I know that is possible some of my readers may be wondering why I am writing all this about my art idea journal. The answer is a simple one, I desire to capture the experience and be able to look back years from now and to be able to remember how it felt when we {all of us who participated} were going through the process of it all.
I want to include those feelings, the anticipation of a journal being in the processes of the postal system and knowing that yet another is one its way to me, and to capture the excitement of seeing one of them within my mailbox --- eg. in an huge envelope or priority box sitting on my porch. I want to capture the excitement and the sigh of relief that I experience as I realize and say a prayer of gratitude that not one of them was ever lost of misdirected. It isn't so much about my own experiences either, it is in the knowing that 16 other artists experienced the same thing and interpreted the experience slightly differently. Also, I can honestly say that if a survey or questionaire was formed that asked each and everyone of us if we'd do it again, knowing what we know and have experienced throughout it all, that I believe the answer would be a reasonating, "Yes!" Sort of like the angels in the heavens, singing, "Halluelah! Halleulah!"
It is this that I desire to look back upon and remember. It is the excitement, the wonderment, the astonishing feeling that another artist's artwork reasonates within each of us. It is in the magic of all the possibilities that travel through your mind when you see one or all of the techniques and know that you will one day desire to create it and use that knowledge within your own artwork. In fact, that has already been done! In a recent post on the byhand group, one of the participants, Yogi, informed me that she has used the Whimsical Writing alphabet and technique that I've provided within these journals on some of the artwork that she recently created. It is that feeling! that I contributed to the knowledge of another artist and that the technique will live on and on in another artist's artwork that makes this journey a bit more special.
Another reason is fear. Fear? Yep, fear. The fear that if I don't capture those feelings now that somehow they will be lost and never remembered with quite the same clarity that I am experiencing now. And as my own art idea journal makes it way home to me, I am beginning to think and consider how it will be bound and I've decided that within the pages I want to capture the essence of this journey and the journals by including this information. Why? Because one day when I am no longer on the face of this earth and as my family goes through all my worldly possessions, they will one day come across this journal. I want them to know how special this project was, how much it meant to me, how much planning and work and a piece of each artist's heart that has poured out upon its pages, and I want my grand-daughter Alexxis to have it and to know the love, the caring, the concern that went into each of them. I hope she finds that within those pages and not only cherishes the journal for what it is but somehow finds some amazement in the knowledge that there 16 more journals, similar to mine, out there being enjoyed somewhere in the world. Who knows maybe she'll be excited enough about this project to one day wonder where the remaining 16 of them are and do her own search to find them; not the journals themselves, but the relatives of those of us who participated within them. You got to admit that it is a wonderful concept!
Showing posts with label Journals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Journals. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
My own Art Idea Journal.. and how it came to be.
The journey actually started to begin in January within Suzanne's from http://quietfiredesigns.com Byhand Yahoo Group when Susanna, from Finland, made a comment regarding how wonderful it would to have an art idea journal to refer to that was created from the members of the Byhand group. This comment originated after she had received some spectacular artwork in several swaps and Deco RR's. Once the comment was made, the idea just sort of snowballed from there, each of us adding in what we'd like the journals to contain such as a technique that so and so used in this swap, or a background that another participant used in a Deco. It didn't matter who posted or who commented each of us knew we'd cherish having something of that nature in our possession.
It wasn't simply about containing the artwork, we all desired a technique tutorial! Provide me with a step by step tutorial so that I can recreate it. As the discussion continued, so did the ideas! They simply poured out of each of us... like we'd love to see photographs of one another's art studio's and spaces, read about one another's creative process, and how the book would even cooler filled with art and creativity quotations, and then it was back to discussing what each of would to learn from one another, sort of an "I'd like a personal one on one class with so and so learning to do this....."
