Journaling, Workshops, and Sketching, Oh My!

Well, there are days and then.....there are days. If you know me personally, then most likely you know some hint of my medical journey, my miraculous medical journey. One day I will write it out, the craziness of it, the unexpected miracles along the way, but for today, I just chose to spend some time journaling about it, or at least about the spine. 

The amount of x-rays I have filed on my computer would convince someone that I was studying to become a Radiologist of some sort. I 'collected' my own, used them when I taught Science, and have a folder of them on my FB page so that home school friends can show their kids what fusions, joint replacements, and screws look like. I even have a plan that when this body decides to kick the bucket, it will go to a local med school so I can leave the world teaching. 

This morning, after choosing the next page in my book, which just so happens to be a chapel, I decided to sketch two versions of my spine, the lumbar and cervical, but not anatomically correct. I basically wanted to get a combination of the screws and plates combined with the hips and brain, but in a really loose, Sharpie sketch process. I then decided to write out some thoughts on living with chronic pain and my journey of kicking 14 meds a day down to one. Life today looks nothing like it did 5 years ago. Yes, there is always pain, but I have come to understand it now, not fight it, and that has allowed me to create, share, teach, and go places I truly never thought I could go again. Oh, and to the doctor who said once upon a time....you are looking at paralysis in both legs....boooyah. I know they have to tell us worst case scenarios but really, tell us with less excitement next time.

Next step, after ghosting the text with gesso, I began to sketch other figures, float in some transparent colors with Golden Fluids, and used my new, neon paint pens to highlight and isolate the screws/pins. I then collaged a few pieces on top, added some more juicy tidbits, and let the page rest. I am considering creating an entire series using my own spinal anatomy, we will see. 

You can view the entire journal with work in progress steps on my FB Profile page

As part of Juliana Coles 'Field Notes' workshop, we are sketching the world around us every day. I have incorporated the sketch practice as part of my daily pages, and am finding that it is transforming my artistic style by leaps and bounds. I doubt I would have pushed myself to sketch as often if it were not for this workshop so I am totally loving the impact it is having on me! These are a few 5-10min sketches I have done with my mini travel kit that stays in my purse. It makes riding in the car or sitting in waiting rooms the perfect time to sketch. 

Yesterday I was able to go and teach a fantastic  torn paper collage workshop in Ocean Springs at the Mary C. O'Keefe Cultural Arts Center. It was lovely, the students were eager, pushed their comfort zones a bit to loosen up, and I do believe everyone was thrilled with their works when they headed out. This type of workshop does my heart good. We talk tips, shortcuts, impact, intent, and products, all within the context of having fun, slinging paint, spreading glue, and ripping paper. What could be more fun? 

I will be teaching other workshops at the Mary C. as well as in Mobile this summer and fall, so if you are looking to attend one, you can visit my website for all the details! 
Hope your Sunday is full of love for yourself and others, and hope the bones of your serenity stay strong as ever. 

The Conundrum of Dreaming Art Journal Page

Ever since I was a child I have had violent dreams. Some, due to life experiences, but I tend to think that the imagination which I reign in during my waking hours goes rampant when I fall asleep. My dreams are in vivid colors, many I remember in graphic details, some I wish I didn't, but all in all, they affect my mood the next morning and at times it is a struggle to shake their influence or impact. 

This journal page tinkers with the idea of dreams, their oddities, their undermeanings, their very nature I think. Dream angels tend to show up quite often and I have come to know them as a protecting force in many of my dreams. Working through dream issues artistically gives me a safe medium to delve into areas I might need to swim in for a bit, discuss with my therapist, or draw inspiration from during the next painting. 

This page started out as an advertisers page in the back of my art book, so I chose to highlight some areas and cover the rest. Chagall's 'Fleurs' were interesting, though vague because of the black and white printing, so I enhanced them with acrylic skins. I also found humor in the ladybug head on the priest's body, then decided to sketch in an angel in the background. 

Besides considering dreams, I wanted to test out my new Neon paint pens, and they were quite dreamy themselves. This journal is turning out quite nicely and I am totally letting my looseness flow rather than attempting to be controlling and tight with my pages. I also don't want my style to appear 'formatted or fixed,' so the chaos of each page is actually intentional, much like my mixed media paintings. 

Hope you might consider altering your own book, if you do, please share some pages with me! You can see my entire journal with its progress pages on my Facebook Page Here. 

