sketchbooks…

As promised, some scans from my two new sketchbooks… first, from my textiles notebook:

Brainstorming my windows theme plus some embroidery and a design...

Photos and notes, again exploring windows.

Yet more photos plus an exploratory piece of fabric - threads and scraps and paper between tissue and organza.

And now for my other new sketchbook – no title as yet, just sketchbook, lol!!!

Benches in Weston Park, Sheffield plus zentangle

Blue zentangle plus photo of bandstand

Close up photo of bandstand window and a green zentangle.

Quick 5 minute sketch of mirror in pub whilst waiting for my friend.

Ryan - the latest teddy in my collection, lol.

And finally, yet another zentangle - I do love playing around with these

Writing-as-art

Drawing done with Inktense pencils.

Having just published a new episode on my Zentara’s Journey blog, I thought I’d write a little here on the photo that is with it. The stone egg is one that I’ve had a while, but seemed very appropriate to be given by a being whose main aim is fertility and the nurturing of life. The small drawing was done using Inktense pencils, with a pen to outline the main flowers.

The visual art is there to enhance the story. There has been a distinction on the group of fellow travellers between art and writing, one that I’m also guilty of making. I’ve always separated writing from visual art as if the two are completely different beasts. And yet I have always been drawn to both forms of creativity, with one often dominating my creative life for months, even years. I tend to switch from one form to another so that one excludes my doing the other.

During this project, however, I have managed to write and paint/ collage/ draw. It feels good and right to do both and is something that I’ve strived for, for a long time. Discussing the art versus writing, my friend pointed out to me that writing IS art. Her comment made me sit back and seriously rethink my attitudes.

The course I attended many years back was Creative Writing, the emphasis being on writing as an art in itself. It is not as different from the visual arts as I’ve been leading myself to believe. Writing is a way of forming scenes and descriptions with words as opposed to with paint or pencil or other solid objects. It is a creative process that involves imagination and often emotion, just as when painting.  The two should be conceived more as different methods or techniques of making art rather than as separate and conflicting creative activities.

That is, at least, my own conclusion. The Travelling Artist’s Guild project is about making a personal journey, using a character and an imaginary world as vehicles. I feel that I’ve already progressed a long way since starting off back in October last year. Recognising writing-as-art and being able to creatively use word as well as visual art at the same time is a huge step for me in achieving balance between the two. One that I hope will lead me forward as my journey continues.

Balance

In the end, I have decided to go with BALANCE as my word for 2011. My previous words have been ‘nourish’, ‘develop’ and ‘explore’ – see here for where the idea came from. Explore became my word back in December or November 2009  and has kept me interested ever since. There are still so many things to explore in my life and art, but I feel it IS now time to move on, at least a little…

Although I confess that I’m still not over-enthusiastic about balance as my word. However, I know that I need to stop sitting around resting and playing and thinking and procrastinating most of the time. Instead I need to actually DO the art, the housework, the exercise, watch my weight, go for a walk etc. I suspect my reluctance to do more is the reason why I’m not enthusing over my new word, lol.

Anyway, here is the entry in my journal about balance, where I’ve basically grouped items together with hyphens between them, indicating what needs to be more balanced:

Not comprehensive, I know, nor exactly overly clear although I know what I mean, lol. How long balance will stay as my word remains doubtful but, of course, I can change it again whenever I want And probably will!!!

End of year rambling…

My last piece of art for 2010 is a small collage on canvas. “At Home” is a mix of collage, acrylic inks and Inktense pencils based on an imagined urban house where a woman sits at an upstairs window, waiting, perhaps, for her lover/ son/ friend or just staring out at the unchanging street, thinking about something important or something completely irrelevant. I leave those decisions to the viewer.

What this piece does is to combine a number of techniques and ideas that I have explored throughout 2010. I still have much to learn, much to explore, much to develop. ‘Explore’ was an extremely good word for my creativity over the past year or so, and will be hard to follow. However, it’s probably time to change to another word and with 2011 in sight, I am considering ‘balance’ as my word.

I need to balance my time: to do more creative things and less playing games on the PC; to do more exercise when I can and less sitting around; to become more involved with life around me and less hiding away at home. At least, that has been my thinking over the last few days.

But, and this is a big but, balance as my word doesn’t feel right. Explore and develop did. So I suspect that it may be a few days yet before I decide if balance is to be my word and, if not, choose another.

2010 was a mixed year for me.

