Sketchbook Project, Organizing, Just BE

"Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast..." from Alice in Wonderland
The Sketchbook Project
Above is the outside cover from my sketchbook "Lights in the Distance" just submitted to the ArtHouse Co-op a couple of days ago. This previous posting talks a bit about it. I made 2 originals, so I could keep one. I used the moleskin sketchbook sent by ArtHouse, but removed most of the 80 pages. My book has 16 finished pages plus the outside/inside covers..... The paper was so flimsy, so I glued some of the ones I left in the book together, then collaged/ gessoed more on top of them to make them more sturdy. I included a few sketches but found my subject lent itself more to some personal photos (altered in Photoshop), and previous artwork (also altered in Photoshop).
All in all a very fun and productive art project. Some of the the pages will lead to other pieces of art, paintings or 3d, for example the one above. I have used this photo in other art pieces and it's one of my favorites. I've posted the ArtHouse tour schedule for the sketchbooks (thousands of them from around the globe) in my sidebar. Additionally, ArtHouse will be digitizing and posting quite a few of them online too in a couple of months. If you click on the link, scroll down to see what they are about, since they currently have a special message for the sketchers at the top.

Organizing Art
Speaking of impossible things - maybe this year will be the year? I've seen at least half a dozen blogs talking about cleaning out the studio's. Hmmm, I wonder, is "organized art" an oxymoron? I think I need a certain amount of chaos or jumble to stimulate ideas, you know, unexpected things or colors randomly colliding in a great way...

I have art all over the house, some is organized (kind of) and some not so much. I think it's because my art from very early years evolved from watercolor painting and some sewing into "why not try everything". I suppose it's an organic process & grew so much with all kinds of art, that I didn't create "homes" for some things. So that's my thought now - instead of getting lost in the details too much - to envision "homes" for everything, how all the space in the house would be most useful, and then reorganize from there. And at the same time, consolidate some things that are scattered. It would eliminate some occasional "search & rescue" missions for tools or supplies I sometimes can't find. Here's a very small glimpse of my art messiness...
And here are examples of some things, but not all, that I do now; at least it's a start....
Labeled clear drawers or plastic boxes - "Adhesives" drawer for wet, stick or tacky tape; "Tape" drawer for masking, dble-sided, washi, packing, etc.; "Tools" for some larger ones (hand drill, heat gun, etc); "Sewing Notions"; "Ribbons"; "Threads"; "Felting"; "Embroidery", "Stencils", "Inks", "Pens, Colored Pencils, etc", and more
Zip plastic bags (the kind linens or sheets come in) - easy to find & take along somewhere. I have one bag that is all about matting, framing paintings & hanging up a painting show. I have one that is for bookbinding kind of tools..... And then a misc general tool bag.
Small clear boxes - for pricey tube acrylic paints; separate ones for watercolor tube paints. Old thrift store wooden CD holders - for cheap $1 acrylics
Wood CD holders & wire baskets & closed cabinet - for fabric quarters & larger pieces
Clear Over-Door Shoe Holder - great for art mediums, gesso's, etc.
Plastic bags for projects - I haven't been doing this consciously, but I always have a bag with one or two small handstitching projects (fabric books, embroidery, collage, beading) ready to be worked on. And another bag with my small sketchbooks, journal with pens & mini-palette & waterbrush also at the ready. I do make time every night working on something as I wind down maybe watching tv at the same time. But I think I might expand this, and "bag" up more at-the- ready projects that are small and portable. Or possible "art experiments" I have been dreaming up and wanting to try.

I don't know about any of you, but I've decided that as part of figuring out how best to use & reorganize my space, I must include a "staging" area. As well as arting alone, I often come in and out of the house - going to sewing or painting groups, meeting friends, a workshop now & then - so tools/supplies/art projects come in or go out with me... and often don't get put away, then I'm scrounging to find something later. I'd love to hear some ideas for this problem!

