Through The Keyhole

A Saturday Morning

Me and my shadow snuggled in on this delicious frosty morning.  Planning, thinking, plotting, pondering, and just enough making. 

Have a glorious day!

Celebrating Celeste

My friend Celeste celebrated her birthday yesterday with an art party.  Can you imagine a better way to celebrate your birthday?  Me neither!

 

Gwen & Dawn

 

I am totally stealing this idea!  I may not even wait for my birthday.  August is so far away!  Maybe I'll have an unbirthday party.  I'll invite my art friends, serve some tasty treats, throw up some tables and get down to making, chattering, getting to know my friends better, laughing, lots of laughing, and eating.  Cannot forget the tasty part.

Gwen, Dawn, Tara, & Celeste

Sadly, I forgot to take a photo of the tasty yesterday.  The snacks were yummy.  The best of all was the almond mini-pies Dawn brought.  Did you know there was such a thing as a mini-pie maker?  I know, me neither.  And she filled those delicious mini-pies with almond filling and dusted the top with powdered sugar and toasted almond slices mmmm....  I cannot believe I only ate a half a pie.  I woke up this morning thinking about the deliciousness of it.

I had great fun finishing up a few journal covers.

And one still in progress.

Sleeping in the Forest

I'll be camping in the Redwoods and on the beach in California for nearly two weeks later this month.  I'll need to bind a new journal for the trip.  Wondering what form it will take.  With a cover or without?  Big or small?  Pre-painted or not?  Delicious decisions!  The planning is one of my favorite parts.  That and you know, actually vacating.  This sweet little number was made in a Misty Mawn class at the last Artfest.

Sleeping in the Forest

by Mary Oliver

I thought the earth remembered me,
she took me back so tenderly,
arranging her dark skirts, her pockets
full of lichens and seeds.
I slept as never before, a stone on the river bed,
nothing between me and the white fire of the stars
but my thoughts, and they floated light as moths
among the branches of the perfect trees.
All night I heard the small kingdoms
breathing around me, the insects,
and the birds who do their work in the darkness.
All night I rose and fell, as if in water,
grappling with a luminous doom. By morning
I had vanished at least a dozen times
into something better.

"Make" Journals for Artfest 2012

 8"x10" acrylic on canvas panels

"Make" Journal Covers

I'm prepping for the last Artfest, gathering my supplies, planning meetings with friends that live elsewhere, making my packing list, and making journals for the art gallery.

I've been painting 8"x10" canvas panels for journal covers that I'll be binding to sell in the art gallery.  They'll be filled with 140lb hot press Arches paper.  Luscious!

What will you do with your one wild and precious life?

I love this last one so much I may have to keep it.  It so clearly expresses the stillness I seek and the joyous uproar that is my life.

 

 

The Deedle Story

I began making my own journals this year using a binding technique that I learned from LK Ludwig at the first Journalfest, one of the retreats that Teesha and Tracy Moore used to put on.  I believe this binding is based on a Keith Smith.  It is so easy to copy by just looking at it that it's become my go to binding.

Every three months or so I get together with a group of women from around the Northwest for a long weekend of art journaling.  I painted the canvas boards and bound this journal during one of those weekends.

I had a spare text block bound that I'd decided not to use in another journal I made for a trip last summer.  I happened upon a set of garden encyclopedias at the flower and garden show last month that looked like the perfect size so I brought one home with me.  Turns out it in fact was perfect. 

I'm getting ready for the last Artfest 2012.  I hadn't planned on attending until I heard it was the last one.  There was no way I could miss the party it is sure to be.  I was fortunate enough to get into amazing classes.  Two are journal making, one with Orly Avineri and the second with Misty Mawn.  LK's teaching a different journal making class there as well.  I think Teesha is still accepting registrations for a bit longer.

Journal Covers

I started painting journal covers last night. It's difficult to leave them for the day job I tell you! If you're able to get some making in today I am officially jealous.

Journalfest #3

Hmm...days seem to stretch out around here.  "Tomorrow" seems to mean "some day in the near future that's not today".  Ah well, I'm back and ready to post my third and final Journalfest installment.  My goal in attending Journalfest was to learn some bookbinding skills.  Anything I learned on top of that was frosting on the cake.  My second class was with LK Ludwig and it was filled with frosting.  I haven't had that much fun in longer than should be permitted in an persons life. 

