Strathmore Workshop - Pam Carriker

I decided to take an online workshop hosted by Pam Carriker and Strathmore using their Visual Journal and my Recyled Journal Pages.  The frustrating part of this is....for whatever reason...I can't actually open the videos!!  So...I went to YouTube and looked at some of Pam's videos that she's done with Strathmore...at least I can capture some of her techniques there.

So the first page in the book...I figured I needed a "dedication"...and found the quote in a magazine that I was clipping last night....

And so the journey begins...I can almost assure you that I will add more to these two pages...

Two Heads Are Better Than One

And the word is....OPUS

You know....I recommend a Word Journal for every one...it doesn't have to be an "art" thing....but words are powerful.  


I watched a movie on TV recently that I wanted to see when it came out in the theater...and it's been on TV numerous times....and it was made in 1995....and yet, I had never taken the time to see it....it's Mr. Holland's Opus and it's a fantastic movie that everyone should see....we are all teachers of some sort....and those who make teaching their profession...it should be required viewing.  I can't believe I hadn't seen it before now...but better late than never.  
So...inspired by this movie, the next word in my Word Journal is.... OPUS.  

The top photo is the left page, the one directly above is the right photo.  Here they are together....  underneath the cd cover I have written about how music is a big part of the memories of one's life....going to dances, a song that makes you think of your first boyfriend, special moments in history, places you've lived and so on.   In the end, think of your life as a musical composition..how would it sound...hopefully those you've touched...will applaud at the end."

My Art Room just keeps getting better.....

Boomer likes it....

Decided to make a major change in the space and move the desk from my kitchen into this room...because I wanted my computer, printer, everything all together....well, I had no idea how it would affect my computer/phone connections which are all tied into ...cable.  So  I've had one of those weeks where I spent more time than I ever want to spend again on the phone with the cable company...they don't speak the Queen's English either....and I had the cable guy here last night....and I had my computer techie neighbor here today...and I think I'm finally good to go.....isn't technology grand?  But I couldn't blog without it....

I think I'm about at 85% of where I want to be in finally getting this room to look the way I want....and be user friendly for what I want to do.  Maybe 90%...The light from the windows is so bright with the snow.....

Can We Just Move On To February?

OK....it's winter...I get that, but I'm ready for the January thaw.  Between the post Christmas blizzard and the 18+ inches dumped on us last night...I've had my "fix" of snow....

 The top photo is looking out at the dining table on my deck and the bottom photo is looking out the window in my art room.  It is all beautiful...no doubt about that, but it's going to be there for awhile....lots of schlepping in boots.  Ugh.

The Art Cabinet

Still working on the cabinet....at a snail's pace, but I thought I would show the latest.  The gold star needs another coat of paint and you can't see that there's a bit of gold on the dental molding on the top of the piece.  I do love this piece....it's come a long way from being the sad, old cabinet that probably was someone's pride and joy dining room cabinet...a very long time ago.  I'm giving it a new life.

The Word Journal - Addition

Nothing like some snow to keep you in your art space....I love it.  I just did these two pages.  When I first thought about doing a Word Journal, I was going to be very selective about the words I chose....but as so often happens when I'm doing these "art journal pages"....things go off in another direction which is what happened today.  


For whatever reason, maybe it's because my bird feeder fell into the snow....stick with me...this is going somewhere....but "birds" were on my mind.
The next thing I know is I'm thinking of an old song from my early high school days (the kind of tune that drove parents crazy just like rap music does today),   I thought of Surfin Bird by The Trashmen.  That was a song that would get everybody dancing....if you grew up then...you know what I mean.  So..."the word is the bird"!


And...not to forget the art part....I created another pocket to put more "words & phrases" in for use in other art as seen on the left side of the page.

The Word Journal - The Cover

In A Word

I've been playing with my new word journal- altered book.  The cover of this book is actually a royal blue.  I gessoe'd it and when I first used this stencil that was in the scrapbooking section of Michael's, I did the spaces in different colors of sage green, pale orange, golden yellow....and I didn't like it at all...it just didn't "pop"...and it didn't speak to me.  So...the beauty of gesso....I covered it all over, added a coat of white paint and then did the holes in black.

Do you remember those black and white composition books we all grew up with in school?  Well...I think of this as sort of my version.  I spent last night cutting words out of whatever I could find...magazines, catalogs, etc., and these are what I came up with.  There is no connection to the words...they are just random...but I do like all of them.

I haven't decided on the back cover yet, but it might just be the reverse of this...I'm working on another inside page at the moment....playing with words...

Last Post of 2010

Still a work in progress....but getting there....

 DO WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY!

Putting Christmas Away

Since I go back to work on Monday and don't want to spend the weekend cleaning after the holidays, I got it done today.  Besides, I've often heard (perhaps an old wives tale) that it's bad luck to have your tree up on New Year's Day...it gives me an incentive anyway.... I was putting away the santas on my mantle and had to share....  In the photo below is my grandmother's baby cup ( my mother's mother) and her name was Virginia....you guessed it....yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.  And the sign the Santa is holding is what I wish for the planet...  PEACE....will it ever happen?