Sunday Meditation
In spite of the post New Year's organizing frenzy, do remember this: all those lovely art tools and supplies are there for a reason - to support your creativity, nurture your inner soul, provide ways to express yourself... Maybe it's ok to have them visible to remind oneself to take the time, to make the time, to just be, just play. And maybe it's about a balancing act between how much time you owe to play and how much to maintenance. Perhaps an organized space is possible with time for play too...

A quote from Einstein: “... although I have a regular work schedule, I take time to go for long walks on the beach so that I can listen to what is going on inside my head. If my work isn’t going well, I lie down in the middle of a workday and gaze at the ceiling while I listen and visualize what goes on in my imagination.”
Meanwhile, here's an interesting blog read that I've followed off and on, and added to my sidebar, Zen Habits. Here's what they say in their "About" page..."Zen Habits is about finding simplicity in the daily chaos of our lives. It’s about clearing the clutter so we can focus on what’s important, create something amazing, find happiness." How true.

Sending you a Peace-Filled Artful Day,
Namaste

Art Show, Art Play and Projects

Taking time for art, it's so relaxing...
Kaewyn Gallery Miniature Show
Their annual show is still on until January 25, so if you are local don't miss the opportunity to see lots of wonderful small art pieces in the gallery. You can find the address and hours at the link to their website.

This and That
Lately I have created an array of art pieces that I have yet to post.... some fabric dying & stamping, a collaged hand-stitched fabric piece I resurrected from two years ago that I never finished, a couple of small experimental abstract canvases, two 10x10 mixed media pieces that I submitted for possible publication, two mixed media sketchbooks - almost done, and some journaling. One of the sketchbooks is for me and the other is for the ArtHouse Coop challenge to add to their Brooklyn library, it's due January 15... so I'm managing to stay focused on that project. I decided I needed to have one to keep, that's why I'm overachieving by making 2.

But meanwhile, this week in three fiber groups I belong to, I'll be experimenting with making simple books, dying fabric shibori style, and checking out a museum exhibit. And I decided to sign up for Mary Ann Moss Remains of the Day sewn fiber journal. I'm sure there's more on my plate, I just can't think of it now!

An artist's life is never dull... too bad the housework doesn't do itself....

Night Lights, Dawn & Winter Solstice

Time for reflection, savoring the wintry weather, darkness leading to light...Playing with my camera, this is a night shot of our holiday trip to Canada a couple of weeks ago. We were just there in October too, we can't seem to get enough of going to this peaceful quiet exquisitely beautiful place. I love the way they leave the lights up in the trees at night - all year long, making it seem magical for those evening walks in the cold air and letting the imagination take the lead.

And this is a lovely dawning of another day in this valley of mountains....
Winter Solstice this week, Dec 21 came in with a special heralding this year.... and I managed to see a small part of the total eclipse of the Moon as it had started - a banana sized sliver with that dark shadow over it. Then we had our Northwest cloud cover.... Imagine, the last Moon total eclipse was over 400 years ago...
As the winter officially begins I think of the cycles and seasons of earth, life, myself. Winter is a time when the seeds dropped earlier in the fall lie dormant underground, but gestate towards emerging into new life in the spring light... as we do. I wonder at it. What random seed was planted in our consciousness, something we glimpsed, some small remark received, an experience lived and felt, that waits for the wintering to bring it forth... are we not all so full of possibilities waiting for the light?

Peace and Blessings

Sunday Meditation, Inspiration, the Sea

Remembering a day at the beach this fall...

Canada Trip Sketches, Salmon & Snow

I gazed out the window at the lovely huge soft snowflakes falling from heaven...
Our first snow of the season fell today, their slow glide like a white moving lacy curtain outside our windows. But, they did not stay long as our temperatures were not quite cold enough.

I have been playing this past couple of weeks with fanciful things. I made a "fascinator" which is a frufru cocktail hat (good for parties I suppose or just fun), I dyed and stamped fabric, stitched fabric crows, created small cards with a favorite photo, painted, sketched and mixed here and there. Today I made a couple of minor changes on this blog and am thinking to change the design soon. And worked on which paintings will go into 2 upcoming shows in the next week or so. And we just returned from a trip to the Washington coast late Thursday which I will share about in a later post.