We prepared pages and bound a journal using covers from a recycled book.  This class suited my style!  I always love LK's work. She is an amazingly inventive, original voice.  On top of that, she's a generous and fun teacher.  When I grow up I want to be just like her. I'm thrilled with the way this book turned out and I can't wait to begin playing in it. 

 
   
 
My third class was with Daniel Essig again.  I wasn't as interested in the girdle structutre he was teaching as I was in learning more from Dan.  I wasn't sure I'd have an opportunity to learn from him again.  It turns out I really enjoyed this class a lot.  Unlike my first class with him, this class was very small with only 8 students.  It was a good thing as there was a lot going on in it.

This little journal is very sweet. It's an accordion book, with an ingenious little cover slipped on. I don't know the name of it but I'll be making more of the books. The little book can slip out of the girdle and the accordion pages can slip out of the cover. The girdle is meant to slip over a belt. I'm not much of a belt wearer but I love the ruggedness of the leather and will use this as a take along journal when camping I think.

I really love the tintype I used. I'm Tlingit from Alaska and this gentleman looks like he could have been from my tribe.

I almost forgot! One of the most exciting things that I did on this trip was work in one of the 1000 Journals. I had an opportunity to work in one at Artfest a couple of years ago. It was exciting to see another one in person.

I didn't want to keep it for too long so I just did a very quick page in it. It felt like what I imagine doing a bit of graffiti to say "I was here" would be like.

Well, that wraps up my Journalfest adventure. It was just what I needed. Now it's time to finish up some art for friends and start getting ready for Christmas. I can't even believe Thanksgiving is next week! That means we'll be getting our Christmas tree in the next 10 days or so. Yeesh! What happend to Fall?

Journalfest Part 2

I'm finally back to finish posting about Journalfest.  The energy at Journalfest was quieter and more intimate than Artfest.  I think due to the limited number of attendees and the efforts of Tracey and Teesha to create an atmosphere conducive to journaling.  It was all so fluid. The journal parties were especially wonderful. Visit with friends, journal, meet new folks, listen to groovy music (Surrealize and Teesha's journaling mix), try new techniques, look at the work others made in classes, peruse journals. It was all just perfect.

The Journal Parties

Tracey and Teesha

Jonna Barnett and Lisa Cheney-Jorgensen

 

Karen Michel

That's Dan Essig back in the corner.

Tara Finley and Jonna

Tracey and Traci Bunkers Dawn showed up for the party.
Karen O'Brien
Lisa working in Tracey's journal.
Tracey had set up a space to airbrush with copic markers.
Jonna and me

Teesha's journals. Be sure to visit her blog for her latest videos on making these snazzy little journals.
I made it into Port Townsend on the last night. The Halloween window displays were over the top. Apologies in advance for window glare.






Alrighty, this post has grown to ridiculous proportions. I'll post about my last two classes (LK Ludwig and Daniel Essig again) tomorrow.

Art Journal Essentials

Carol Parks has started a new blog and listed a meme. What's your 10 essential art journaling supplies. Go make a comment and be entered to win a prize! my kit of joy includes

• embroidery floss and sharp fat needle
• Pitt artist pens
• glue stick
• scissors
• camera
• photos
• gouache paint
• copper tape
• found scraps
• found natural materials

Gifts

Recently my friend Jonna sent me and my family gifts that she'd made.  It was such a wonderful surprise to arrive home to find an unexpected package on my porch.  Particularly as Tanner had just been lamenting that he never gets mail.

She made Tanner this sweet little journal.  It fits perfectly in his hand and he felt so very special when he opened it. 

For Debbie she included this lovely painting. We all loved this. . I was over the moon excited to open my package to discover this. I've wanted one of Jonna's journals for so long now. They are beautifully crafted with great paper. She's even personalized it with my name stamped in the leather. I've begun using it, taking it on our camping trip to the ocean. It was the perfect size to pack and to work in. I feel so honored to have a friend who would make personalized gifts for me and my family! We met at our first Artfest 4 years ago and for some reason just clicked. I was so out of my element and she was so welcoming and warm. I'm certain we were meant to meet that night. I'm off to a day of celebrating birthdays and hanging with my extended family. Tanner always loves being with his cousins. It's going to be an easy enjoyable day. I hope yours is the same.