January 10th & 11th Journal Pages

These two pages are the ones I did for Jan. 10 & 11. I've had both focal images in my collage fodder bins for quite a while but hadn't decided how best to use them. The image on the left intrigued me because of the masks. The one on the right because of the bear standing up & wearing a veil. It's funny what catches your eye & prompts you to cut it out and save it for later use!

Yet More Journal Pages

Lots of journal pages being completed the past week. Over the weekend I painted a bunch of pages, then moved on to the collaging & journaling them. I've been creating art journals for as long as I can remember & really love how emotionally expressive they are.

More Journal Pages

Some more journal pages finished. The majority of the ones I've posted are from the A Prompt A Day group. Every day we're giving painting, collage & journal prompts to spark our creativity. I highly recommend the group, offered by Kelly Kilmer.

Because it is a paying group, an on-line course in reality, I won't share what the prompts are (it wouldn't be fair) but I don't mind sharing my completed pages!

Relaxed

Today was a nice, relaxing day. We had snow again so I didn't venture out. I'm pretty much a home-body in the winter so don't go out unless totally necessary. When it's snowing I like to stay in and enjoy watching it fall instead of going somewhere & dealing with messy roads. I often wonder why I live in such a cold climate since I'm not a fan of the cold!

I spent the better part of the day on the back porch, wood fire burning to keep me warm & painted journal pages. I managed to paint 20 pages. Not a record amount, but a decent days efforts. Five are for the Prompt A Day on-line class I'm participating in, the other fifteen are in a large, spiral bound journal I've just started.

In between painting I sipped hot tea, soaked in the hot tub to ease sore muscles (it was brutal walking outside to get to the tub but so worth it once in there!), snuggled my boy & the critters, watched hubby install the new dishwasher and just enjoyed life in general.

Tonight I'm working on collaging the pages I painted & getting completed pages scanned in so I can share them. Nothing terribly exciting, but for me it's one of the best ways to spend an entire day: Creating, relaxing and hanging with those I love.

New Journal Pages

Not feeling my best because of a slip and fall on the ice and the storms we've been having. Been busy working in my art journals though.

Art Journal Round Robin-FULL

I have 12 for the art journal round robin I am doing. Thanks to all who contacted me! I'll be sending you all the link to our journal area ASAP.

Update: 1/30/09--If anyone would like to be included in the next art journal round robin I do (US only please) feel free to leave a comment here, with a way to get in touch with you, and I'll let you know when the next one is organized!

Another Journal Page

This page depicts some of the sadness I feel over the loss of my beloved Nana. She passed away in early Oct. 2008. We always loved sharing a cup of tea together so when I found the picture in a magazine of an elderly woman holding a cup of tea I knew I had to use it.

Many of the hearts seen in my recent work have to do with the pain in my own heart and the healing it is going through. Every time I make a page while thinking about all the emotional turmoil of the past 6 months (not just Nana passing over, but other things as well) my heart heals a bit. Eventually I know my art will help it heal completely.

Art Journal Round Robin

I've decided to host an art journal round robin. I've done them in the past and they are a whole lot of fun. The rules are pretty simple:

1. Limited to US artists only. Sorry all you folks in other countries, but limiting it to the US saves a whole lot of travel time & postage fees.

2. Number of participants is limited to 12.

3. Each artist supplies her own journal. It can either be hand made, store bought or a book you wish to be worked in. the journal should be sturdy and easy to work in. In other words don't choose a vintage book as your journal because the pages will be brittle and hard to work with.

4. Each artist gets to pick her own theme, but it must be clearly defined in the journal what that theme is & you have to be open to each individual artist interpreting the theme in her own way.

5. A sign in page should be in the journal. It can be in the front, back or on a cover but it has to be there. You'll want to know the names and contact info for each artist so having it is a "must".

5. You'll receive a journal in the mail and have 1 month from the date you receive it to mail it off to the next participant. No exceptions on this one!

6. Delivery confirmation must be used when mailing off a journal. Using DC limits a whole lot of problems!!!! Also, you need to let us know when you receive a journal, when it is sent off & the DC#. Again, no exceptions!

Interested? Then leave a comment here with your e-mail address and I'll get in touch with you!!

Journal Pages

I didn't get a lot of art done today because I was cleaning up the mess a leaking dishwasher created, but I did manage to make a journal and finish up some pages I started last night.. I also went and picked out a new dishwasher to replace the ancient, 1971 model that conked out. I'm sure we'll notice a big difference in electric & water usage with the new Amana versus the dinosaur we've been using all these years!

Collate: A Paper Collaboration

After seeing this on Kelly Kilmer's blog I just had to check it out. Sweet Jessie is hosting this totally awesome paper collaboration where each participant sends in 50-70 pieces of paper and for a small fee gets a bound journal of mixed papers in return!!! Being a total paper whore I joined immediately.

My pile of 6" x 9" papers were cut last night, put in an envelope this morning and will be mailed off tomorrow. Now I just need to wait (impatiently) for the day I receive a bound journal in return. Can't wait to get it in my hands and make those first entries!