Orly Avineri Nature Journaling Summer Workshop

The frigid cold temperatures outside make me think of summer and the nature journaling workshop that I took with Orly Avineri this July on Whidbey Island.  Here's a peek at my journal.  The front cover-

 the back cover-

First page-

Forest collections-

Another page-

She let go and burst into flame-

Collections from the seashore-

This workshop challenged me to think about and play with the differences of literal and abstract art explorations and interpretations.

Remembering Summer - A Travel Journal

I created this little 6x6 inch journal to hold my memories of this summer.  The cover is book board cut down from a novel I finished reading and the pages are painted watercolor paper.

I used the freezer paper that I painted the pages on, scanned it into the computer, and worked with Photo Shop to make the covers.  The book cloth binding is dupioni silk and cloth buttons from Japan.  I use Xyron machine adhesive to attach the covers to the book board, the book binding and end papers. Then, stitched the pages into the book.

Before finishing the covers, I added the words that described my summer.

The title page includes a Swedish proverb, "A life without love is like a year without summer".  As the days get shorter and darker, these memories add light.

In June, I went to the Focus on Book Arts conference in Forest Grove, OR, made a little zine and took a Washington State road trip in July.

The trip started with a long weekend on Lake Chelan with my book group.  We took the three hour ferry to Stehekin- a trip I highly recommend.

Then, I spent two weeks on Whidbey Island in Puget Sound.  In the next post, I'll describe one of the workshops I took with Jane Davies.

Brenda Shackleford's Book Binding Workshop

Brenda Shackleford taught my last ArtFest workshop entitled "Get Your Sheets Together". It's a book binding method based on Keith Smith's "Single Sheet Sewing". In May, I'm planning a trip to New Mexico and decided to bind my travel journal using this technique.

A highlight of this day was spending it with friends and fellow students- Penelope Harris, Marty Wallace, Jann Sage and Karen Shafer.

This technique is great for binding together all different kinds of materials- heavy paper, metal, wood, canvas, pieces of artwork, artist trading cards, you name it. I took the covers of an old dictionary, attached ribbons to the cover and a NM state map on the inside cover.

The pages are from a box of 3M graphic arts film that someone in my art group gave to me years ago. The heavy paper sheets measure 16x20 inches and are like 300# hotpress watercolor paper. I tested it and it takes water media and ink really well. I think this was the the paper between the sheets of the film in the box. It says use before 2/93 on the label. I cut the pages to size and added some folded file folder pockets that I stitched on the spine side with the cover ribbon.
I'm looking forward to binding other books using this sewing method. I like how the pages lay flat which makes them easier to write text, sketch images and paint. Next month, I'll post photos of my completed travel journal.

the Artist and the Naturalist

Last week, a friend loaned me a book by Hannah Hinchman entitled Little Things in a Big Country- an artist and her dog living on the Rocky Mountain Front. She writes about the change of seasons on her ranch near Augusta, Montana. Her wonderful drawings and artwork make this little gem a visual treat. Each chapter begins with a hand drawn map the describes where she is. Her illustrated maps are one of my favorite parts of the book along with her descriptive text.

Her book reminds me of another favorite book that chronicles a time and place. Henry Beston wrote The Outermost House about his experience living on Cape Cod in the 1920's. Both books made me realize how much I am drawn to artists who are also naturalists- whether poet, painter, writer, photographer or other visual artist.

Poet John Caddy's website, Morning Earth, explores the relationship between expressive art and the natural world. For years, I've admired the work of the artist/naturalists listed here and others. They inspire me and provide a focus for my own artwork. Here's another one of Hannah's books A Life in Hand- creating the illuminated journal.

She was one of the first artists to popularize keeping an illustrated journal as a daily practice. Cathy Johnson attributes Hannah's book to changing how she keeps her own sketchbooks. Cathy is presenting a free online Watercolor Sketching Workshop through Strathmore Papers this month. Her workshop is the second one and starts March 1st. You can register anytime.

All of this inspired me to sketch again. Maybe it's the longing for Spring. I want to become an artist and a naturalist- to be outdoors, write and illustrate my own urban landscape.

Journal Kits for Open Doors Art Show and Sale

This year for our Portland Art Collective Open Doors Art Show and Sale, I've made journal kits. Each kit includes a twenty page 5 x 8 inch journal with Vellum Bristol 80# paper, a Pentel water brush and a Coptic Multiliner water proof pigment ink pen and...

a palette with fifteen different Peerless Transparent Water Colors. A "How-to-Journal" Zine completes the kit.
The kit contains everything that one needs to make a travel, garden, art or personal journal.

File Folder Journal

One of my trips this month took me to Guemes Island and an art retreat with Seattle and Vancouver, BC friends. One of my goals was to complete a file folder journal. I first read the instructions for this journal in the January/February 2011 issue of Cloth, Paper, Scissors in an article by Heidi Sekovski and Karin Winter on making art from office supplies. My friend, Robin Olsen, made her fabric version of the journal seen HERE.

