Fall Paintings

Getting ready for Journalfest in 1 week! I have a slew of handmade journals to sell as well as these new mixed media pieces. I am working to bring the stories that I typically tell en masse, in journal form, to the canvas. Personal, nostalgic, whimsical and layered. The deer have been making their way in and out of my backyard this fall, and they too, become a part of my story.

New Journals

Here is a brand new stash of journals recently made for vending at Journalfest. I am headed to Port Townsend, WA in a few weeks to take classes and sell some of my handmade books and mixed media pieces. The covers of these books are made of various papers, stitched together and filled with a signature of watercolor paper. Perfect for sketching or visual journaling.

Finding My Way

Here is a piece of mine published in the Sep/Oct 2011 issue of Somerset Studio. This is a piece that I created during Misty Mawn's online class, which was included in an article about the shared experience of her class. This started as a contour drawing that I then decided to finish off as a loose painting. Misty's classes, in person or online, are an opportunity not to be missed. As always, she creates an environment full of beauty, inspiration, great music and endless ideas.

No More Excuses...

Looky everyone! The talented Gina Armfield featured my daily journal on her blog. Gina is an inspiring artist, teacher, and creator of the No More Excuses Journal. NME is a daily journal/calendar class filled with prompts for daily art making. It's the book I go to where anything goes, and I just let my mind wander. Where all those bits of daily life go that want to be pinned down, captured, and where each day is faintly remembered. I tend to think in big chunks of time for art making, very all or nothing, and this journal allows for a more mellow, yet consistent way of seeing the pages fill up. It grows, it flexes and 5 months in weighs over 2 lbs. How good is that?

Keepin on...

The journaling continues. I have a mixed relationship with this book, very love hate. I took a vintage book that I loved with sections on ancient civilizations (Romans, Greeks...), filled with fantastic illustrations and turned it into a journal. I painstakingly made the cuts, removing pages out of necessity. The process of working the pages and letting go of the imagery has been a difficult one. The work I have done in this book confounds me as well. I created it to be an anything goes kinda book, without feeling pressured to use my own photography, drawing or painting. Yet I struggle with the things I put into this book, and I see the struggle. When I take a break from working in it and come back, I can literally see the struggles, changes, and growing pains I am experiencing. It is an uncomfortable kind of feeling. Some days, I want to put this book away and start with a new journal, filled with blank white watercolor pages. Then the other part of me wants to see this thing through, and work in it from start to end of 2011, and see where it leads me...

Glimpses

A series of pages

These are two recent journal spreads that I wanted to share with you. They are personal and even painful pages for me. The top spread was created after dealing with months of neck pain due to some seemingly unrelated health issues. After feeling better for a little while, I relapsed and the pain began to get worse. After months of feeling physically limited and emotionally worn out from it all, this page was created. It holds my pain and grief, and is a necessary part of my journal work. All of this was present during my Artfest preparations. The next page was created shortly after the first, when the cloud of pain finally started to lift. New supplements got me back on track, I was as ready as I could be to vend at Artfest, and eager to spend time with my artist friends there. Thank you to Chad, my Mom, my Brethren and all those who supported me during a very physically and spiritually taxing time. I'm still working on the root issue and doing my best to become healthier and strong.