We had a lovely new kitchen fitted although, as yet, it isn’t decorated (decorator should be coming next week). Moving my craft area to my upstairs study has been extremely useful even if it isn’t perfect but it has probably helped me produce some reasonable art, and I actually finished the ‘Face in the crowd’ sketchbook project ahead of time – yay!!!

However, my overall health wasn’t good for much of the year. I learned, back in October, that I have diabetes type 2 and that probably explains some of the poor health. It’s taken a while to get used to going without my sugar dose – eg. we had a good xmas holidays but there was no traditional xmas cake with all the marzipan and icing, and it’s hard at times to not look longingly at certain, now virtually forbidden, foodstuffs. But I have been slowly losing some weight (slightly dented progress over the last few days, admittedly!) and getting used to the new food regime as well as beginning to feel better than I have done for months.

Back in August, our holiday was disappointing for various reasons but we did have a wonderful wedding anniversary whilst away. My husband has been stressed, and the possibility that he may, like thousands of others, lose his job in 2011 isn’t helping either of us. With all the proposed cuts and changes this government are pushing through, I feel rather depressed about the way things are going and can only hope that fears about the future don’t come to fruition.

On the plus side, I am enjoying the journey via the Travelling Artists’ Guild: my progress on it has slowed over the last 2 or 3 weeks as xmas preparations and holidays, as well as finishing the sketchbook, interrupted the flow. However I haven’t stopped thinking about TAG and hope to return to that project very soon. Likewise, the one-to-one with my friend Jill, the Visual Dialogue, has endured if albeit in fits and starts: we both plan to resume our books again within the next couple of weeks or so.

And I have had some wonderful times with family and friends throughout the year, as well as with my fantastic husband.

That, then, is a very brief resumé of my 2010. Not wonderful but then, in these times, not awful either. Hopefully my health, now that I’m managing the diabetes, will improve. And I’m pretty sure that I’ll continue to create in 2011 with fairly frequent postings about my progress for you here.

In the meantime, I want to wish you all a very happy 2011, and hope to see you again very soon

The pump

Drawn using chalk pastel crayons, with graphitint pencils for the background. I used a water-brush to blend and finish the picture, making the whole look more painterly as well as brightening the colours. I never used chalk pastels before I started on the sketchbook project but am beginning to really enjoy using them, both dry and wet.

This particular drawing is in Zentara’s ‘journal’ and accompanies my latest post for the TAG journey. The pump is extremely important to Zentara for it is here that she was found as a baby.

I am thoroughly enjoying the developing story line. It’s been several years since I was writing at reasonably regular intervals so I was unsure if I would be able to do so for the TAG project. But I’ve been drawn in to the world and to the characters. What began as a fairly simple tale is starting to become more complex and is leading me into a completely new and created world with newly imagined races as well as histories. I’m exploring and developing different areas of creativity too. Overall, fun. And extremely satisfying.

And my new word is…. explore.

As some of you may have seen from my recent blogging, I’ve been unsure about the direction in which my work is going – again. Develop has been a useful word for me over the past few months and I know that, despite my doubts, I have developed over the past year. I’ve tried and learned new techniques; read up on abstract and urban art; discovered more about other artists, especially Kandinsky; attempted to develop one area of my work – urban nature – fairly successfully.

However, I STILL have not come up with a clear artist statement. And over the last 2 or 3 months I confess that my work has veered away from the urban theme. In fact, I have a longing to explore new avenues and themes.

So much so, that over the last few days, I’ve been pretty convinced that I need to change the emphasis from develop to explore. I love these semi-conscious decisions that feel right – and this one does. In fact I feel that I’ve already slipped from one to the other.

Perhaps it’s the change of season, or a feeling of overkill with the urban themes, but my desire to explore has grown. And looking up the definition in Wiktionary has spurred me to change my word, even though the New Year hasn’t yet arrived. After all, as someone pointed out, Jan 1st is an arbitrary date. What matters, I believe, is the intuitive feeling that it’s time to move on.

I’ve already journaled a little about EXPLORE and listed a few themes and ideas that I wish to look at in more detail. With the help of Keri Smith’s “How to be an Explorer of the World” book, which includes great little guides, I hope to start exploring a few objects around my home within the next few days.

More collages

Again, work that doesn’t ‘fit’ my main theme of Urban Nature, these 2 collages were done purely for ‘play’ and to get me into doing some art after a fairly long break. Apart from entries in my art journal, I’ve done very little art recently. Hopefully that will change soon.

The first collage has a vintage travel theme, and was inspired by the photograph of old suitcases that I took during a visit to a special 1940′s  weekend at a steam railway site in Derbyshire.

