Visual Inspiration Boards

Just got an email from Toni over at the art journaling yahoo group run by Rice, she reminded me of my intention to do Visual Inspiration Boards. This will be a January project just as soon as the hardwood floor is done, & I get my studio back. Do check out her blog, she is doing some beautiful work. http://seaweedandgardenias.blogspot.com/ Thank you, Toni.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year!!!

Below are a few goals, I expanded a bit from last year. I did ok, last year, but want to get closer to my vision of my life. So I will keep these goals close, in the front of my daily list, morning affirmations & sketchbooks.

Goals For 2009

1. Islands - Paint

2. Heal My Life - Affirmations, Art Journals, Books & Novel
3. Be with Art - Travel Journal

Wishes & Projects

Wishes

Do something creative everyday

Cheerful & helpful

Projects

China sketchbooks

Christmas Art Journal 2008

Novel - Observations

Blurb Books - China sketchbook, Cookbook, etc.

Healing My Life - Daily Art Cards

Refashioning Clothes

Island Paintings - Tree Island

Abstract Art - Play & Understand

Renovation - House/ Furniture

Simple Life - Organization

Garden/Yardwork

From now on I'm going to include a Louise Hay quote for my day.

Enjoy!

It's easy to grow and change in an atmosphere of love. - Louise Hay

Christmas Pecan 2008 Boxes

I found these sweet little boxes at Kris's wedding favors, they were fun & easy to make. You can see a better photo over at Kris' blog here. http://kris-wedding-favors.blogspot.com/ Kris also, has a color stripe blog, see it here. http://color-stripes.blogspot.com/

Enjoy!

Merry Christmas to all

Merry Christmas to all & to all a good night. Enjoy!

David Scott

David Scott

1926 - 2003

Merry Merry Chistmas Art Journal

The Merry, Merry Christmas Journal Cover & a few finished pages.

I scanned a few work in progress (WIP) pages to see how they look, but for now the WIP pages are going up on flickr. I'll post the individual pages here as they are completed then I'll post the completed Merry, Merry Christmas Journal here in January.

I'm really enjoying creating this Merry, Merry Christmas Journal(don't you just love the name, I do). It is pushing me to work longer & harder than I would without a deadline, even into the evening. But I am concerned that the pages aren't as good as they could be. That's probably my inner critic jumping in too soon before the pages are finished. I need to take into consideration that I am working under a bit of constraint, my fractured foot. Even though it is only a stress fracture, I have to keep the foot up a lot of the time. No problem with a lap desk & sofa, but there are pen marks, paint & glitter everywhere. It gets especially funny when Moby, the puppy girl, dashes up on the sofa to bark at dog, squirrel or person out front. So far no real accidents, but things can go flying.

Snow Dog

You gotta love pure joy!

http://www.dogwork.com/dogsnow/

Guangzhou China Citybook & Large Sketchbook

When I wasn't sleeping during the 18 hour return flight, I sketched Northwest Business Class. I floated the watercolor into the sketch, when I returned home.

The above sketch was completed in my small watercolor sketchbook. Since it was the only painting in that sketchbook, I decided to paste it into my large sketchbook to condense all my china paintings into the citybook & my large watercolor sketchbook. I pasted only the left edge so I could read my journaling on the backside of the painting. I scanned the Dragonboat cover of the small watercolor sketchbook so I'll have a copy of the cover painting. The small watecolor sketchbook will be recycled, probably on a Florida trip. First of all, the Chinese people were as wonderful as I had been told they would be, because being a red headed caucasian, there was no way I blended in with the native chinese. Since I walk around smiling all the time at least on vacation, I got lots of smiles & a couple of giggles from the Chinese police/soldiers. Now, when I paint, I really don't notice to much of what is going on around me, otherwise, I loose all concentration. This is why, I always try to paint in a safe area, which Sha Mian Island & everywhere I painted in China was safe. I sat under a gazebo next to the Pearl River with a couple of chinese grandparents & started to paint. I had sketched in the drawing, when I saw a young boy, his grandmother, & mother cross through the area I am painting. People are always strolling beside the Pearl River & under these trees the grandmothers do their Tai Chi. So I didn't think anything of it, until he made a bee line for me & the gazebo. From then on the grandson was my comentator hovering over my shoulder. Refocusing on my painting, I continued on as he would flit from shoulder to shoulder, back & forth between me and the grandmother & mother. Looking up 1/2 way through my painting, I noticed that every seat on the benches under the gazebo was packed with chinese grandparents. I smiled and continued on, while the grandson flitted between them all. At the end, I said thank you, Zhen, Zhen with a slight bow of the head & hands together. This is the celebration thank you, which I certainly felt I had a lot to celebrate with a good painting & wonderful experience. I do wish I had showed my work all around to them, but I rarely paint with anyone else, let alone in front of a crowd so I didn't think of it. Next time, I will share my work right then & there.

A beautiful, barely teal colored teapot on the table at the White Swan Canton restaurant caught my eye & had to be painted. Again, the staff discretely hovered watching me paint, but didn't intrude at all. Wonderful shrimp dumplings for lunch & the tea was delightful.


Above, is my favorite side of a double spread collage, you can see the other side over at my flickr along with more chinese paintings & photos http://www.flickr.com/photos/26331259@N06/collections/72157607856381647/ . These are packaging materials that caught my eye as we dined on fabulous canton, shanghai & thai food. Included in the above collage are the chinese dried fruit packaging. Whenever, we travel I put together gorp, this is dried fruit, nuts & a bit of chocolate for snacking. Chinese fruit was very different & even now, I'm not sure what we ate, but it was delicous, although not as sweet as american fruits.

Merry Merry Chistmas Art Journal & Moleskinerie Mention

1st Day of the Merry Merry Christmas Journal, which was to state our intentions. My intention is to bring more joy back into the Christmas Holiday for me & my family. Joy & more Joy - that's my intention.

A little bit of news - I'm on Moleskinerie here - http://www.moleskinerie.com/2008/11/sketches-from-g.html . Thanks for including me.