Last Treat of 2010...

I decided to treat myself this morning....so I made popovers.  If you've never had a popover....to die for.  Eat while it's hot and the butter melts and add some great preserves.  A little bowl of berries and a cup of java....it was divine.  Enjoyed while looking out the window at my bird feeder....
If you didn't have a nice breakfast this morning....tomorrow is the beginning of a brand new year....start anew.

...and the WORD is.....MUSE

 

I started an altered book yesterday and it's going to be all about "words".  The book will serve two purposes....I will include pages that feature a single word that interests me...and...it will also serve as a book that stores all of the little phrases and words that I cut out of magazines and catalogues that I use in doing collage.  The picture above is a page on the left side of my book featuring the word...MUSE.  Love the word.  And I just happened to have this wonderful tissue paper from the Metropolitan Museum of Art....and there...you find "muse" in Museum....I love it when things come together like this.  Here's  the next photo...

 I created the left side page before I did this right hand page.  This page contains a pocket.  The background of the pocket is a piece of black & white scrapbooking paper.  I used that same paper in the first photo...inside the cd sleeve which makes a wonderful window.  I added metal letters that spell out "muse".  The pocket contains a plastic sleeve into which I placed words and phrases that I will use in other collage work.  So...not only educational but useful storage as well!  I can add and substract words from the envelope.  And I can see them....

Here are both pages together...I hope you are...amused!

Greetings of the Season

I haven't written a single Christmas card this season....so this is my greeting!  Actually, it would be nice if I painted this scene instead of uploading a photo...maybe next year.  My packages are wrapped, some family arrives today...I need to vacuum and dust and make a pot of soup.  I don't need to leave my house today...thank goodness!  In NYC...it's a "gridlock alert" day! What does that tell you....can't we turn back the clock and just simplify the season a bit and remember what we're really celebrating here?  Retailers rush us from one holiday to the next...you could actually find your Valentine a gift today...I've already seen them in the stores.  I'm just going to "tune out" all of this commercial stuff and enjoy my family, good food and celebrate the true meaning of Christmas.
 

A Few of My Favorite Things....

Take a breath....

This and That

The Art Cabinet

Painting this is not without it's challenges, but you can sort of see the direction I am going with this....still have lots to do.

A Work In Progress

I've been wanting a cabinet that I could "put my own stamp" on ever since I converted my den to my art space.  Previously, I had a large cabinet in the corner where this one is ....but it was designed for a TV.  It outlived its purpose in this room.  So....I wandered into a home interior consignment shop last Saturday....and there was this cabinet.  I definitely wanted one that had glass on top and drawers and storage underneath for my art supplies.  This is an old, tired cabinet that needs some TLC ( it may not look that way in the photo).  And I am going to definitely change it from the traditional piece that it is.  Paint is a wonderful thing! 
So, today I sanded off the old varnish and put a coat of primer on it.  

I had a great chat with my local hardware store about what I want to do, looked at some colors and discussed glazes.  I can't wait to get to the fun part! 

Come Sit Awhile....

I had fun doing this little vignette.  I put a color wash on the paper and then I added the napkin which is the wall in this picture.   I love the texture that the napkin adds.  I then painted the carpeting in.  If you look closely, you can see the subtle pattern in the rug that is the same design that appears on the back of the chair.  On a separate piece of watercolor paper, I painted the chair which I then cut out and glued to the picture.  Ta da.  Fun.

Like a Tree....

I was taking a picture of a tree in my neighbors yard and as I was walking back to my yard, I was fascinated by the shadows...and here is how I saw myself. This photo turned out to be more interesting than the tree.

La Dolce Vita

A friend of mine recently took a wonderful trip to Florence and other parts of Italy.  And she brought me a lovely gift.  So I sat down last night to write her a thank you note....but I ended up creating this oversized postcard instead.   The paisley paper on the upper left side is from the bag my gift came in; also the little oval sticker Venezia and the word "ilDoge" and the man in the upper right hand corner.  I could feel a "little bit of Italy" myself while creating this picture for her....

The Process

I've been making a hand made book.  I find it a tedious process because....I am not a mathemetician, I have little patience for detail and I just want to "do it"...I don't really enjoy the learning curve part of it.  That's true of everything I attempt....when I was younger, I didn't want to be on a tennis court learning the game....I just wanted to get out there and play....and not look inept.  So....here's my first book attempt.  It's made with signatures sewn together and the cover was made using a roofing paper that I gesso'd, added texture to, and then used crayons for the color that, after I applied them, I used a lot of elbow grease to blend together.    Then I sanded it.   It has 16 pages (32).  The cover actually feels neat...has nice texture to it which isn't visible in this photo.   It's not perfect, but I guess it's good for starters. 
This is the inside front cover....

Now....what's going to go inside? 

This House Haunts Me....