I like the idea of removable cards to write on both sides and add drawings or photos. The cards fit into neat little pockets made by folding the file folder up and sewing it into place. CELESTE brought her sewing machine and I had fun using different decorative stitches for the edges of the cards. Her blog shares photos of our retreat. Below are the next set of pockets and cards. I used a teabag colored distress ink pad to tie the pages together and give it an aged look.


Here's the back cover-
I've had so many wonderful experiences this summer- the beach, the mountains, art retreats and workshops, bicycle rides and hikes. It's felt so good to be outdoors and enjoy the sunshine. Our summer came late this year in the Northwest but has rewarded us with many sunny, warm days. I plan to chronicle my summer in this little journal.

Seattle International District Photo Crawl

This weekend, we had a Seattle photo crawl in the International District. Last year for our first photo crawl, we went to Pike Street Market. You can read about it HERE.

GWEN organizes our experience and makes little journals for us to use with our photos. We bring our cameras, Pogo printers and journaling supplies for a fun, creative day. JAN and I came up from Portland. DAWN, Lynne and LOUIE joined us.

Dragon Fest activities filled the streets with lots of vendors, food booths and people.

We spent three hours exploring the International District with our cameras- Chinatown and Historic Japantown or Nihonmachi.

We walked up the hill to see Kobe Park and the community gardens. We met at the Panama Hotel Coffee and Tea Room for lunch. We had a big table to print our photos and work in our journals.

My back journal cover has a Maneki Neko or Japanese good luck cat with "good luck" in Kanji stamped on page.
For a fun activity, organize a photo crawl in your neighborhood.

Art Journal Zine Giveaway

The past month, I've been busy finishing an art journal zine for a swap with my Guemes Island retreat friends. I made a couple extra copies and want to give one away to my blog readers. Comment on this post and I'll put your name in a hat and draw a winner next a week. The big announcement will be November 12th. Good luck!

I've always wanted to create a zine. When I tell people about it, they ask "What is a zine?"

Wikipedia defines a zine this way- "A zine (an abbreviation of the word fanzine, or magazine; "zeen") is most commonly a small circulation publication of original or appropriated texts and images." I call it a self-published, mini-magazine.

Alma Stoller sponsors an annual zine exchange. iHanna has a great post about zines on her blog. Art zine themes vary from fiber arts to painting to collage. Our group chose art journaling for our zine theme.

This zine includes art journal techniques that I enjoy plus a bag of goodies to use in your journal.
This next week, I'll be working on our upcoming Portland Art Collective Sale and Show. Stay tuned for photos of what I'm creating and selling in December.

Mexico- A Feast for the Senses

Cynthia, Robin and I traveled to San Miguel de Allende to experience the culture, art and festivities of Mexico. We filled up each day with lots of different activities.

All across Mexico, everyone celebrates the Bicentennial of their Independence from Spain and their Revolution Centennial . The state of Guanajuato is where the Mexican Revolution started. September 16th is their Independence Day. In 2010, it's a year long fiesta. Merry Calderoni's artwork this year focuses on the soldiers of the Revolution. I took liberty with one of her paintings and sketched my own lines outside the the box.

During our stay, the city of San Miguel de Allende celebrated La Fiesta de San Miguel Arcángel- their patron saint and namesake- with parades, fireworks, and music.

The sounds of the city impressed me- bells ringing several times a day, traffic noises, water falling in fountains, birdsong, children playing and laughing, dogs barking, the drum beat, band music, mariachis singing, fireworks and loud booming bottle rockets.

The colors of the city- folk art, flowers, architecture, flags, sky, doors- plus the smells- of the bakeries, street food, restaurants, horses, plants blooming and flower bouquets

It's a rich culture full of history, tradition and wonderful people. The next few posts, I'll share more of the places that we visited.

Mary Ann Moss-Style Mexico Travel Journal

This weekend, I completed a Mary Ann Moss- style travel journal for an upcoming trip to Mexico. Several months ago, I took her "Remains of the Day" shabby journal online class.

See the two other journals I made from her class Here and Here.

I used Mexican themed fabric on the front cover, free-motion stitching and tape. I sewed it onto a canvas base to give it body. I zigzag stitched the edges and then added a sheer tape to finish them off.

The back cover is a hand-sewn fabric swatch on felt made by Robin Olsen that I bought at our Portland Art Collective Show last year.
Here's what the journal cover looks like opened all the way. The tie is made of Dupioni silk, free-motion stitched with black thread.

For this journal, I wanted to add more pockets for postcards, photos and other ephemera that I collect on the road. One of Mary Ann's ideas that I really like is using security envelopes with windows. Every part of this journal is made from fabric or paper scraps from my studio.
For some of the pockets, I used UPS label envelopes with a glued back and clear front.

For other pockets, I sewed decorative-collaged paper on each end and across the bottom. On this page, three pockets await to be filled. Now, I'm ready for Mexico!