It wasn't long after that few weeks of bouncing all of this off of one another that Susanne thought that we could make this dream and the daydreams of all these comments on a message board within the group, become a reality. She suggested the Art Idea Journal RR, where each of us would create a journal and the RR would begin. We formed a new group where even more ideas were thrown out and tossed around until one day it was decided that we'd two groups of participants within this group. Everyone was invited to sign-up for whichever group they desired to participate within and some even signed up for both! The two categories within the group were a lightweight already bound journal and the other a pages only group that could be bound by each participant upon its return home. I signed up for the pages only group and glimpses of the journal that I created as we embarked on this Art Idea Journal RR can be found in my February 2005 archives.
It was sort of our version of the True Colors journal RR but with a twist of anything goes! To quote on Suzanne's amazing calligraphy style rubber stamps that uses a William Wordsworth quotation, "Fill the paper with the breathings of your heart..." and that is exactly what each of us did! Every journal is unique in its own way as each of us worked on creating our own journals we added in what we envisioned for our own to be once returned to us.
As the journals circulated and page upon precious page was created and even though some of the techniques were repeated within them, each and every one is uniquely created for the original creator, author, and designer. I have never participated in something so beautiful and amazing before in my entire life!
Would I do it again today? Knowing that it would embark on an almost two year journey? Yes! and in a heartbeat!!!!! As the journey begins to make its way through the final stages and the end is near, it is bittersweet. I am excited to have my journal returned to me and wait anxiously for the day that it arrives, yet a part of me is going to greatly miss the communication, the companionship, the love, the caring and the compassion that each of us have shown to one another throughout the journey. I know that we will stay in touch, continue to swap artwork, continnue to participate in even more Deco round robin's but there will never be another Art Idea RR journey quite like this one. It is that knowledge that makes each and everyone one us desire to hold our own journals within our hands and as close to our hearts as we physically possibly can! What an amazing adventure it has been! Throughth personal trials, illness, and deaths, we managed to pull this off and remain a bit more than simply inter-continental artists who exchange artwork, we've became a family and shall forever remain friends!
It wasn't simply about containing the artwork, we all desired a technique tutorial! Provide me with a step by step tutorial so that I can recreate it. As the discussion continued, so did the ideas! They simply poured out of each of us... like we'd love to see photographs of one another's art studio's and spaces, read about one another's creative process, and how the book would even cooler filled with art and creativity quotations, and then it was back to discussing what each of would to learn from one another, sort of an "I'd like a personal one on one class with so and so learning to do this....."
It wasn't long after that few weeks of bouncing all of this off of one another that Susanne thought that we could make this dream and the daydreams of all these comments on a message board within the group, become a reality. She suggested the Art Idea Journal RR, where each of us would create a journal and the RR would begin. We formed a new group where even more ideas were thrown out and tossed around until one day it was decided that we'd two groups of participants within this group. Everyone was invited to sign-up for whichever group they desired to participate within and some even signed up for both! The two categories within the group were a lightweight already bound journal and the other a pages only group that could be bound by each participant upon its return home. I signed up for the pages only group and glimpses of the journal that I created as we embarked on this Art Idea Journal RR can be found in my February 2005 archives.
It was sort of our version of the True Colors journal RR but with a twist of anything goes! To quote on Suzanne's amazing calligraphy style rubber stamps that uses a William Wordsworth quotation, "Fill the paper with the breathings of your heart..." and that is exactly what each of us did! Every journal is unique in its own way as each of us worked on creating our own journals we added in what we envisioned for our own to be once returned to us.
As the journals circulated and page upon precious page was created and even though some of the techniques were repeated within them, each and every one is uniquely created for the original creator, author, and designer. I have never participated in something so beautiful and amazing before in my entire life!
