Circus of Js

Hello January!
I tell you that big goose egg on the head on Christmas day shook something loose and before it went away I was in fast and furious stream of thought inspiration mode. I love when that happens. 

Well it just so happens the inspiration had a deadline which was Sunday, and I have had my head down and fingers designing, drawing, stitching, painting, cutting and waxing since the eve of the Epiphany. That's actually when it all started.

First, you need one fact of the matter. Here it is. Sometime in February, I am going to be a Great Grandmother. 

Of course, I have known this for quite a long time but I have been on-again-off-again about making a baby blanket. All through the month of December I knew if I was going to make one, I should get started. Then I would think, "no I don't have time." Then shame and guilt about that. And so it goes.

I really wanted to be stitching in the chair but the dread of the cloth explosion that happens in both studios was more than I wanted to deal with.

Anyway, I now realize that I just didn't have the inspiration passion. Therefore, I didn't have the passion to make the blanket. I made Ashley an elephant blanket before she was born, and I'm ready for her to be the keeper of that one now. However, she doesn't think it is boy enough for her soon-to-be, Jordyn.

Somehow, on Tuesday the 5th, I came to realize, I needed to make a new elephant blanket. I had to stew with it a little bit and then I drug out the cloth and sure enough the explosion happened. I had twenty days. The fact that it took me 5 years to make Tim's cloth was irrelevant because I could feel the passion building. 

I couldn't start immediately as I had an appointment early morning on the 6th and so I could only do what I do. In my head. Another explosion. 

Another fact; Josh and Ashley are adding a baby Jordyn to the blended family of Joshua, Jalynn, Jazzlyn, Jaclynn, and Jasyk. 

Here I go. In my head, I started an elephant list. 
For example, 

• Jelly and Jambo the peanut butter spreaders
• Juggle and Jar the milk shakers
• Jibbber and Jabber the chatter bugs
• Jingle and Jangle the bell ringers
• Jupiter the star gazer
• Jogger the memory keeper, etc etc. 

Then while still in my head and unable to get started, I thought about how I made a book for Tim to go with his Tim's Cloth. Bingo! (never mind only 19 days and counting)

I must make a book for soon-to-be baby Jordyn. The first thing that popped into my head was an altered board book. I have a stack of them form years ago. The first one I pulled out was Circus, Circus! Do you believe on the last page was a parade of elephants? Oh gee! The elephant blanket, as well as, the book now has a name. Circus of Js.

I spent Wednesday afternoon designing my elephant and planning the cloth and getting started. The last bit of inspiration came Thursday before rising and shinning and it excited me the most. I realized the elephant trunks that I had designed looked like a "J". It all came together because in my head I could not see where to put the names of each on the cloth. 

I just love when inspiration trickles in like this.

Here is the Circus of Js cloth. Although it was not quiet finished, it was giftable. As soon as I finish the rest of the quilting stitching, I will show and share more. 

 In the meantime, here is the book, Circus of Js.

 Designing.

Before starting in the book, I made a book mock-up and planned the pages mostly to see if I could get what was in my on the book. 

Showing here the original page with my version in progress. I fully intended to paint that ball on his foot. Also, you might notice in the final version below that his red toe nails were painted out.  

I liked some of my mock-up sketches more than the ones that showed up in the book.  

Juju the adventure dreamer and Jetty the wall maker. 

Love this page.

Here they all are. Of course, Josh is the Ring leader and Ashley the spirit maker with Jordyn the magic maker. Josh the brother, Jalynn the helper, Jaz and Jaclynn the sisters and Jasyk the fun maker. 

The end. 

We had a Happening

Actually, we had a week of happenings. 

Happenings included balloons, presents, surprises, excursions, treats, candles, money, pizza, parties, plants, cakes, books, dinners and cards. 

Lots of little cards like the above with a message and check-off list on the inside.

The first day surprise delivered to her job was a "Where's The Party" balloon...

...anchored with two candles and the first card.

The check-off list was her first clue about what was happening.

The second day surprise delivered to her job was a Happy Birthday cake.

That same day at the appointed time, we picked up Melissa, the birthday girl, Ashley and Tim and went on the excursion. 

I'm telling you this was so much fun because they had no idea where we were going.

They only knew it was an excursion. 

I had a road trip cooler of drinks and treats with cards attached.

