I'm learning...

my pile of journals, I always work in more than one at any given time.

I'm learning that journaling is what gets me through the hard, messy, scary times in life.

unfortunately during those times it seems as if there is little time to do much of anything let alone journal...

but I'm learning....

these are the times I need to most...

and to be grateful that they wait for me

to pour out my feelings, heart, soul

to refresh and renew my spirit and mind.



What is more important than that?

I'm learning....

TRUST

FAITH

I'm learning to turn to nature...always let it inspire....

I'm learning .... take time to do what you need to do most.

and then come back again tomorrow.

I'm learning........

this will be waiting.......

 

Nature's Peace

A nasty virus has kept me out of commission for about 2 weeks now.  But I am done....done with being sick and having no energy.  Need to get on with life already...and back to the studio which I have missed.  Not even going to try to catch up....just going to start right where I am.

Happy Fall......Revisiting Trust

October 1st.....Goodbye September.....

 

sometimes time goes by way too fast and we need to stop....take a breath...notice the changes....

This is my collage today for 100 days of Collage.

And this is my journal page for today.....Revisiting Trust.  Why.... because the messages were all around me.   

Sometimes I need to be knocked over the head to hear  and heed the signs the Universe is sending me....and always when I need them most. An inspirational message in my email,  a blog post by an artist I admire,  a post I read on Facebook.  I head to the studio knowing I want to journal, knowing I want to use the colors of fall, and wonder what I will journal about.

My favorite Somerset magazine on my work table...

I randomly select a piece of print paper for collage background and when I turn it over to glue....it says trust......

   I pull out an old journal that I made a few years back....my first handmade journal from an online class I took from L.K. Ludwig.

    When I open it a dried leaf falls out..... so then I know I have to trust...trust the process....trust my desire to create....trust what I know.....trust what I desire....

   It's not always easy....but sometimes you just have to give it up to a higher power......

   and go where trust leads you.

                                                   HAPPY FALL                                            

100 Days of Collage

I decided to participate in Stephanie Levy's group "100 Days of Collage".  Each day we are supposed to create a simple collage and share it on a private facebook group.  I like participating in these groups because there is great inspiration and I feel like it holds me accountable.  I have tried to keep up but went on a short trip with only my journal, a glue stick and a few papers so grabbed some travel brochures from the resort lobby and tried to piece together a few things just to keep creating or as my fellow vacationers said,"ripping and tearing".

Back home and in my studio I caught up by doing these.....I'm using a journal
I purchased at GoodWill which was intended to keep track of books.  But the

pages are nice and thick and hold up well to layers of paper.

Of course after all this my worktable was covered with scraps and I just wasn't ready to call it a day.

 I decided to do an exercise from Randel Plowman's book, Collage a Day Workshop.  He suggests using 5 pieces of 3x5 cardstock, grabbing some scraps, setting the timer for 5 minutes each and see what happens.  I had some 3x5 index cards already background painted.  I keep them nearby when I'm painting or journaling so I can throw leftover paint on them or scraps.  I also decided to use some duck and bird pictures as the focal point.  That's the only prep I did.

Here's what happened...........

 It was fun and much harder than I expected.  Of course that made more of a mess but it was a fun day in the Treehouse studio and that's what matters.  Looking forward to each day of collage and I have some new on-line classes coming up.  What are you up to?

True Confession....Uncensored and unedited

I have long been wanting to revive this sad little blog of mine and this seems like a good opportunity.  I love Seth Apters blog and a few days ago he asked artists to post their studio space and work tables just as they are...kind of like those old come as you are parties.  I have company coming and was about ready to tidy up today when I decided to take the challenge and post my messy studio space.

So here's the thing.  If a studio and work table are messy it can only mean one thing-creative things are happening there.. paint is being splattered, paper is being ripped and cut, scissors and paint brushes are flying, ink is flowing, etc., etc., etc.  As I looked thru the links on Seth's blog I realized I am in good company.  No matter how much space, how much storage, how many or how few art supplies (though most of us have many!) studios where artists are showing up and doing what they love are messy.  And beautiful!

And here's another thing.  I doubt that many of us would photograph and post our other messy spaces and we all have them.  Dirty dishes in our sinks and on the counters, unmade beds, dirty laundry, dusty furniture, grimy ceiling fans, unswept carpets, etc., etc., etc.  But we love our creative spaces and we love to share them with other artists because we know they get it.   And if they are like me, love the mess, feel safe in the mess, know where everything is in the mess, find serendipitous discoveries in the mess, breathe and relax in the mess, and most important find ourselves in the mess.

Yes all this time I have been away from this blog I have been creating a mess, almost daily and I have loved every minute of mess making.

baskets full papers

wet table-used for painting

view from the steps up to the studio

works and journals in progress

baskets full of collage materials

antique drawing table for dry work, drawing, collage

stuff

stuff

favorite things
reading materials

folding screen to hide the mess

other side

two collages for 100 days of collage

comfy chair to relax, read, and get inspired

Thanks for visiting!