Would I do it again today? Knowing that it would embark on an almost two year journey? Yes! and in a heartbeat!!!!! As the journey begins to make its way through the final stages and the end is near, it is bittersweet. I am excited to have my journal returned to me and wait anxiously for the day that it arrives, yet a part of me is going to greatly miss the communication, the companionship, the love, the caring and the compassion that each of us have shown to one another throughout the journey. I know that we will stay in touch, continue to swap artwork, continnue to participate in even more Deco round robin's but there will never be another Art Idea RR journey quite like this one. It is that knowledge that makes each and everyone one us desire to hold our own journals within our hands and as close to our hearts as we physically possibly can! What an amazing adventure it has been! Throughth personal trials, illness, and deaths, we managed to pull this off and remain a bit more than simply inter-continental artists who exchange artwork, we've became a family and shall forever remain friends!
Art Idea Journals and other artistic adventures....
I received Mieke's Art Idea Journal from the RR in the mail yesterday. I cannot stop gushing on and on about these magnificance journals! It doesn't matter how many of these journals that have passed through your hands, each and everyone has its own unique characteristics that just cause your jaw to drop and are filled with some the most amazing eye candy I've ever held within my hands.
Mieke's journal has sort of a chapbook theme going on in it. As she created it, she made several pages in a chapbook style and then asked that each artist do like-wise in addition to the artwork that they created within it. Every page is a masterpiece..... I could pick up any one of these journals at any given time and find a new little detail that I'd somehow missed the time before.
Since I have anotherl swap deadlines looming, my artistic time is going to be full and I will be shuffling back and forth between projects. This shouldn't be as hectic as it sounds since some of it will relate to preparing the silk screenprinting frame and while it is drying inbetween each step, I can begin to work on something else. My postage ATC swap will also be created in steps that will require some drying times so while those are beginning to take shape, I can work in the evenings while watching TV to begin my whimsical writing pages for Mieke's journal. I will most likely have Mieke's journal in my possession for a little while as this journal was sent to me, skipping one participant while she works in my journal and creates Mieke's journal pages so that all of them can be sent to me together and we don't get bottlenecked again.... meaning one participant holding a few of the journals and the next participant having none to work in.
I am excited about this RR cominng to an end... As I've mentioned previously that means my own journal creation will be returning home to me and other participants will be recieving their journals. It is somewhat of a bittersweet ending........ I have been in a lot of online swaps for artwork and RR's, but I can honestly stay that the communication within this group of ladies has been the most fabulous. Regardless of what curve life has thrown at each one of us, we've managed to maintain contact and communication over the last year and a half. I don't think anyone of us anticipated the time it would require for 17 participant to send and receive and to create within these journals but I know we all agree that each and every one of the journals is both a work of art and a masterpiece.
Mieke's journal has sort of a chapbook theme going on in it. As she created it, she made several pages in a chapbook style and then asked that each artist do like-wise in addition to the artwork that they created within it. Every page is a masterpiece..... I could pick up any one of these journals at any given time and find a new little detail that I'd somehow missed the time before.
Since I have anotherl swap deadlines looming, my artistic time is going to be full and I will be shuffling back and forth between projects. This shouldn't be as hectic as it sounds since some of it will relate to preparing the silk screenprinting frame and while it is drying inbetween each step, I can begin to work on something else. My postage ATC swap will also be created in steps that will require some drying times so while those are beginning to take shape, I can work in the evenings while watching TV to begin my whimsical writing pages for Mieke's journal. I will most likely have Mieke's journal in my possession for a little while as this journal was sent to me, skipping one participant while she works in my journal and creates Mieke's journal pages so that all of them can be sent to me together and we don't get bottlenecked again.... meaning one participant holding a few of the journals and the next participant having none to work in.
I am excited about this RR cominng to an end... As I've mentioned previously that means my own journal creation will be returning home to me and other participants will be recieving their journals. It is somewhat of a bittersweet ending........ I have been in a lot of online swaps for artwork and RR's, but I can honestly stay that the communication within this group of ladies has been the most fabulous. Regardless of what curve life has thrown at each one of us, we've managed to maintain contact and communication over the last year and a half. I don't think anyone of us anticipated the time it would require for 17 participant to send and receive and to create within these journals but I know we all agree that each and every one of the journals is both a work of art and a masterpiece.