An Up and Coming Artist - Meg Alexander

I adore the young people in my life and one of those young ladies, Miss Meg Alexander, invited me to her art show at her local school today, and it thrilled me to see her excitement for the arts, her talent, and to know how well she and her classmates are being educated in the arts. 

Meg's mom is a dear friend and has taken art classes from me, and as Meg has explored the new horizons in art the past few months I began to notice that she has a really mature eye for composition and a mature perspective to discuss the arts for a young lady her age. As a self taught artist myself, seeing the younger generation actually getting to experience art and be educated in it when so many schools are cutting the art programs does me good. It makes me have hope that there are many places where we still value the arts and hold it dear, even within a public school system. 

Meg completed several remarkable art projects this past semester including throwing her own bowl in pottery class, painting a replica of Monet's work, using geometry to create an underwater scene, and using a grid system to draw and paint a version of Mary Cassatt's piece. The entire show was amazing, considering how young the students were, and I couldn't have been more proud of Meg and what she had accomplished. 

I hope her aptitude for art and her eye for composition continue to grow and develop and one day I will be visiting Meg's work in her own gallery! For today, I was thrilled to be able to view it next to her other classmates, they did a great job and hats off to their teacher as well! 

Page Prepping and Rosemarie Beck Art Journal Pages

Today was one of those magnificent weather days that make you excited to be alive, blessed to be breathing clean air, and want to hug trees all day. Thanks to my dear hubs he built me an outdoor studio so on days like today, I can sling paint to my hearts desire and not worry about the mess, all the while watching orange headed Skinks scatter about. 

I scored an amazing new journal that I can't wait to break in, love the words of affirmation on the leather cover! 

Most of the afternoon though,  I spent prepping journal pages for my mixed media journal and class, "Field Notes," by Juliana Coles. The class is amazing so far and never did I expect to have so many incredible assignments, videos, and suggested ideas thrown at me in an online workshop. These pages were prep work and will eventually be filled with tons of assignments during the course of our class. 

I also spent some time reading the first section of Nicolaide's "The Natural Way To Draw" which is written so precisely that just about anyone willing to put forth the effort can learn to draw. Thanks to his inspiration, I became inspired to finish one of my journal pages using some of his suggestions and chose the beginning page of the interview for Rosemarie Beck, a fascinating figurative artist who was with us until 2003.  

(This is the quote at the beginning of the book)

The photograph and interview of Rosemarie, from my journal "Perspectives On The Arts" was a juxtaposition in contrast and ease of conversation, so I opted to try my hand at gestural sketching using my non dominant hand. I used graphite, a blue Neocolor Pastel, Micron Pen in pink, and a water soluble graphite stick. Each study lasted only about a minute or two, and then I wrote a few quotes and thoughts from my own voice as well as Nicolaide's across her dress. The journal page was more about letting loose, trying something new, and reflecting on the brilliance of both of these artists who have blazed a trail for me. 

This past weekend was full of surprises, a great Artwalk, and a beautiful Mother's Day where I was able to spend it not only with my own mother, son, and family, but also with my step daughter and her family which made it so much more special. She is an incredible mother and it is a joy watching her grow as a parent. Art is about life, and the most beautiful parts of it, in my opinion, are the celebrations of family. 

Mixed Media Workshop at the Mary C. O'Keefe Cultural Arts Center

May 18th is fast approaching and I am psyched to be teaching a mixed media workshop at the Mary C. O'Keefe Cultural Arts Center. We will be painting papers, creating glorious textures, and then ripping them up to create a mixed media collage on canvas! Each student will leave with a pile of painted papers and a finished painting, similar to this Pelican or other coastal life theme. If you haven't gotten mom a Mother's Day gift, this class would be a great idea! 

YOU CAN REGISTER HERE! 

Table With A View Art Journal Page

The inspiration of nature, three blind contour sketches, and collage equals a totally zen morning of journaling. 

Started with a few magazine pics that were oh, so inspiring. 

Got my sketch on with images from outside the window and inside my mind!

Added some really loose, acrylic washes, Neo Colors, and Markers. 

Went on to add some blind contour sketching with water soluble graphite, vine charcoal, Sharpie, and a paint pen. 

Last layers, isolated the text I loved from the initial page, added my own in regards to nature, and finished it off with a few hints of bright white. This was a quick page, but I loved that about it. If you are inclined to try your hand at sketching from the real world, join us on Juliana Cole's Field Notes online class. It isn't too late, and it is fabulous!

You can view my entire album of these journal pages on my Facebook Page.