AIY: Library of Memories

Earlier this month I had the pleasure of teaching a 3-day workshop called Library of Memories at the Art is You retreat in Stamford, Connecticut. On day one, we all took a road trip to NYC for some serious shopping - a trip I documented in this previous blog post.

The Library of Memories project is part painting, part book making, part assemblage, part collage and all mixed media.

I had a wonderful group of very creative people join me for this one. They were all eager, motivated, focused and talented. 

The work created by all the participants was stunning and extremely varied - as can be seen in the following work-in-progress details shots.

The project involved creating a painted and embellished hinged box that held an assemblage and a handmade book.

Gwen Lafleur created this beauty...

...and you can read her thoughts on the class and see many more pictures of her project, including her book pages, here.

Here is a stunner from Lisa Abate...

Incredible art was everywhere...

One of the most exciting things about Art is You was the exhibition that followed the 3-day class, where student work was on display.

At every Art is You retreat there is an art trunk, where teachers and other vendors sell their art and supplies. I had a table there where I sold my stamps, stencils, books, DVDs, and artwork.

And of course I bought as well, with this photo showing just a small grouping of the many vintage objects I found.

West Coasters -- if this workshop seems compelling to you, I will be repeating the 3-day experience (minus the road trip to NYC) in April 2016 at Art is You Santa Rosa. Registration for the retreat is now open.

Top 10 Doodle, Drawing and Mark Making Techniques

I am excited to be one of 8 artists included in a newly released DVD from F+W Media entitled Top 10 Doodle, Drawing and Mark Making Techniques. 

This video brings together segments from previously released DVDs that focus on mark making, doodling and drawing techniques perfect for mixed media art and journaling. My segment focuses on using splattering, dry brushing and mark making. This is culled from one of my earlier DVDs Easy Mixed Media Techniques for the Art Journal, which shows you step-by-step how to create the journal pictured below.

The other artists sharing their techniques on this new DVD include Mary Beth Shaw, Dina Wakley, Pam Carriker, Jean Pederson, Gina Rossi Armfield, Nita Leland, and Tiffany Lovering. 

Get more details and see a preview here.

And while you are visiting, check out The Mixed-Media Education Multi Pack, a specially priced bundle of mixed media publications that includes the downloadable version of my book The Mixed-Media Artist - along with eBooks from Joanne Sharpe and Gina Rossi Armfield, a workshop DVD from Diana Trout and an issue of the magazine Cloth Paper Scissors.

The Week Links: 73

Join me every Sunday when I share some of my favorite links I discovered in the previous week. All previous links can be found here.

And here is Week 73...

These quilts are actually carved out of wood and painted by Fraser Smith.

Is a messy desk really better for creativity?

The most gorgeous photographs of autumn you might ever see. From Janek Sedlar.

The stunning drape paintings of Sam Gilliam.

Loving these vignettes created by the Swedish wallpaper company Sandberg to illustrate 4 current trends.

Make your own walnut ink and walnut dye (thanks to Poppytalk for the links)

Greed: the first in a series on seven deadly creative sins from Danny Gregory.

AIY: New York Tour

Earlier this month, I taught a very special workshop at Art is You in Stamford, Connecticut. I spent 3 days with 20 creative souls, each of whom made their own Library of Memories. I will share more details about and images from the class in an upcoming blog post. For now, here are some details from their pieces in progress:

Day 1 started with a very special adventure: 50+ artists attending the retreat along with a small group of instructors headed into New York City for a day of shopping and inspiration.

A few of the participants at the Stamford Train Station

 Practicing -- just in case

On the train, with the excitement building

 First stop: Grand Central Station

 Searching through the hundreds of pens at Kinokuniya Bookstore

Outside of M&J Trimming

The long checkout line at Beads World

 Pit stop at Bryant Park

Back to shopping at Metalliferous, with hundreds of these bins filled with metal findings

Back in Stamford, bags in hand, heading to the workshop space to create

The Week Links: 72

Join me every Sunday when I share some of my favorite links I discovered in the previous week. All previous links can be found here.

And here is Week 72...

Absolutely in love with the work of Ineke Tijsseling.

Tiny museum landscapes from Michelle Remy.

And speaking of...a magical museum of hyperreal miniatures.

A cabinet of curiosities of sorts during Frieze Week London.

Turning a run-down Chicago bank building into an arts center. For $1.

Traveler's notebook from Amy Tangerine via Julie Fei-Fan Balzer.

(how to) Get over comparing yourself to other creatives from Adam J. Kurtz.

Putting my stamp on it...

Sending out thanks to Somerset Studio for reviewing my stamp line from Impression Obsession in their upcoming November/December issue and now carrying select stamps from the line in their own online shop. 

The 16 stamp designs are available in red rubber cling sets or individually as either cling or rubber wood mounted. See them all at the Impression Obsession website or in my online website shop.

The Week Links: 71

Join me every Sunday when I share some of my favorite links I discovered in the previous week. All previous links can be found here.

And here is Week 71...

Match the artist with their childhood art.

Brilliantly patterned jewelry made from layers of cut colored pencils by Anna Curlejova.

1,100 white umbrellas form a canopy made by Kaisa Berry and Timo Berry.

Foil stamping technique from Christine Adolph.

10 art apps to inspire your inner creative.

From to-do to done deal. Danny Gregory shares how to get it all done.

What do you think of Amazon taking on Etsy with their new Handmade at Amazon site?

Why I Art Journal

In the past I had started many journals and found that after a short time, they remained nearly blank, unused and in a pile on the shelf. At that time, journaling was a frustrating experience as it became more of a symbol of an unfinished project rather than a helpful process. Then one day a number of years ago it occurred to me that my journals were there for me and only me. They could be anything, with no expectations and no rules. 

It does not matter whether I journal everyday or once a year. What matters is that I journal what I need, when I need to, and in any form that works for me.

Now art journals have become an important part of my life. I have several of them going at once and use them for different reasons. My current go-to journal is a 9x12 inch, spiral bound journal with 140b cold press water color paper. It is truly a visual journal in that every page starts with a layer of black gesso, continues with painted pages, and finished off with additional mixed media elements. There is text on every page as well but very limited actual journaling. 

The expression of emotion is in the images and hidden within the layers. And that is just fine.

I also have a smaller journal that I hand bound myself and that is used as a more traditional journal - with a lot of writing. All of the pages have been prepainted with watercolor washes and there is collage added as well. This journal is there for me when images won't do and I need to use my words. I do not journal in this book as often as my visual journal - but it is there whenever I am compelled to reach for it. And unlike my visual journal, this smaller one is private and not shared with anybody on line or IRL.

Both of these journals, and the many others I have made, are containers for my thoughts, feelings, ideas and concerns. They hold my stories. They are me...