Friday, September 22, 2006
Coming Soon: Some new arty creations.....
I was a little restless last night so I headed out to the studio and grabbed a box of stamps that would fit into a 12x12 drawer, a variety of inks, and a lot of tags and envelopes! I sat and stamped and stippled with ink to create some pieces that can be embellished further and use within a variety of artwork projects.
I have gone through some phases with this way of creating, thinking I should create some smaller things for use in some bigger projects, but last night is the first time I've really acted on the idea without a specific project in mind. Unfortunately, my scanner isn't working.... I may have to re-install it completely. So, in the meantime, I've decided to continue to embellish and once they are finished, I'll capture a digital photograph of them; hence, the "Coming Soon" caption....
I also think that I may have stumble upon a really cool stamped design that I can use to create the Postage Stamp ATC's! Creating them is my next project so that I can have them postal before the actual due date as they will be going to Canada.
I also heard that I've an Art Idea Journal from the RR heading my way... Whoo-hoo! with that one, I've two to go. It has been an absolutely amazing journey with this RR..... 17 participants, over a year and half in the making, and now being in the home stretch! I am excited knowing my own journal is only one participant away from me.... in the hands of the girl who mails to me! Come home to momma, Baby! It will be an adventure in and of itself in figuring out how I will bind it into a book. I blogged regarding some thoughts and ideas previously..... just need to re-read and re-evaluate them when the time comes.
I am desiring to begin working on creating some Christmas gifts soon. I don't have a lot to do; just enough to keep some of the expenses of gift-giving down using items that I already own and my own two hands! So, I'll be slowing down a bit on the swapping for a while until these things are created.
Something else that has been on my mind for quite some time now is to possibly open up an Etsy shop. I've some ideas for some handmade items that I can create and add. I don't think that project will be started before the New Year, but I am considering all the possibilities of doing it. I just need to get my butt in gear and get those ideas out of my head and created. In the meantime, I can be setting up everything else that it will take to make it successful, such as the packaging, shipping, and mailing of items. And start creating them..... I guess I'll never know if it will be a success unless I just do it!
I have gone through some phases with this way of creating, thinking I should create some smaller things for use in some bigger projects, but last night is the first time I've really acted on the idea without a specific project in mind. Unfortunately, my scanner isn't working.... I may have to re-install it completely. So, in the meantime, I've decided to continue to embellish and once they are finished, I'll capture a digital photograph of them; hence, the "Coming Soon" caption....
I also think that I may have stumble upon a really cool stamped design that I can use to create the Postage Stamp ATC's! Creating them is my next project so that I can have them postal before the actual due date as they will be going to Canada.
I also heard that I've an Art Idea Journal from the RR heading my way... Whoo-hoo! with that one, I've two to go. It has been an absolutely amazing journey with this RR..... 17 participants, over a year and half in the making, and now being in the home stretch! I am excited knowing my own journal is only one participant away from me.... in the hands of the girl who mails to me! Come home to momma, Baby! It will be an adventure in and of itself in figuring out how I will bind it into a book. I blogged regarding some thoughts and ideas previously..... just need to re-read and re-evaluate them when the time comes.
I am desiring to begin working on creating some Christmas gifts soon. I don't have a lot to do; just enough to keep some of the expenses of gift-giving down using items that I already own and my own two hands! So, I'll be slowing down a bit on the swapping for a while until these things are created.
Something else that has been on my mind for quite some time now is to possibly open up an Etsy shop. I've some ideas for some handmade items that I can create and add. I don't think that project will be started before the New Year, but I am considering all the possibilities of doing it. I just need to get my butt in gear and get those ideas out of my head and created. In the meantime, I can be setting up everything else that it will take to make it successful, such as the packaging, shipping, and mailing of items. And start creating them..... I guess I'll never know if it will be a success unless I just do it!
Monday, September 11, 2006
My hand for Vicki's Art Idea Journal...
