ArtiphyTheHeart

Between Covers

In a nutshell, while I do lots of other things, my primary craft is bookbinding, my fine art is painting and collage, and my experiments take place in mixed-media sketchbooks and art journals.  What you usually see on my blog are collaged pages from art journals, once in a while a bound book or two, and almost never, a painting.  It's all about what I choose to share.  But there are other ways of sharing, and letting you into one of my practices and thought processes is what I want to share today.

About a third of what I do is done in the field.  This means in open places, away from the confines and comfort of home and studio.  I do this purposely.  I find that my brain works differently in public places.  Not surprising, since it's taking-in different stimuli and responding to it.  But I've also found that I have definite preferences for what I'm doing depending on whether I'm working privately or in the open.

Below are a couple of collaged pages from a large book that I'm working in studio.  I started this book a couple of weeks ago when Kelly Kilmer was here, and decided that I wanted to use it to experiment with how many thin layers of many different media I could use to cover a page and still keep it entirely flat. 

Printing, tissue-thin layers of paper, and stencilling were obvious choices, as were multiple color washes.  The dots along the top to middle right of the page are done with flocking.  I wanted to test the effectiveness of different adhesives because when applied correctly, I think flocking is a great way to add interesting texture to a page without bulk.

   

This page also employs stencils as a means of experimenting with color washes and a variety of media.  To keep it cohesive, I mixed yellows from acrylic, watercolor, and water soluble wax pastels and experimented to see how each work over different surfaces, which in the page above include slick magazine paper, finely corrugated card, transparent plastic tape, masking tape, washi tape, tissue paper, and more.

Obviously, in studio there is more room and there are more materials at hand to work with, so it's no surprise that when I work privately, I work in a much larger format.  It's also not surprising that I don't choose to do bookbinding or screen printing at a Starbucks.  But what surprised me was the realization that in studio, I work on books, but I don't work inside books much, if at all, unless of course those books are very large like one with the pages featured above, or when I want to experiment with media that isn't portable or is not suited to a public environment.  In studio, I work on single sheets, large or small, boards, and on canvas.  But in the open I always work inside a reasonably sized book, whether it's a sketchbook or an art journal makes no difference, and if I do grab a sheet of paper while I'm out, I lay it inside my book to draw, collage, paint, or to do whatever with it.  Now that's a revelation!  Why do I do this?  

Well, privacy, obviously.  But why?  I'm not shy about my work.  Not at all.  I'm not afraid of criticism.  Not in the least.  I truly don't care if I make a masterpiece or the all-time great mistake in front of a crowd, and that's the truth.  Why?   I think it may have something to do with the overwhelming amount of support and praise, deserved or not, that I received about my artwork from the time I was very little.  From four years old, and perhaps even younger.  And it helped that this support came from adults.  Parents, but not just parents.  Professional artists who taught very young children at museum classes.  I believed them when they told me I was good, and even more importantly, I believed them when they told us we shouldn't pay attention to what other people might say about our work.  They taught us that most people didn't understand art, and while they were entitled to their opinions, they were not qualified to criticize it.  I still believe this.  And I think this infused me with immune cells.  I'm immune to feeling negative by other people's criticism of my work, because I just don't care what others think since I don't feel that anyone other than myself or a person with the classic definition of an "artist's eye", is sufficiently informed to comment on the work itself.  And whether or not someone likes what I do is subjective.  It is subject to their own pleasures and tastes, often driven by current commercial fads, and these are things that my feelings have been programmed not to respond to.  I was raised by experts to believe those things were not only unimportant, but that they were unhelpful.  So that isn't why I seek privacy under the covers of a book.  But I know that it is a privacy issue, because I feel the need to have a cover I can close to shelter what I'm doing.  Why?

I think it's to protect my work from busy-bodies.  They are plentiful, and I view their interruptions as the height of impolite behavior.  I love being out and amongst people, and I am energized and receptive to people who take a genuine interest.  I even invite their opinions, for better or for worse, if they are honestly inclined to give them.  But I hate curiosity-seekers because they are less about opinion, and more about taking up time.  They drain energy.  Many of them are patronizing, and I hate patronization most of all because it stems from a sense of superiority that dishonestly veils itself with the pretence of kindness, but in truth it is imperious and judgemental.  But it isn't the judgement that bothers me, it's the interruption without good reason, because I'm there to work, not seek approval.  This attitude is so opposed to the spirt of art and creativity, that I cover my work to keep it from the polluting air which that attitude brings with it.  And then I'll open it up again to the public, removing the cover to those who honestly like, or honestly hate whatever I'm doing, or those who are just minding their own business, not noticing what I'm doing at all.   In reality, most people do just go about their business, and it's artistically stimulating to be among them, even if I'm not specifically engaged in drawing their movements.  

