week 12 for 365-2 (part 1)

March 17-23 - this week I got a jump on my Documented Life page and finished up my round robin journal page. I'm finding that this 365 commitment is perfect for me. It's helping keep me focused on creating daily but flexible enough to work on anything that comes my way.  I'm loving my art so far this year....

#76 - the last spread for Peggy's round robin journal page..... a collage of gardeny images from seed catalogs and a garden book set off by a pretty floral flap - under the flap, some lettering.

#77 - Documented Life week 12 - the theme is to cut up a magazine page and ADD stuff.  I opened a magazine 'Destinations', a luxury travel magazine from work and got to cutting..... I don't usually finish my DL layout so early in the week, but it just sort of jumped onto the page..... I doodled here and there....

This is a very different type of page for me. I don't usually write personal notes in my journals, but we've had a stressful week, full of job and financial worries and it just felt right.  It's obviously weighing on my mind because the first words I noticed were Blue and Story - that's me this week. - everything on this page refers back to my worried state of mind this week.....

#78 - I hadn't done anything today; I was tired from work, stressed with personal stuff and tried to talk myself out of making art.  Then I went upstairs to check laundry, walked by the art room, went in and lo and behold, my art journal called to me.  I didn't have the interest to do something very complicated and in fact found a couple of pages that I made last year as I was playing with techniques.  I added circles and circles and circles with oil pastels, a bit of acrylic and black ink.  I'm still searching for 'peace of mind' so the circles are more indicative of how my brain is working these days.

#79 - So here's creativity in progress - :) - I spent a good part of the day figuring out my book format for my ALAW project.  Originally I was going to do a flag book but I decided it wouldn't work with my alphabet. So, back to the drawing board (literally) and some cutting and folding while I worked out how things might fit.

That's my week so far.....hope yours is going well!

week 11 of 365-2 (part 2)

Finishing my week out with this bit of creativity (Mar 10-17):

#73 - the Documented Life theme for this week is to use a bird on your page in some way - that's an easy one.....I love using birds in my art.

#74 - I've joined another round robin with the great ladies of the first journal round robin I did. This time we're just sending a single folio created on watercolor paper to be bound into some type of book when the swap is complete. My first pages are for Peggy who chose "nature" as her theme.

The starting point is a photo I took of a park in Savannah - I used acrylics over collaged text papers to extend the image.  In reality the paint colors are a bit more vibrant......

#75 - another page in Peggy's round robin journal - thought the bird and flowers carried her nature theme....

Also, finished up my letters for the ALAW "place" theme......I'm going to present them in a flag book so that's the next step.  I haven't made one before so I'm planning on making a practice one since my letters are done a bit early....

O-Oregon; P-Philadelpha; R - Rabat, Morocco; S - Suzhou China; T - Tenerife (Canary Islands); U - Utah

V - Vermont; W - Washington; X - Xian China; Y - Yellowstone; Z - New Zealand; J - Jamaica

I'm looking forward to another week of creative endeavors - and to seeing what you all are up to!

reflections on art

I follow lots of art and artist blogs - I spend my lunch hour at work catching up on what they're doing, but time is short so I do lots of skimming - only an occasional comment.  But, every once in a while a piece of art or post comments give me pause.  I came across this, posted by Dina Wakely and just had to share.  This is a partial quote - click here to read all her thoughts.  And, if you're not familiar with Dina's talent, take a moment to visit her site and get a sense of her delightful, very personal style.

• I consider what I do "art for everyone." What I mean by that is what I do is perfect for you if you have the desire to create and express, but don't necessarily have art-school-quality skill. I don't have art-school-quality skill. But I do have a burning love for art; I love making it, talking about it, looking at it. I art journal so I can express, play, and improve my skills. I art journal because if I don't pour out my soul, I go crazy. I art journal to leave my mark.
• What I do is messy. I like mess, spills, grunge. Yep, I like mess. I'm good with it. (me: I love her grungy faces filled with personality)
• Art is subjective. Yes it is, indeedy. What I do might not be art to you, and that's fine. It's art to me, and that's what matters. One of the great things about art is there are SO many types, kinds, styles. This is why I love mixed-media. The mixed-media community is generous and accepting of different types of alternative art, as well as different skill levels, without passing judgement.

I use her quote because I can't say it better myself AND I need the reminder.  "It's art to me and that's what matters".  So ladies, keep creating, keep making and sending mail art, painting, keep working in your journals, keep sharing your efforts, your progress, your joy.  We love sharing in your journey and your successes.