A Canada Trip
Meanwhile, here's a few quick sketches from our anniversary trip to British Columbia in October... It was stunningly beautiful. We took a side trip to a creek that was running with many many bright orange spawning salmon, as you may have heard Canada was having a record return of the salmon this year, it is a fantastic sight and great to hear good news like this.
We took a scenic boat ride up the Harrison River, great sunny crispy cool weather, and the fall skies and light with shadows, perfect for lots of photography with my new camera and relaxing with the sketchbook....
Fishermen were everywhere, on the shore, in the water with hip waders on, standing up in boats...
We had dinner one night in a Chinese restaurant... always fun to save those good fortunes..
People lined up for Tea Time in the hotel after their pool time, dressed in their white robes and bathing suits...
What could be better than a hot cup of lemon black tea with cookies on a cool fall day?

Fall Colors, Trees, and Camera Tips

Sometimes the colors are so luscious, I want to swim in them.....
Fall Colors
We've been out on several occasions lately just to see the fall colors of the trees with the leaves turning. We don't really have to go very far to see the changes. Amazingly beautiful reds, oranges, yellows - cast against blue/white skies and grassy greens... My photo's here are from a nearby park and along the side of the street. Great inspiration for painting!

The New Camera
Lucky me, I have been taking even more photo's, as I finally have a new camera, a Canon G-12 Powershot. If you are in the market, this is a terrific camera. It's the latest model called an "advanced digital point and shoot", that is, it has the features of an automatic, but also has many more options that a SLR would have, while maintaining it's compactness (14 oz). I did quite a bit of research before getting this camera and now that I'm using it, I can say, I'm glad I chose this one. No shutter delay, great low-light pix, a viewfinder and a move-able LED screen, shoots RAW, gorgeous sharp photo's. I will be discovering and learning quite a while what I can do with this camera!

I have to say, I balked at the 14 oz size at first when I was researching camera's because the one I've been using forever was only 5.5 oz. And, I have to have something that will fit easily in my purse and go with me everywhere... SO, I looked in my kitchen cabinet and found a can of artichokes that weighed 14 oz and put it in my purse to see if I could stand to carry that around. I am learning to carry less baggage around in my purse (and otherwise). The artichokes passed the test, hence the new camera!

There was one other camera that I liked quite a lot, a Panasonic Lumix, that was half the weight and size, but it did not have a viewfinder, nor as good a zoom. Otherwise it was comparable and is the camera that my virtual travel friends recommend. But for me, a viewfinder was a must, as often the LED disappears in strong sunlight, and a better zoom, well, what can I say?

Another tip, I bought my camera at Kenmore Camera, a great local shop in Kenmore, WA with very experienced people. An annoying thing I've found lately about electronic things, is that often you get an abbreviated handbook with the item, while the detailed handbook is on-line. When I asked about this, Kenmore Camera offered and printed out the 213 page Camera User guide for me (2 pages on each side, saves paper) -- so I can take it with me as I learn how to use all the features. I took the pages to Kinko's and had them coil bound for about $4 or so with plastic covers.

So, for researching which camera to buy, I used the latest Consumer Reports reviews- which I could access free from my local library. Plus a website called Digital Photography Review (http://www.dpreview.com/news/1009/10091412canong12.asp), among others. Hope all this helps anyone looking for a new camera.

Happy Picture Taking!

Paintings, Screening and Jurying

I just keep on painting whatever appeals to me, and I see it's mostly nature that inspires...
Screening and Jurying
This past week I presented paintings for screening to the Board of the Seattle Co-Arts and was juried in as a member. I spent a fair amount of time wondering what to submit, as my art has been in transition for quite a while. And so, to demonstrate that, and to acknowledge I wasn't going to be giving up watercolors any time soon, even though I've been painting a lot in acrylics and mixed media - I presented a mix of 3 watercolors and 3 acrylics. Above are my recent painting works that were screened.

Oops, I forgot, here's another one that was in the mix:
It's good to have gone through this step of jurying from peers... I have also submitted several images that will appear on the Co-Arts website soon when their renovation is completed.