So why am I sharing this with all of you?  Maybe because I think that it's as important to share what goes on inside the artsit once it's discovered, as it is to share the art itself.  What's inside is, after all, the heart and soul of what's on the paper.

 

Little Pages

Most of my time is taken up with painting.  I work around a painting in layers, section by section.   While one section dries I work on another, then I go back and add more layers, fleshing it out.  This is slow, satisfying work.  I spend a lot of time thinking about it while I paint, and I take breaks often.  I love this slow work that takes a days, weeks, or months to complete.  But I also have a real need to finish something in a day for the pat-on-the-back that a sense of completion brings.  

This isn't the reason I work in a tiny collaged book that will morph into an art journal.  I do it because I love it, and because it provides a home for some very luscious snippets that really shouldn't end up in the dust bin.  But working in a tiny book does have the added benefit of quick accomplishment, especially when it's broken up into tasks, such as collage and paint today, embellish and journal on another day.  

Here are a couple of 2 page spreads from my tiny collage book.  They have a very unfinished look partly because they are unfinished, and partly because they haven't yet been sewn into book form.  Working this small, it's much easier for me to collage and embellish the pages, then sew and journal later.  If you click HERE, you can see a post that puts the size of these tiny pages into perspective.  The pages are 3" X 4-1/2".  The book is the one I'm holding in my hand in the first photo when you click the link, and also in the last photo when you scroll down. 

I've also been spending a lot of time reading.  I'm a big fan of Haruki Murakami, and I'm finding that his book1Q84 is unputdownable.  I work more smoothly when I'm in the middle of really good fiction.

And last but not least, there's a new post up on ArtiPhybers.  Click HERE and take a look.

Shorts Book

Here's another first book for those who are learning bookbinding.  Once again, even though I've made these in the past, I'm so glad to have the refresher course because there's so much I'd forgotten.  I had to ask for clarification that my page-turning was in the correct order, but it turns out that I got it right.

This is another book constructed from a single sheet of paper.  I used 98# Canson mixed-media paper, a heavier weight for this book than the last because there were fewer folds, and I didn't want the watercolor and ink to bleed through the pages.  It worked. I prepared the paper by spraying a light solution of gouache over a few of stencils on both sides.  I ground some ink and used the wet side of a sheet of sumi-é paper to make a few brush sketches.  When I realized that I had done nine cats, I got the idea for Nine Lives.

The cats were randomly sketched all over the paper, so I tore them out and added some gouache to the edges.  Pages three and four open up and down.  There are four folds and two sides, so eight pages in all.  I decided to use these up and down pages to add the ninth cat.

The chop I used says "long life".  It's a traditional chop carved from soap stone and I inked it with the traditional toxic red chop ink that takes forever to dry.  I zapped it with a hairdryer to speed things up, but I think it will take the full few weeks before it sets, regardless.  In the meantime, I blotted it a bit, then separated the pages with waxed paper.

This book is part of a project that some members of Artists Of The Round Table are working on.  We plan to make 100 books using Alisa Golden's bookMaking Handmade Books: 100+ Bindings, Structures & Forms as our guide.  

If you'd like to see all posts of the books I'm making for this project, scroll up to the top of this page, click on "Archives", then click on "Making Handmade Books Workshop" from the category menu.  

Dreams Of Adventure

Still drawing, still glad that Traci challenged us with her 30 Days of Drawing.  But I must admit that while I'd love to post daily, even more than once a day, it doesn't always happen that way.  But drawing always happens.  

There isn't time to shoot and post pics of the last few days of drawing, but I do have time for one and I'll share what I did in case it might be helpful.  I was out when I drew this, and I discovered that I had no plain paper of any kind with me at the time, so I used what I had.  I cut a square of patterned cardstock, flipped it to the white side and drew on that.

My idea was to imagine what this young boy might be dreaming and quickly sketch it in ink.  I know that if I was curled up on a comfy piece of fur (which looks like a flokati, only softer...) with a silky animal plushie for my pillow, asleep on top of my toy box, I'd be dreaming about riding through the skies on a mythical stuffed animal come to life.  

So that's what I drew, and the paper worked wonderfully with my Rapidosketch.  So did the watercolor.  Even somewhat saturated, the paper fibers held their place.  The water dried quickly without buckling, so puddling wasn't an issue, making it easy to apply layers of color quickly.  