I finished a few more letters in my ALAW project - "PLACE" - places we've visited represented by a letter....  Melbourne (Aus), Kauai, Hangzhou (China), Nice (France), Las Vegas, Indianapolis (Indy 500)

Happy Sunday and happy creating!

week 9 for 365-2 (part 2)

Here's what I've been up to for the end of the week 9:

#59 - Documented Life, week 9 - the theme is "collage something you recycle".  My fairly random collage is all recycled....a dictionary page, a painty baby wipe, a painty deli paper, a napkin from a local restaurant. I just love how napkins turn transparent with a little matte medium!  On the other page, I'm trying upping my journaling part a bit.....focusing mainly on art activities, but also tracking the weather (just cuz it's fun to look back and remember what was going on).  We'll see how long this part holds.....

#60 -  I've been working on my first ALAW (a letter a week) project for this year.  Fiona offers one theme and then one alpha can be whatever you choose.  The theme is "place" for this year and since I actually have an idea for that one, I'm tackling it first.  Again I'm using my photos and photoshop -  each photo is of a place we've visited......

So here we have letters for Austria, Barcelona, Cozumel, Disneyland, Florence and Gibraltar (rock of :))  Stay tuned....

#61 - Worked on the diptych some more - still not loving it but it's done for now.....I think it's time to step away and see how I feel later cuz right now I'm feeling like covering it all in gesso and starting over!

This was an interesting corner that developed as I was covering up a section I didn't like in the lower left corner. Ultimately I decided it didn't work with the rest of the piece, but have the photo to print and use as a background elsewhere.....

I also really like this section - the scribble text on deli paper (Jane Davies idea) peeks through and I really like it.  Again, you'll probably see it as a journal background or something. :)

Thanks for checking in and sharing your thoughts......

2013 was a good year

2013 was a very good year for me creatively.  I settled into some comfort levels with my artistic endeavors; I tried new techniques and solidified some old stand-bys.  A few days ago I read Hanna's list of accomplishments and why she thought it important to write them down.  Then I read Karen's.  Then Tammy's. All busy, talented ladies who convinced me that there's value to tracking where you've been so you can figure out where you're going.

Hanna even wrote a list of 10 reasons why you should list your accomplishments.....the reasons that spoke to me from her list are:  list making is fun (!), document the positive, and being grateful.

As I started my list in my Documented Life notebook, I found I wasn't able to remember much.  So I browsed back through my blog posts, photos I took last year, I looked through my card 'journal', I looked at my mail art, reading and movie lists. I played off the lists of those other women to help me remember some of my own accomplishments.  So here goes.......

My biggest goal for the year was to make 365 collages, which I did.  Woohoo! I experimented with composition, size, color, and material (even made some from wood veneer).

I sent out 375 pieces of mail art.

I participated in 25 MMSA mail art swaps (Karen hosted 45) and a hand full of Swap Bot swaps.

MMSA bird swap

I turned a spare bedroom into my own personal art space and love having the space to gather hoard materials and work in my own messy space!  I love that I have a sewing "zone", painting "zone", collage "zone" and plenty of room to stack books and papers.

Participated in Hanna's spring postcard swap and Kat's Liberate Your Art postcard swap.

I completed Tammy's summer ICAD challenge for the third year (don't think I finished the first year).

Read 49 books and saw 124 movies (mostly Netflix.....only 7 in a theater).

I took a glass blowing class (a Christmas gift from my son last year).

I painted a few canvases that I like well enough to hang in the house.  I created my first "art series" - four 6x6 mixed media pieces.

I sent naked pumpkins through the mail to friends and family for Thanksgiving.  Picked up the pumpkins at the $1 store, decorated them and sent them - everyone was VERY surprised to receive them.

I created a book for Dan for his 60th birthday.  I contacted friends and family and asked for a written memory to share, typed them up on digitally enhanced pages and made a book.  I was trying for 60 memories but think I ended up with a little over 50.....pretty good!

I had one of my ALAW projects selected for a gallery show.  It was exciting to bundle it up and send it off but unfortunately the show was in Australia so I didn't get to go.

Though my goal was two, I did finish one ALAW project in 2013.

I created a photo book commemorating our trip to China a couple years ago with Dan's siblings and spouses.  I created the 100 page books digitally and when Winkflash had their sale, I ordered them for Christmas gifts.