Whoo-hoo! All my pages for Vicki's Art Idea Journal are completed. I created her a Whimical Writing alphabet; stamped images using the Mona Lisa Odorless Mineral spirits, and this hand. Vicki's journal contains a lot of hands..... sort of a central theme that developed as each of us worked in her journal as it circulated. I desided at the last minute to color my hand in using the same technique! Enjoy! 
Saturday, August 12, 2006
Paper scraps for decoration altered books and journals
This a small sampling of some of the painted papers that I have stamped and doodled upon. I also used some "spirit words", words that seem to speak to my spirit.
Sunday, August 06, 2006
OMG! My Art Idea Journal...
Attempting to have a peaceful Sunday morning without Chaos being a completely rambunctious puppy, I've been surfing online for a bit. I normally check in to see if a journal is heading my way soon and was so surprised to discover this post:
- A point of interest, your pages stacked up measures about 4 inches tall, and are deffinately better than scans!
Can you believe that? 4" thick!!! Wowzers!!!! I am so happy that we are nearing the home stretch and all the journals will soon be home to their original creators filled with the breathings of each artist's heart. What a wonderful journey this has been! {huge smiley's
Saturday, August 05, 2006
My Art Idea Journal RR...
Ah, the journey with this project continues. If you are new to reading my blog, you may not be aware of this artistic endeavor so I will summarize it a bit for those of you who fall into this category.
In February of last year, one of the online groups that I participate within, a member suggested we do an art idea journal after seeing so many varieties of paper art techniques displayed within some of the previous swaps and mingles held there. Regardless to say, interest in participating in this sprang up quickly and by the time the poll was over, 17 participants signed up to join in. A Yahoo group was established for communication, which has been wonderful over the course of the last year and a half! Discussions were held and from those discussions, two groups were formed. One was a group who desired to send loose pages for a journal to be bound by the artist when the swap ended and another group desired a lightweight bound journal to actually be sent out. Some participants, amazingly to me, signed up for both groups!!!! {I don't know how they did it as many keep participating in swaps and challenges and a variety of personal creating while involved! which AMAZED me even more!}
After the participants for each group was listed, documents were created that listed the participants and their personal information for future contacting, a rotation was established, and each participant set out to creating their own Art Idea Journal to be sent.
{You can find some pages that I created for mine in my archives: they'd either be in Feb. or March of 2005} In March, we embarked on this journey. Journals began being mailed, artists created within the pages and filled in the sign in sheets and signed their artwork. Communication was, and still is, vital to this process. Posts were made by each participant when a participant's journal was mailed, to whom, and when received. Rarely, did the moderators of the group have to step in and make inquiries or suggest a journal be sent on. One member was so kind as to set up a database where each participant could document who's journal they had in their possession, to whom it was mailed, and when; as well, an accumulative list for all the journals that participant has worked in. This greatly assists each and every one of us and all participants were excellent about using it! Fear that a journal would be lost in the mail was the greatest challenge but I am happy to report that to date, no journals have been misplaced. {Lord, I hope I don't jinx that!}
Anyways.... {geesh, I use that word a lot! LOL!I assure you that it is a "learned behavior"' anyone who knows Don; knows what I am saying! :)} I recently heard that my journal is amazing! It is approximately 5"x7" or somewhere there abouts and I hear it is FAT! A lot of the ladies participating in this Round Robin, tell me it absolutely beautiful! I can say that I have seen some of the pages created within it. They were from scans that others uploaded, but I can also say, that the scans shared within that group, in no way compare to actually holding any one of these journals within your own hands. Each and everyone is unique in some small way, even if some of the artwork featured within was created 17 times!!!
Well, I am happy to say that the participant who mails to me recently received a journal. After she is finished with her artwork, it will be on its way to me! That means I'll soon have a journal to play in and after that....... I'll only have 3 more to create in!! Oh, Happy days......... {This also means my own journal is closer to making its way HOME! I'm so exited to actually see it and hold it within my hands!!!!}
Oh, and for those of you blog readers who aren't familiar with swaps, Lisa Vollrath of www.lisavollrath.com has written an excellent tutorial on mail art which will help you with the idea of what a swap is. However, it is important to note that the swap hostess may establish her own rules, be certain to following them carefully and to the letter!