If you don't have what you need, use what you have.  I'm so glad that I don't view patterned papers as precious or special.  I still have stacks and stacks of them left over from design team days, sent by vendors to sample and demo.  Even when they're beautiful, if you need the other side, use it! 

Layers

One of the things I like best about working in my current art journal/sketchbook is how the pages interact with each other after they're finished.  This isn't planned, and it often produces the most beautiful and unexpected combinations.

I particularly like how today's page is off-set by the layers of other pages peeking through.  Sometimes it's difficult working with different page sizes, but in the end, it's always rewarding.  

Nothing too complex today.  I saw a bird ornament at Anthropologie, sketched it on plain notepaper, and glued it into my art journal.  I'm thinking of creating a pattern from my sketch, so I added some notes on how I might like to stitch it.  Ten days in, and so far I've sketched every day for Traci Bunkers 30 Days of Drawing.  

Lining Up My Ducks

I first used a computer in the early 80s.  The first one I owned was a Timex Sinclair.  The first computer language I learned was BASIC.  I've been online continuously (read: daily) since the early 90s.  I'm equally Mac and PC savvy, and I evolve with the updates.  I'm no stranger to social media and can carry on conversations about most of it before it hits the public airwaves, although I am picky about what I use personally because I'm not out to collect widgets;  I want what works for me.  I like keeping my knowledge complex, but my experiences simple.

So where did I miss the boat on feed readers?

Yesterday I started using Google Reader to organize my online reading and news.  I spent the afternoon creating and refining subscriptions and making files to house sites I visit daily, weekly, etc.  I took a break long enough to grab my moleskine and put my ducks in a row.

Then I went back to the reader to catch up on what I've been missing by haphazardly cruising online without a navigator.   What a time saver!  

Now I'm off to broom my internet files and bookmarks.  I've accumulated a lot of trivia and it's time to bin everything that isn't useful.  In the process, I've reacquainted myself with some great websites that had gotten lost amongst the rubble.  Big, clean, deep, breaths of fresh air!

Moleskine Monkeys

One more from my moleskine, this time with ink.  I was amazed at how well the moleskine paper accepted ink.  Wet, as well as dry brush.  I didn't expect that at all, since the only thing I've really liked to use with sumi-é ink until now was rice paper, or a small selection of Japanese handmade papers. 

Another good book for the study of sumi-é that I forgot to mention yesterday isOriental Painting Course: A Practical Guide to Painting Skills and Techniques of China and the Far East  It doesn't have any pictures of monkeys, though.  

It isn't as easy to find books on Oriental brush painting that contain monkeys, but they are some of my favorite subjects, so I commit to memory as many as possible to draw from when I'm grinding ink.  My favorite Chinese monkeys are the ones painted by Wang Yani when she was still a very young girl.  I first discovered her work in this book of her life, written for children and young adults:A Young Painter: The Life and Paintings of Wang Yani-- China's Extraordinary Young Artist  

 

RAW

Last week was hectic.  That's an understatement!  And now that we're into a new week, this one promises more of the same.  The good news is that I've gotten so much done.  But most of it consists of things I can't show yet, so those pics will have to wait.  But the other good news is that I also did a lot that I can share.  

So catching up, I'll show you today what I've done so far in Quinn McDonald's Raw Art Journaling workshop:

If you think you've taken all the classes you'll ever need and more, and you're tired of the same old course material presented over and over, just packaged a little differently, then you're in for a great, big, fat (...maybe not Greek), TREAT!  Quinn's workshop is designed to appeal to and train your "inner journalist".  You will receive prompts and pointers for what to put on the page, but the biggest benefit, in my opinion, is that when you've finished the course, you'll no longer need to look outside yourself for ideas.  You'll be giving yourself the prompts and pointers.  More than inspiration, working through the exercises, you'll be programming yourself to be your own internal, continuing and renewing, inspiration generator.  You can go HERE to read about the workshop in Quinn's own words.  The workshop is free; all you need is a copy of the book, Raw Art Journaling, by Quinn McDonald.  

We started on Sunday and are in week one, but it isn't too late to join us.  

I Think I Can

I skipped a day.  Yesterday I didn't blog my work.  It would have been my 38th consecutive day of blogging, but I really needed a day off.  Which brings me to the conclusion that everyday, just for the sake of everyday, is really not good enough.  But a regular blogging habit is definitely worth it, so from yesterday forward, I've decided to take Sunday's off, curl up with a good book, and prepare myself gently and restfully for the beginning of a new week.  

The artwork is another matter.  Taking a day off from creating would be like, well, taking a day off from myself.  That's just crazy.  So I'll show you on Monday whatever it was that I did on Sunday.  Depending on your time zone it may work out a little bit differently, but it will work out.

