Pirate Friday

I stumbled upon this artist and I just love everything about her work. Obviously I am drawn to the particularly nautical and piratical ones, but they all are amazing. I have a weakness for illustrations of tattoos. Not sure why, but there's something about it that gets me every time. The style of these dance somewhere between tattoo and embroidery, which is a beautiful combo. For me, these pieces, like the tattooed body are full of stories and symbols. Some symbols may resonate, some may not, but collected there is a story, a body map. I've always had a thing for americana/pinup tattoos, and have know for a while that if I ever made the leap, it would be a pirate pinup for me. But look at that mermaid skeleton! Maybe one for each arm? You can see more of Liz Clement's work here and here. if you are inclined to order a print from her, (which I am!) you can do that here as well.

And the nesting doll, really?!! Two of my favorite things, combined. love it.

Pirate Friday

I have a tiny book that is handmade by Tracy Moore which hangs on a cord to wear around my neck. It is made of metal and leather and was a very special gift to myself a couple of years ago. When I got it, I knew I needed to do something special with it, so I decided to collect drawings in it. When I meet an artist, or take their class I try to get a drawing from them. The top image is probably my favorite spread. The one on the right was done by friend and fellow pirate Juliana Coles, while Miss Mindy did the one on the left. She knows I'm a pirate girl and the personalness of her drawing really touched me. This book is a bit of my pirate treasure for sure!

Over the Weekend

Photo above: My hubs, occasional guest star / model for this blog. Photo below: Aforementioned Polaroids taken with my SX-70 Land Camera using expired film. Yummy!

A little bit of Summer

Is it really Summer already? I still feel stuck in Spring, but clearly that's come and gone. Here are a few pics from my start of summer. Chad finally got to drive his vintage truck last weekend. I thought I had to compete with fly fishing, but I can see this is to be a whole new love affair. Been playing with polaroids and expired film, I'll share those pics later.

Pirate Friday

A few years ago, I was blessed to embark on an experience that changed my life completely. I attended a School of the Sea, Piratical art retreat hosted and taught by now dear friends, Lou Ann Granger and Juliana Coles. At the southernmost point of Florida, I met my soul sisters Captain Morgan La Fey, First Mate Falcon La Grange, Fearless Iron Gem, Pinky La Rouge, and Juana La Loca. We lost Juana La Loca only a few months later, and Alvida Black Viper joined our crew and filled a void that was so deeply felt. These women are my Brethren, know me, and just get it. It was at this retreat that I recognized that I was an artist who had abandoned her art, and not long after that, I accepted my fate and left my day job to figure it all out. I am Quartermaster Jessie Starling, the namesake of this blog where I helm me ship and sail open waters.

I am a pirate, it's true. A pirate for love, life, and art. It is possible that my love of all things pirate and of the sea would wane after that trip in 2009, but as the friendships and artwork grow deeper, so does my pirate soul. The extension of this is of course, pirate art and a healthy obsession with all things skallywag. I stumbled upon a blog that celebrates Pirate Fridays with piratical blog posts. In true pirate form, I decided to commandeer the idea for me own!

Here are some new journal pages, the first is about the Devil Whale. Pirates are lured to it and embark upon it thinking it is an island. Once they realize their mistake, the Devil Whale takes them down. This got me thinking about being capsized, and the truth is, sometimes we have to sink in order to sail. Sometimes the pieces of our life that just don't work anymore have gotta go. It is hard to let go of those parts of ourselves, we feel stripped bare, but it is the only way to grow and move forward. As in life, one thing lead to another, and the Devil Whale lead me to the next page. I have realized that I have been the rock in so many of my relationships. The calm grounding force. It is who I am, but not all that I am. This last year and a half journey through pain, and change, and health questions has been a trip through stormy seas. I have only recently gleaned any clarity, and am learning so much about myself. I can see now that things had to fall apart, I had to be forced to let go. My whole life I have wanted to be freer, to surrender. I just didn't realize that sometimes something has to happen to get you there. Iv'e really had to learn how to say no, and to teach myself how to ask for help and to surrender to the helping. I have also seen that you can be reaching out, without the proper words, and people still miss it. So where words have often failed me and walls have served better, I am trying to let the guard down and speak the truth more. How can anyone know you, your brightness or your pain, if you are unwilling to share your truth.

Needless to say, this comes after what feels like a long muddled time of questions, confusion, and searching. Sometimes my pages have more wisdom than I do. Sometimes the answers are lost until you can read the clues. Sometimes it's about so much more than just liking pirates.

"The only way out is through."

Silhouette Stories

I am so excited to share my article from the 2012 issue of Pages magazine with you! I find myself drawn to silhouettes, and use them in my journal work often. I wrote this article to demonstrate how to bridge the gap between nostalgic and modern, and also give examples of different ways they feature in my work. I was thrilled to see the layout, and how many samples of my work that were used. You can order a copy here or pick one up at Barnes and Noble. Enjoy!

Oh Artfest

Oh Artfest, It is bittersweet to see you go. You have been there for me for what feels like a very long time. You have found amazing art friends for me that live near and far. I have looked to you each year with eager anticipation and you have left me fulfilled with joy. What will I do without you? Another Artfest passes, and it's even more poignant, as its the very last one. How lucky I've been to have made it a part of my life. As usual, it was a fantastic experience, filled with great classes, learning, journaling and laughing into the night, and reuniting with friends new and old. Spring is already a beautiful time of year, but it was a treasure to spend it in one of my favorite places with the cherry blossoms and tulips in full bloom.

Day one of classes with Michelle Allen creating "Dolls and Dudes". Super fun. I loved making these creations out of air dry clay and can't wait to make more. Michelle is a talented artist (and art journaler!) and you can see more from the class here.

Day two with Miss Mindy. I am in love! With drawing, with Mindy, with creating kooky characters that only make sense to me. This class somehow made me feel like I was in middle school again, drawing Disney characters and dreaming of being an animator, while also satisfying the grown up side of me that's in to pinups and pirates, and also dreams of creating a children's book one day.

I roomed with my hubby Chad, and dear friends Jennifer Joanou, Susan Elliott, Jennie Cook, Gina Armfield, and Alice Joanou in an Officer's house. Jennie is an incredible Chef and prepared ALL of our meals! So our dining table pretty much looked like this at all times, fully covered with journals, food and wine. I miss those journaling nights so much. These peeps are all incredible artists and makers, and inspire me always. Check them out.

The last day, painting with Miss Mindy. More love. Today we added color and paint to our vaudeville inspired creations. It was about the mercat all weekend for me. I'm thinking it's time for me to draw more, and keep developing these characters. Maybe these piratical, sea worthy guys will become my children's book one day. Or a comic? Zine? Paintings? We will see! Thank you Teesha and Tracy!!! There are hundreds of us indebted to you and now connected because of you. It's been a pleasure.