When we went on vacation (cruise and a week in Florida) I actually planned ahead and took a small bin of art supplies so that I could draw and sort of keep up with my collage challenge.  I discovered it's fun to have art supplies on hand when I'm home in the evenings with my tired feet up.  Won't ever travel again without SOME kind of art supplies with me.

I participated in my first ever round robin event with five other ladies.  Though a little intimidating working in someone else's journal, I got over it and found it was really fun.  This was a great group of women who mailed on time and kept everyone's journal safe. AND filled the journals with beautiful work!

I broke down and bought a gelli plate which gave me hours of pleasure and experimentation and created stacks of collage fodder.

I sold some of my photos through my ETSY shop.  I added new photos and changed my shop to allow the photos to be downloaded or ordered as a photo print.  (it's a virtual frame)

I worked on improving my lettering styles and skills.

From the round robin journals

I've started exploring Instagram and though I don't use it a ton yet, I will use it more in 2014.

So, I guess my year was more productive than I thought.  Plus all these activities were satisfying, rewarding, enriching, and most of all, FUN!

What did you accomplish last year?

AEDM #14 and ALAW

So how many of you remember ALAW?  I've been conspicuously quiet about that project, but I haven't forgotten it.....just had it on the back burner.  Quick reminder:  ALAW is "a letter a week" creation with the goal of completing two complete alphabets over the course of a year and then come up with a way to display the letters.

My zentangle alphabet presented in a concertina format was selected for the exhibition.

Started and hosted by Fiona at Paper Ponderings, this is the third year.  This year she realized a long-held goal of creating an exhibition of some of the works created in this challenge.  She gathered 63 works by 29 artists from 6 countries (and I'm one of them -woohoo!) and the exhibition goes through November I think.  Unfortunately for me, the gallery is in ...... Australia!  But for my long distance buddies, try and go see the works in person!

My first alphabet for the year is actually my least favorite so far - the lettering was only okay and the book didn't match what was in my head - disappointing.

The brief for the challenge is that the individual letters max out at 7cm X 7cm (about 2.75") and that one of the two alphabets follow a suggested theme.  This year the theme is peace.  I have to say, that gave me the most trouble......LOTS of thought went in to how to represent that.  I finally settled on an idea and have been working on it now and then.

I plan to make a flag book - I've loved the idea of this form forever but never tried it, so now is the time.


I couldn't get my head around how to represent peace on any sort of global peace, so I brought it down to my level.  My personal peace, how I find it, how I see it.  Calm, tranquil, quiet - words that evoke peace.  Blues, greens = peaceful colors. I am incorporating my photography by using closeups that capture a peaceful feeling then adding lettering in the calm of blue and green.  Here's what I have so far:

(an Instagram pic! :))  Each of the 26 images will have a word on it that reflects some aspect of peace to me.  The black letters are my patterns....I now have to cut out each letter in the actual paper. I have all 26 photo/word 'pages' done so.....I'm on my way!  One of the hard things to figure out is what to put on the reverse side of each photo/word image - haven't decided if I should paint, color, paper, or what..

Shared with AEDM - almost half way!

ALAW done!

My first alphabet book of the year is finally done.  Hosted by Fiona, ALAW (a letter a week) is a fun way to play with lettering and create 2 alphabet books (or whatever display method you like) a year.  I'm a little behind in settling on the format for this alpha and I'm not 100% in love with it, but I like the idea and will play with it more.

Inspired by a project in the new issue of Pages magazine by Wen Redmond, I used an ultra simple book "binding".  I cut a narrow notch in the top and bottom of each page then used ribbon to tie it all up. You can see the notches as I show you the pages below.

I used a sheet of mulberry type paper I had on hand, tore the sheets so I got the deckle edge, used watercolor - every shade of blue I had - to do my mark making, added black circles here and there.  If I were to do it again I'd do the letters on the same paper as the book or on a more contrasting paper (I used bristol paper), but since I didn't know what I was going to do with the letters, I just picked a paper and started.  I was pleasantly surprised at how well the mulberry paper held up to the watercolors.

For the first time, I actually know exactly what I'm going to do for my next book.  The theme is "peace" and I'm going to use my photography, lettering and a flag book format to create an interactive book.  I'm excited to get started!  Please wander over to the ALAW blog when you have a few minutes and see the huge variety of projects and lettering mediums. As usual, the creativity is just amazing!