The little check-off card on the inside gave them hints but it was so fun to hear them talking about their anticipation thoughts about what in the world Nana could be up to now . Some mystery excursion thoughts were hilarious. Like being kidnapped and never seeing their friends again.

We headed down the road about an hour away where we met up with Kevin and his family. 

Such a fun way to have a family birthday happening. 

I was so in the moment of enjoying my big family together that I didn't even take photos. 

There were presents, another cake and a great pizza party.

The birthday week happening ended with this Magic Moments altered blank book.

I only knew the name after I finished altering the blank pages.

I used my castle tower art to add dividers and pockets to the sections.

The last thing I did after adding at least one found word on each page was write a message on the backside of a castle tower cut out for the first page pocket above. 

The words, "Magic Moments", at the top jumped out and that is when I knew the title of this little blank book.

Some words I glued at the top of the page as if it were the beginning of a sentence.

And some I glued at the top middle as if it were a title.

And some I glued in random spots or at the end of the page.

I was thinking the words would be jump-off places to start a written conversation.

While I glued one word somewhere on each page, I found this and had to glue it down.

Because I knew

something

absolutely

pretty and lovely and exciting

only looked

better

And that is what a Birthday Week Happening is.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas
Love the atmosphere of this photo. 

The beginning

I'm still exploring the use of only four colors.

Titanium White

Phthalo Blue (Green Shade)

Quinacridone Crimson

Hansa Yellow Med.

I'm beginning to question why and feel like I may be taking more to the Artist in Residence studio soon. 

I'm also exploring the discomfort of leaving a the page incomplete when my time is up. 

In other words, when I stop for the day, that's it. 

No more work on that page. 

You do know that I make these rules for myself day-by-day. 

and 

I usually break a rule day-by-day. 

Merry Christmas

♥

About Chance and Difference

cooking class in San Miguel

about chance and difference

I really don't know what that means.

For some reason, in that moment, it seemed that it might be relevant.

Purpose

values in charcoal

My truth: I struggle with purpose. 
I don't think this has always been true.
Just true for two or three years. 
After each piece of art that I create, a voice whispers, "what is the purpose?". 
Or sometimes it is, "what's the point?"

During the first week of being an Artist in Residence, I realized  maybe I discovered the "purpose" as in what's the point! I think it is just for the beauty.
Maybe it is just that simple and maybe I don't need any other purpose.
For beauty and as my friend suggested, for happiness. 
Yes.
♥

True Art Journey

graphite face sketch

Day 2

It didn't take me long to ditch the paint-before-sketch intention.

My truth after one day is, I just need to show up and pick up a brush or anything that will make a mark. 

true art journey

On this day I decided I wanted to have another go at the same reference.

I also decided the sketch was enough. No paint needed.  

First, I journal my daily plan or intention and then I do the art on the back of the page.

♥ 

Reclaiming

painting a face

Day 1 

The Thrill

The thrill came immediately after the Dawning (remembering the purpose of The Garden Palace) and the Awakening (realizing I had a daydream tiny house waiting for a unique artist in residence experience).

At first, the thrill was just the sense that the job of reclaiming my daydream was no longer too huge. And that, I tell you was an amazing feeling.

Then, as I began to go over there and be in the presence of all the reminders of unfinished projects, the excitement set in. The remembrances did not weight me down.

I began to get that swirling  feeling in my head, heart and stomach when inspiration makes me feel like I might explode.

 

painting with 4 colors

In the Journal

My Plan

Regarding Art:  Before my first trip over there, I determined that I would take limited art supplies and my Chance Luck and Destiny Journal which I had not touched in years. The original purpose of this journal was to explore painting faces without a sketch. OK, I will do that.

Regarding Reclaiming: I planned to spend time with my journal first and then before leaving for the day, I would accomplish a reclaiming task no matter how small.  

♥

The Awakening

Artist In Residence Studio

The San Miguel Infusion of clarity

I started this series by expressing a need to share and document how the infusion of San Miguel may have effected me. I knew there were many layers of my truth to put in the picture. Telling it seemed complex and necessary. However, putting all the details here may have only been essential to me. Here it is in a nut shell.

I felt a shift. I did not feel a jerk or a jolt. I would say it was more like a slow, gentle, lingering nudge. It was like a dawning. An awakening.

San Miguel may or may not have had anything to do with it. I just know that I came back with an infusion of friendship, love, art, color, clarity, calmness, and openness. Furthermore, in my rested mind, body and spirit, I was in a place of reception.