Here's the latest two-page spread.  These pages were begun in October of 2010 and then put aside.  They needed more information, but they hadn't yet come into their time.  I finished the background and drew the lettering and the flowers last year.  After I added the bright pink, I let the whole thing sit and percolate all this time while I worked away on other things.

The old date is still there underneath the images.  The new date is on top, but you won't be able to see it since it's on the bottom 2 inches of the page, and that part didn't scan because the book is too large.  But the general idea is there.  And more may be added later.  Sometimes the pages in this book are never finished.  That's perfectly O.K.

Toxic Air

A couple of inches are missing from the bottom of these pages, and there's quite a bit of information there.  But you can still get a fairly good idea of what the spread looks like from this scan.  It's a fairly large book and the lighting just isn't good enough to photograph indoors.  I fit what I could onto the scanner.

This type of page satisfies me more than any other.  Many layers of seemingly unrelated images and words coming together out of nowhere, then resolved to the point where it all makes sense.   Well, maybe not sense to you, but perfect sense to me.  

The third or fourth layer consists of brown doodles.  Another example of raw art.  I mentioned Quinn McDonald's Raw Art Journaling workshop in yesterday's post, HERE.  Go take a look for more information, then join us!

Oldies But Goodies

Yesterday my friend Rosie Rowe posted a journal page to her blog that made me squeal with delight!  The colors, the pen work, and the subject matter all resonated with something deep in my soul.  You can see that piece by clicking HERE.  

I left a comment for Rosie, and told her that her piece reminded me of an art journal spread I created more than a year ago, but had never posted.  I told her I'd photograph and post it, and see what she thought.  

Rosie and I have a connection.  Like twins separated at birth.  What I'd like to know is this:  Do you see kindred souls when you look at my piece, then at hers, then back to mine again?  Is this something that can be seen from the outside?  Or is this just something that Rosie and I notice from time to time about ourselves?  I'm not asking you to compare and contrast.  I'm just wondering if you see the similar personalities.  The kindred spirits.  

Here's mine:

There are tons and tons of things I do that never make it to the blog.  This spread was one of those things.  The number one reason something gets left off my blog is "category".  Lots of artwork I do just doesn't fit the look, feel and format of this blog.  The number two reason is quantity.  There's just too much stuff, and it won't all fit.  And while I love looking at blogs that display picture after picture in a single post, it really isn't the way that I'm comfortable with making my posts.  At least not here.  

If we're going for the top three reasons things get left off my blog, the third reason often has to do with photographs.  Either the lighting was poor on the day I was ready to shoot a piece, or it didn't fit in the scanner, or maybe there just wasn't enough time left to shoot and upload.  

So what you finally see posted on my blog is most often an art journal page or a hand-bound book, and it's most likely what I worked on and finished on the day it was posted.  I just don't post many slow pieces, as in the ones that evolove over time, although those are almost always my favorites, and most often are stand alones, not pages in a book.  

That may be what happened with this piece.  I know that there are layers of crackle paint which had to dry overnight before the type of glitter I used could be added, and that took another overnight.  I also know that a year ago in May, I had several works in progress, and this was just one of them, so it was left behind until today.  And since I create what I create from what my heart and soul yearns to do, and not usually for challenges or themes that aren't my own, unless of course the challenges or themes are what I'm yearning to do, a lot of these pieces are so personal that it's hard for me to decide which ones someone else might want to see, and which should stay in the cabinet.

Day 27

Most of the time, at the very least, I  have an art bag with me when I'm out.  Even if it's only a small one.  But every once in awhile, the only thing I have with me is my purse.  What then?  In addition to a wallet and keys, there are always four things in my purse:  A pencil case, a Windsor-Newton small portable pan watercolor set with a paintbrush,  a very small squeeze bottle of water, and a cardboard covered Moleskine with ruled paper.  Oh, and one other thing:  A paper towel or two.  So without adding any real weight or taking up space, I'm set for anything, anywhere.

Today, on day 27 of Traci Bunkers 30 Days Of Get Your Art On, I found myself out, and with only a few minutes here and there.  So I grabbed my Moleskine (which I buy in cello-wrapped packages of three), my pencil, and my watercolors, and did what I could with the time that I had.  Here's what happened:

Nothing exciting, and nothing finished, but something, nonetheless.  And I can always add to it later, and I'm sure I will.

I've been having server problems lately, and problems uploading content to websites and even my blog.  This is my fourth try tonight, and I finally got the picture to load.  The problem has been identified, and is being fixed.  But if I'm absent for a day or two, you'll know why.  Hopefully, I'll be back tomorrow as planned.