couple of times since the first of the month. I helped my granddaughter with how to use acrylic paints and watched a movie with the grandson, while explaining and demonstrating building a fire and keeping it going…all creative stuff!

It may be time to let go of thinking I am not creative every day. It may not look the same for me as it does for someone else, but my creative expression is leaking through on a daily basis.
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Tuesday, January 6, 2009

A Friend in Need!


Altered art is also one of my passions. I work on altered books as the base and as a rabid-reader I found a huge resistance to mangling books, even old books, even stupid romance books, even books that had millions of copies printed and no one would ever, ever read twice…it took months to get over it. Finally I found an old book, not old as in antique, but old as in used. It was a book with three stories by the same author under one cover, I had read all the stories, cheesy romances, and knew that reading them the first time had been a waste of time, reading them a second time was out of the question. Besides, it cost a quarter at the second-hand store.

So screwing up my courage, I altered the cover first. It is so gorgeous with bronzed ribbon and a Van Gogh postcard. Then I find that it is more practical to do the cover last – ah well. The theme of that first book is "Girlfriends" and I have everything in it from a small bottle of Bailey’s Creme to a Fairy Godmother. When I made it I had in mind sending it to a friend when I found a friend that needed cheering up…and when that friend was cheered up and moving along well, she too would send the book along to a friend that was down. Well Good idea – right? The book has been sitting here, waiting for the final letter explaining how to pass it on, for about two years now. I have decided to get it in the mail this week. I have a friend in need and this will help in my New Year Decluttering Plan.

Now that I think of it, these altered books also are a kind of journaling. The one above includes poems, songs, grandmothers, cats, and a winter’s worth of warming thoughts. The final letter that needs to go in will have an explanation of the use of the book as well as a place to write in the name of the sender and recipient, with a date. There are places where the recipient could add some art, wish I had left more room for that…maybe I can glue in another pocket…hmm see it never ends!
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Sunday, January 4, 2009

Art Journaling

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Art Journaling


Art (art) n. 1. The ability of man to arrange or adapt natural things or conditions to his own uses. 2. The creation of works that are, in form, content, and execution, esthetically pleasing and meaningful, as in music, painting, sculpture, literature, architecture, dance, etc. 3. The principles and techniques governing the creation of such works. 4. The works so created, esp. paintings, drawings, and sculpture. 5. Skilled workmanship; craft. 6. Any skill, craft, trade or profession: the art of cooking: a teacher’s art. 7. Printing Any illustrative or decorative material that accompanies the text….

Jour-nal (jur’ nel) n. 1. A record of daily occurrences, as a diary. 2. A record of the proceedings of a legislature, club etc. 3. A daily newspaper. 4. Any periodical or magazine. 5. Naut. A logbook

Diary (di’ e-ree) n. pl. –ries 1. A written, daily record of the writer’s experiences, feelings, activities, etc. 2. A book for keeping such a record. [diarium >L dies a day]

As you can read in the above, Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary has a lot to say about art, more than I was willing to type. The three dots mean that there were more meanings mostly to do with artifice etc. And then Mr. Webster defines Journal and in the definition used the word diary – which he also defines. The highlighting is my own.

There are as many different expressions of ‘Art Journaling” out there as there are ‘Art Journalers.’ I have taken a few (art journal) classes where there is nothing written or only one word (usually dream or believe) that is then illustrated. Then I have taken classes where there were only words, with funny fonts or embellishments. My art journaling has words, illustrations, collaging and paint! My definition – my name is close to Webster – comes down to:

Art Journaling v. The act of making a daily record of the artist’s experiences, feelings, lessons and expressions.

Art Journal n. A book for keeping a daily record of the artist’s experiences, feelings, lessons and expressions.

Art Journaling fits my life like a glove and I love it. I have book after book of pages. Pages that are the art itself and pages that have spaces left just for writing in at some other date. Being self-taught I am always experimenting with techniques I have read about. Often I don’t care for the result. When I try something out on a page-sized paper and it doesn’t do what I think it should, I can just turn the page and try again.

Another thing about art journaling is that it can be done in ten-minute (or 20, 30 etc) increments and be very satisfying. No matter what the reason, we usually do not have hours and hours to sit around with a pen or a paint brush. When I have a few minutes, even if I am not feeling artistic, I can always do a little something to a page. I always have more than one set of pages in the works.

As the pages add up the growth of the skill is obvious and progress can be seen. Progress more as progression…

Saturday, January 3, 2009

Blogging Practice Challenge!

I intend to have a practice of blogging daily in 2009 and this will be a month of blogs to get me in the habit of doing it.

B and I found a hilarious site, a knock-off from the NANOWRIMO, the NABLOPOMO.com site. (Makes you wonder about poor Mo.) Anyway, National Blog Post Month, is a challenge to write and post for thirty consecutive days on your blog. If anyone is interested (or if anyone is even reading) in seeing the original challenge here is the link http://www.nablopomo.com/ . Okay – I just went to the site to check the link and really – it is not hilarious, many folk are really committed to this as a contribution – it just strikes ME as hilarious…must be something about ME!

Being the ornery and obstinate females that we are, B and I have modified the challenge to our own uses, and plan to write a post daily, but not to post them as we figure this will give us about 3 months of posts if we are smart about it.

The blog site that I mean to post to is meant for my writing and art journaling life. I have several blogs and have stopped blogging altogether and actually miss doing it. I will have to get better at taking pictures of my art journaling so I can post them too. I believe B and I are agreeing to post written entries, but I should check with her on that, maybe the Sunday post could be a picture. Give us a break…HA!

I think we should probably write around 300 words per post to make it something we don’t just wander off from – but actually develop a useful habit – with posts having a beginning, a middle and an end. And posts that make a point.

The point? To develop a habit of posting to my blogs on a daily basis. The point of posting? To communicate (one of my highest values) the fun and juiciness of playing in the world of words and art.