The dawning was remembering the purpose of The Garden Palace which was plain and simply for my own pleasure while making something beautiful that might only matter to me.

The awakening was realizing that I had my own tiny house for a unique Artist in Residence experience. And I didn't need to know what that meant; I just had to do it.


But here is the thrill! The sense that the job of reclaiming the neglected and abandoned Garden Palace was a situation too enormous for me to even attempt was g.o.n.e.! 

The artist has been in residence now since November 18th using the Chance Luck and Destiny Journal.

Next I will share what that means.
♥

A New Journal Tutorial

One thing always leads to another. I've said that many times. 

Here's another.

Each day when I go out to garden, I hook up to a fanny pack with my iphone, glasses, seed packets and other necessaries. I take before and after pictures because when I get to where I'm going, I like to look back and see where I came from. Which is exactly why I take work-in-progress shots of my paintings. 

Another reason I take pictures is just to remember where, when and what I planted. I lay the seed packet down, whip out my phone and take a shot.

In my younger days, I would not need to do this for recollection.

The very first day I took my camera out, I couldn't help but think about a garden journal. Each day I took photos thinking someday I'll get around to that.

Then

While editing my Blog Book I realized how many altered books I made during my first 6 months of blogging. 

I also remembered what fun it was and how much I enjoyed it. 

That's It!

I'll make a new garden journal with an old book. 

Yesterday when it dawned on me during one of my many breaks, that in addition to photos, I could add "notes" on my iphone about what I did for the day, I really began to get excited about a new journal.

I could feel in my bones that it was going to happen and that I was going to be so prepared with these photos and notes.

 I came inside and began to look through my stack of books and chose one even though I wasn't that happy with it.

After prepping the first three pages with a little paint, I thought to myself, "this is not fun".

Actually, I knew I would never carry through with enough passion to keep going.

I wanted to do something quicker.

Sleek.

Minimal.

No paint.

Little preparation.

The perfect size.

Open flat and fold back on itself.

Good paper.

This led me to think I needed to jump in my car and run to Waco and buy a dreaded blank with virgin white pages spiral bound journal. 

I slept on it. 

At 3:30 this AM, I couldn't stay in bed any longer because while I was sleeping, the inspiration angels (or maybe I heard Norah'S whisper) came to me and said, "you didn't look at the stack of old desk calendars that you have saved for altering (when you retire)."

They were in one of those

"stacks of stuff that become a part of a room because they have been stacked in that one spot for so long" 

I chose my 2010 Georgia O'Keeffe Engagement Calendar saved from that dang-desk-in-town.

How perfect!

 I flipped through and saw that in the front there were month pages and in the back there were notes ~ expenses pages with the months on them.

I wanted to rearrange the pages to group all pages with February together, all March pages together, etc.

I pried the coil open and removed all the pages.

Then, I arranged the month pages and notes pages with each month.

I'm not interested in the days or year text on each page.

I just want to take advantage of the Month text.

 I left the International Holidays pages in the back.

Who knows, I might need that information.

  I replaced the arranged pages back on the coil.

 Note that the last two pages added to the coil are the front cover and then the back cover.

Before closing the coil, check to see if the pages are all arranged the way you want them and right side up.

 Also note that the coil should close inside the back cover.

Gently start pinching the coil back together.

 When your done it should look like this inside the back cover.

 And like this inside the front cover.

 Now for my first page!

Since I took Vinca pictures in February, I could start there.

Instead of painting over the unwanted text, I used a fine grit piece of sand paper and lightly sanded the unwanted text.

I printed my photos on plain paper with my Laser Jet printer. They turned out just perfect. I didn't want the bulk of anything heavier. Before leaving the computer with the photo, I used a white fine point Sharpie poster paint pen and dated each photo.

 Here is a TIP.

On the above photo, I thought the date might conflict with my layout. 

So, I used a brush damp with rubbing alcohol and removed the white date.

And here is my finished first page. 

That is all I can write for February 2013 because all I did was go out and take a photo. 

But next year in February 2014, I can start my journal entry right under this entry. And in February 2015, there may still be room in the February section to continue journaling. 

You get the picture?

It is really cool to see each year together because you can compare what you did at the same time or if maybe you did nothing. I like the bloom documentation.

I'm really excited about this new journal.

But now it is time for me to go out and do a little gardening so I can come back in and journal about it. 

♥

PS  my first time to use Washi tape.

I like.

Do you?