A "Mingle" is another form of a mail art swap, except the participants of the group are paired up to exchange artwork. I hope this information helps someone. To find swaps to participate in there are a variety of groups on Yahoo, MSN, and Google's eGroups that accept new members in a variety of categories. You're certain to find something that suits your interests, crafts, and hobbies. If you cannot find a group that works for you, why not invite some of your friends and begin your own? I assure you, you will love it!!!!
In February of last year, one of the online groups that I participate within, a member suggested we do an art idea journal after seeing so many varieties of paper art techniques displayed within some of the previous swaps and mingles held there. Regardless to say, interest in participating in this sprang up quickly and by the time the poll was over, 17 participants signed up to join in. A Yahoo group was established for communication, which has been wonderful over the course of the last year and a half! Discussions were held and from those discussions, two groups were formed. One was a group who desired to send loose pages for a journal to be bound by the artist when the swap ended and another group desired a lightweight bound journal to actually be sent out. Some participants, amazingly to me, signed up for both groups!!!! {I don't know how they did it as many keep participating in swaps and challenges and a variety of personal creating while involved! which AMAZED me even more!}
After the participants for each group was listed, documents were created that listed the participants and their personal information for future contacting, a rotation was established, and each participant set out to creating their own Art Idea Journal to be sent.
{You can find some pages that I created for mine in my archives: they'd either be in Feb. or March of 2005} In March, we embarked on this journey. Journals began being mailed, artists created within the pages and filled in the sign in sheets and signed their artwork. Communication was, and still is, vital to this process. Posts were made by each participant when a participant's journal was mailed, to whom, and when received. Rarely, did the moderators of the group have to step in and make inquiries or suggest a journal be sent on. One member was so kind as to set up a database where each participant could document who's journal they had in their possession, to whom it was mailed, and when; as well, an accumulative list for all the journals that participant has worked in. This greatly assists each and every one of us and all participants were excellent about using it! Fear that a journal would be lost in the mail was the greatest challenge but I am happy to report that to date, no journals have been misplaced. {Lord, I hope I don't jinx that!}
Anyways.... {geesh, I use that word a lot! LOL!I assure you that it is a "learned behavior"' anyone who knows Don; knows what I am saying! :)} I recently heard that my journal is amazing! It is approximately 5"x7" or somewhere there abouts and I hear it is FAT! A lot of the ladies participating in this Round Robin, tell me it absolutely beautiful! I can say that I have seen some of the pages created within it. They were from scans that others uploaded, but I can also say, that the scans shared within that group, in no way compare to actually holding any one of these journals within your own hands. Each and everyone is unique in some small way, even if some of the artwork featured within was created 17 times!!!
Well, I am happy to say that the participant who mails to me recently received a journal. After she is finished with her artwork, it will be on its way to me! That means I'll soon have a journal to play in and after that....... I'll only have 3 more to create in!! Oh, Happy days......... {This also means my own journal is closer to making its way HOME! I'm so exited to actually see it and hold it within my hands!!!!}
Oh, and for those of you blog readers who aren't familiar with swaps, Lisa Vollrath of www.lisavollrath.com has written an excellent tutorial on mail art which will help you with the idea of what a swap is. However, it is important to note that the swap hostess may establish her own rules, be certain to following them carefully and to the letter!
A "Mingle" is another form of a mail art swap, except the participants of the group are paired up to exchange artwork. I hope this information helps someone. To find swaps to participate in there are a variety of groups on Yahoo, MSN, and Google's eGroups that accept new members in a variety of categories. You're certain to find something that suits your interests, crafts, and hobbies. If you cannot find a group that works for you, why not invite some of your friends and begin your own? I assure you, you will love it!!!!
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