...and it has nothing to do with Halloween.  I know this house must have quite a story.  It's in a nearby town and whenever there is some holiday or celebration....they put up appropriate decorations whether it's "flag" decorations for Memorial Day or, in this case, Halloween.  There's an autumn wreath in the picture window and something orange hanging inside the front door which you can't see.  They have  potted Mums on the steps.  There is a Halloween banner (flag) that's not quite visible as well.  You can see lots of wear and tear...moss on the roof, a sagging side porch.  And, that's possibly a satellite dish on the front porch.  What's its story?  It looks sad...but I hope there are some happy memories there.  But I have to say....if I were trick or treating...I might just walk on by....

Having fun with the Red, White & Blue

When I first started the Red, White & Blue journal, I was only going to work on the right side of the book and just put a wash of color on the left side pages.  But ideas have come to me and now I have done work on the "opposite pages" so I will share/update you, below:

 See how they look together....

 I did the "Jaws" page earlier in the summer...and when I looked at it the other day, I realized I had this cute polka dot piece....that relates so well to the drawing of the woman...in her polka dot piece.  I found some great things to add...a movie receipt from "Easy Virtue", the Drop Dead Gorgeous...and I especially like the line going up the left side..."Everyone else brought wine"...that's why doing collage is so much fun.  The pages just work so well together.

And I added a page opposite Tom at Bethany Beach...

 And I added some more embellishments to my "Vette" page....

 It's back to work tomorrow, so I won't have this luxury of time...but I've certainly been enjoying myself.  I would venture to say that I have altered every page I've already posted...because you're never really finished with a page....it can always use that ...one more thing....

October is....

The Woods behind my house

The garden shed in the sunlight

A woodpile waiting  for a cold day

A black cat

 Lots of pumpkins.... 

And my cutie pie, c. 1989

GONE FISHIN'

  I think this is my favorite month of the year.  This week I've taken some R & R and my sister and brother-in-law were here for a visit.  Dianne & I have been to an outdoor flea market, traveled the back roads for a yummy breakfast, visited two art friends in a town north of my home and spent some quality time together.  We've had a fun time! Below is a page I did this week in my Red, White & Blue journal.  My friend, Janet, who we visited this week....has created the most beautiful, fascinating, interesting array of handmade books....so .....I came home from our visit, inspired.   

I collaged some newspaper pieces underneath the tags that I made, that are attached with buttons.  Now, being true to my American flag which I hope to have on every page, large or small....if you move the tags aside....

 ....there is a photo of the flag on the front page of our local newspaper.  This art work appears opposite the fish picture I did that is "Fish Wrapped In Yesterday's News".....which appears elsewhere on this blog.  Here is how they look together...

I think I'm done with fish now for awhile.  And I don't even like to fish!

It's All About The Light

I hate it when I have something I really want to write about....and I don't have the time.  And now it's days later and I'm not sure I can capture and share the thought as well as I could when it was fresh.  I've been reading a really interesting book by Barbara Brown Taylor called "An Altar in the World."  She is really a marvelous writer and I have so many tabs in this book that I want to go back and reread!  

But as a person who is interested in art and in "fine-tuning" my spirit, "the" light is very important....thus the photo above that I took a few months ago.
 
Here is a snippet from her book that I love...

"Once, when I was confined to bed for the better part of a week, I spent hours watching the sunlight that came through the slats of my wooden blinds move down the white wall of my bedroom.  First thing in the morning it made honey-colored rectangles with soft edges.  By 10am the wall was striped with bands of light as straight as rulers.  By noon they looked more like the rungs of a ladder, dappled with leaves from the winged elm outside my window.  By 2pm they had lost most of their character, as the sun moved over the roof of the house and left the front yard in deepening shadow."

She goes on to say....

"This may sound boring to you, but it was not.  It was beautiful.  It gave me a place outside myself to go.  I did not have to do anything to make the light change.  It had a routine it followed all by itself whether I was awake to watch it or not.  If I did not like the way the light looked at a given moment, I knew it would change.  If I loved the way the light looked at a given moment, I knew it would change.  I could not speed it up and I could not slow it down.  
Not to put too fine a point on it, the light was my life and I knew it.  Paying attention to it, I lost my will to control it.  Watching it, I became patient.  Letting it be, I became well." 

I couldn't condense what she wrote above and still capture the essence of what she was saying.  It's quite beautiful.

Leaves of Blue

It's nice to have different projects going and every now and then, it's back to the Red, White & Blue journal.  I wanted to do a page that had something to do with fall....I considered doing a tree that had zentangles (that's on the back burner now) but after I gessoe'd this page, I ended up putting a blue wash on it.  I still didn't really know what I was going to do, but keeping in mind that this is the red, white & blue book....it wasn't going to be autumn colors.  So I then took this new rubber stamp that I have of an oak leaf and I used blue ink and stamped all over the page.  Now what?   I had to get some red in....so I took a red watercolor pencil and started going around the leaves negative space.  That was working so I took my paintbrush and started moving the red around a bit.  When that was dry....I took a white ink pen and drew the tree.  Then I had some of this red and white paper leftover from an envelope that I received....added that, (actually, the design of the paper reminds me a little bit of the way the curves of the leaves are...) and, of course, our flag in the corner.  The final touch was a little bit of charcoal shadow around parts of the tree that I then rubbed in.  C'est fini.