For the background I used various ephemera of maps and other old papers, which I coloured with distress inks. The quote “Every journey begins with a single step” was printed onto normal paper, and I finished it off by adding the shoes embellishment. Nothing special, but I rather like it.

The second is very different, and resulted from a ‘demo’ of my beeswax technique when my sister visited. There’s a certain abstraction in ‘Crumbs’, as well as some vintage elements and I confess that I rather like the whimsical feel and title.

However, I’m beginning to wonder, yet again, if my art has any direction or purpose, other than to allow my playful muse an outlet. Whilst still drawn to urban and ‘urban nature’ themes, neither are appearing in my actual work.

With the end of the year in sight, I do question whether or not I have kept to my aim to develop my work (see: and my word for 2009 is…. ).  I have certainly learned and developed techniques, and worked with collage and journals more, both areas that I feel comfortable with. But I am being drawn in different directions as the year draws to a close. Vintage, ‘freestyle’ themes, and altered books are calling to me. As is, once more, the lure of painting… Time, perhaps, to re-read my notes and consider yet again how to progess.

Collages

Again, another long break from my blog Must post here more regularly, I know – sorry, folks!!!

Anyway, here is “Kite over the Moor”:

Kite Over the Moor

Similar to “Window on the Moor” (see “Oops”), using the same techniques. But lighter and somehow happier – having used kites in my doodles for a while, and loving the freedom/ flight symbolism, it was inevitable that one would appear in my collages!

Over the last week, I’ve done two more collages. Entitled “Urban Nature 1 and 2″ these are again on 7″x5″ canvases. I used textured papers, fabric, acrylic and Viva Decor paints plus air-dry clay embellishments. My first time making clay pieces for inclusion in my art, but certainly won’t be the last.

Urban Nature 1

Urban Nature 2

I had great fun with both of these and am pleased with the way my work has developed recently. I’m fascinated at the direction in which my art is going – wonderfully interesting, how it seems to be taking off on it’s own, lol!!!

Urban Twilight

Another long break without posting… partly because we went on holiday for a week, but mostly because I haven’t been particularly creative during the last month.

However, here is the textured collage that I did using various bits of card, bubble wrap, paper, fabric pieces and Viva Decor paints + Rub-n-Buff wax:

Unfortunately, it doesn’t look as good from the scan as in real life – too many shiny metallic effects, lol! And not all of the textures are easy to see. But it should give you a good idea of what it’s like.

I really enjoyed working with the materials and the freedom of not working from reality. A year or so ago I wouldn’t have envisaged developing abstraction within my work but it does seem that my art is moving more in that direction of late. In fact, I recently bought a book on abstract painting and am using the exercises to explore the genre further. Hopefully, I’ll eventually share my efforts here

Oops!!!

I really have neglected my poor little blog!!! Sorry folks

Anyway, thought it way past time to update before you all think I’ve disappeared into the ether, lol. The end of April and May were pretty hectic, plus the inevitable fibro backlash has dulled my enthusiasm for creative endeavours. Luckily I still managed to do a little, and am now back in creative mode. Though for how long remains to be seen as another hectic time looms. So if I disappear again, you all know why.

Enough rambling! Here are some of my recent creations.

Poetry AB spread, part one.

part 2... showing the haiku that inspired the spread.

Used various papers, vellum and embellishments plus an image from the web for the above.

The other Poetry AB spread I did was quite different. Zen poetry was my inspiration, but I wanted a more tactile feel so the base is silk painted with Stewart Gill fabric paints.

SIlk, fabric paints, scrim, flakes and various embellishments were used for this one.

So, very different, and I think they represent how my art is developing at the moment. I’m being drawn more and more to working with textures and fabrics, experimenting with new-for-me materials and techniques. I’ve also had a small play with water-based oils, but wasn’t particularly happy with the result, so will resist showing that for now. However, I made a little collage (about 7×5″ I think!) for a ‘surprise me’ swap that I was really pleased with:

Window on the Moors

Inspired by photos that I’d taken from the back of my son’s car as we drove through the Peak district. Again, fabric paints but on some cotton this time. A very textured wall using acrylic flint medium, black gesso and acrylics. Plus some fibres and a digitally altered window printed on transparent adhesive paper.

I was very pleased with the above collage, and hope to work further with those types of materials. Although I would prefer to return to a more urban setting. In fact, the collage that I’m currently working on does just that, but with different materials. For now, though, that’s all the eye candy you’re getting Hopefully I won’t leave my blog so long without posting again!!!