Some of my Art Journals

What is visual journaling, or art journaling? (The terms are used interchangeably). Many people ask me this question when I tell them that I teach workshops in it. I truly enjoy keeping a visual journal, and it is as much a part of my studio practice as my sketchbook, and of my personal daily practice as my regular journal. So really it is a combination of the two. Yet, it is more.

Artmaking gets us to the essence of who we are. Expressing how we see the world is to touch the divine within. The art journal is a vessel to record our perceptions and to stretch our creative muscles. There is inherent power in the journal as a tool to transform our personal inner vision into reality, to “put it on the page”. But it is also is a vehicle to learn how to look closely and to listen for what it has to say back to us.

Art Journaling utilizes collage, printmaking/stamping, painting, drawing, writing, sketching and, most importantly, is NOT about finished pieces of art. It is really about a process, a dialogue that goes on between you, the materials and the page. Some pages are never finished. For me, it is a spiritual practice. It is not for sharing, necessarily, as the content can be highly personal, but, ironically, is often most rewarding done in groups or with others. There is a creative energy that is generated by the practice that is palpable, and very inspiring. This is really why I love teaching this process, each person gets something out of it, and some are actually surprised by it. There is an “aha” moment. We tap into our deeper creative voice.

A Student's Journal Spread

Our journals can go very deep or stay on the surface. I prefer depth. Motifs and symbols appear, messages are written to be heeded, ideas are excavated and explored. It is internal archaeology, with a record of the process and the discoveries. I have always taught with the purpose of helping people find their own creative voices. Some are just blocked temporarily, others never knew they had one at all. We are all creative in our own unique way. Visual Journaling is a tool to quell the inner critic and to find that voice.

I haven’t printed in almost a year. I have been working with painting and collage, and teaching art journaling. So when I found out about the Gelli Plate (http://www.gelliarts.com), a pre-made gelatin-like plate that doesn’t require the plate manufacture, the refrigeration, and has a longer shelf life than a traditional gelatin plate, I had to try it.  I bought two in the 8″ x 10″ size and invited fellow printmaker Elizabeth Winchester over to put it through its paces…

First of all, using printing ink instead of the recommended acrylic paint was a critical move. It  allows for a longer working time and greater adhesion of the layers of color. Also, I am more familiar the inking process this way. Secondly, printing on good Stonehenge paper allowed for a richer print as well as something archival if a great print was created.

Here’s some of my results:

One print is on Stonehenge. The other print is on copy paper. In both cases I used Daniel Smith Relief printing ink with extender.

Fun! Fun! And now it is in the studio waiting for another print session. Just take it out of the plastic package and go to it! I love it! Thanks, Gelliarts! Be looking for more prints from me in the future.

Gelli print on Stonehenge

Test print from Gelli plate on copy paper

I titled the work shown in the previous post “Circadian Rhythm Series” as these have to do with that sense of a 24-hour period, rhythm and movement, texture. Thank you to all of you who dug deep for me and came up with some great titles…

I continue to work on this series and it is now being exhibited in Katonah in the show entitled “NINE” which will be up through next weekend. Go see it in person at Offerings Gallery, 59 Katonah Avenue, Katonah, NY 10536.

To Be Named

I am creating a NEW body of work. It hearkens back to my Streams of Consciousness series, with vertical strips juxtaposed to one another. These are collages. As always, I am having a very difficult time naming each work. I would even like a series name as they are all related visually, however, individual names would do well too. I don’t like titles that lock the viewer into one way of seeing a piece, so a bit of ambiguity is nice. So here’s your challenge: Name this piece, or name the series, or both. Your choice. What do you see? What do you call it? Please respond by April 27. Thanks for YOUR creativity…

Mandala 11252

I must be insane. I have sat at the computer all weekend organizing my computer files, specifically my contact list and my artwork inventory. I built spreadsheets and input data from the early hours to near midnight and would wake up early and do it again. I am into it. Getting control of my files makes me feel better. I will be a better person because of it. I will be able to stay in touch with people better. (Spoiler alert: look for an email in the near future…)

But some interesting information came out of my delving deeply into my art inventory. 2008 was a REALLY productive and prolific year. And I am starting to wonder if it was due to the mandala practice I maintained that year. I made mandalas every day, filling a 7″ circle with whatever would lead my hand. Choosing colors from my instinct, not my brain. Really being led by my higher power. In touch with the present, I could allow myself to just draw without inner criticism. The point was not to “make art” but to just get the hand moving and the brain out of the way. A warm up, a stretching exercise, if you will. The spiritual component was a part of it as well. I have 5 sketchbooks filled with mandalas and it’s fascinating to see a development of forms and patterns that emerged from deep within me.

So what did I do? I let my practice drop off. I haven’t made a mandala in over a year. I miss it. I think it’s time to get back in practice and stretch and see what comes up. Who knows, maybe I’ll have another prolific year.

different crop

Speaking of cropping and composition, I actually think I like this crop more, which is why it is my avatar for my blog. I do think I will do a painting of this, and maybe a series of prints, that could be cool. Once the ice thaws and I can get to the studio . . .

So not to let moss grow, I am working here on the computer these days instead, organizing my files and signing up for classes, planning my own classes for the spring and updating my mailing list. Why don’t you drop me an email if you would like to be on my mailing list or take a class with me: ccstaples@comcast.net. My mailing list got a bit messed up when my last hard drive failed and I have not really attended to it. Well now is the time! Especially since I just enrolled in a class with Alyson Stanfield, an art business coach, and we will be creating GOOD lists. So in terms of streamlining, I am investing in Bento, the database for the mac. I hate reinventing the wheel and have learned the hard way that sometimes you have to take the extra minute or two up front to save a LOT of time later. So I am working on my lists, organizing my files and integrating all my software –after all that’s what a mac does really well. I am making use of the technology so that I will be able to spend more time in the studio when it does thaw! I can’t wait. But in the meantime I am productive on the business end of things.

Cropped painting

Capturing the crux of something is at times achieved by reducing things to their essence. Boil it down, edit. I find these days we are so verbose. That’s why twitter allows only 140 characters, and I’ve heard of others that are even less. Often, as I am working on a painting I find I want to immediately start another, one that is just a portion of the prior. This distillation process is good, it reminds me to edit my compositions, to zero in on the focal point of the painting and eliminate the unnecessary parts. Good writing is well edited. Good design is simple. I think the most elegant and sophisticated are the understated. So, while this crop is okay, it needs to shift a lot in terms of color.  I will experiment with the canvases by continuing to reduce my elements as well as my color choices. And, I will think about what I am saying before I say it. Perhaps a few words less would allow for listening instead of talking. . .

Snow outside the studio

I am working on an even NEWER series of paintings. Using the previously posted paintings as bases, I am working from a sketch and responding to the canvas as it develops. I clearly need a palette to develop, but right now I am working with the composition.

base painting for siena series

I am happy with the above base as a start. As I continue, here is where I have left off:

step two on siena base

Again, the colors need to shift, but I am trying to constantly simplify. I think I may even just take a piece of this painting and redo it as a new painting. Crop it to simplify the composition even more. This canvas is 36″ x 48″ as are all of my canvases I am discussing. It has been weeks since I worked on this so I am chomping at the bit to get back to it. I’ll post more as it develops.