Bodhisartva ..... Art/Spirit/Life

Sometimes You Just Need a Break

Yep, sometimes you just need a break - from your work, your troubles, your own space even.  Lucky me - I know just where to go.  But a trip to Malibu, nice as it is, wouldn't mean as much without my dearest friend Gina.  She knows me so well; she even sees inside me somewhat magically to the center.  And I am myself with her.

She feeds me, pours the wine, lends an ear and a shoulder - and even somehow convinces me that I like dogs as well as cats.  Hello, Bentley, my dear.

There is a kind of peace that sneaks in when you are just sitting with a kindred spirit, painting, talking, laughing, sharing and working in your journals together.  

I am truly blessed in so many ways to have such a wonderful person in my life. Thank you, Gina.

What a difference a year makes

Artfest withdrawal. I am having it BIG time. Right NOW!

This is the last year for Artfest - and I am not there. Last year, I was there.  It has been a spring ritual for years.  

For those who are wondering what I'm talking about, Artfest has been an annual art retreat for many years.You live, eat and sleep art.  You talk art.  And oh yes, you make art.  You play, you laugh, you walk in the rain lugging 68 pounds of art supplies half a mile.  There are 500 people and you feel you know them all.  You take 3 classes with some of the most fabulous teachers around.  You live by the water in funky old military base housing, which you share with ghosts.

In other words, you are in HEAVEN.

It's a loooooong climb to get there........

Fly into Seattle, take the ferry to the island, drive over the Hood Canal, pass the paper mill (phew), drive through town and into the fort, maybe see some wildlife.

Check into Officers' Housing. Have a talk with the ghost.  Decide to ignore it but turn on all the lights anyway.

 

 See some friends.  Drink some sangria.

You soak up everything from every teacher and every student - every technique, every smile, every success, every failure. Then, you journal about it.

You write and paint and pay attention.

Your drink wine and eat yummies and get silly.

Then, too soon, it's over, but not really. Because when you leave, you never forget. Because now you have learned to fly.

Getting My Feet Wet

Well, yes, it has been raining here, but that's not what I mean.

I am going back to teaching art classes.  I had quite a run years ago, long before my bookbinding fetish started. This time around, I am teaching bookbinding in all its variations.

First class - Long Stitch Binding.

Sunday at Zinnia in South Pasadena. A small class but fun and talented ladies, assisted by the wonderful Joe and Ali the Cat.

Skillful hands.

Intense Concentration.

And, voila!  A book!

The folks at Zinnia are great and even let us stay late to finish up. Not to mention keeping Ali Cat off the table and out of the glue!  

 

Lessons learned:

#1  Next time, schedule more time.

#2  It's even more fun than I remembered!

Hope you can join us next time.

Bookbinding Class at Zinnia

I'm so excited to go back to teaching!  March 18th at Zinnia is S. Pasadena, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.  Details and links will follow, but for now, please share my excitement! I love bookbinding and handcrafted books so much that I'm delighted to be able to infect others with the joy.

For the first class, I'm doing the oh, so easy "long stitch".  All the above are long stitch journals - see how versitile it is?  And the best part is that the pages fold down flat so you can easily write or paint or draw.  

 

Join me? 

Deconstructing the Studio

I have emptied the studio in a fit of early in the year, well-intentioned reorganization.  Seems that all around me, other artists friends are doing the same.  Must be something in the air or water. Global warming?  Here is what happens first:

So sad to throw away so many pens, but they do eventually dry out or get used up.  On the other hand, I still have these:

I've removed all the decorative items from the studio space and it looks so empty!  I now have about a dozen cardboard boxes full of treasures.  No wonder the studio was so cramped!  Now, I'm setting up stations for painting, metalwork, bookbinding and journaling.  I'll post the progress over time and hope this reorganization prompts me to be creative!  

Are you purging at home, work or studio?

Journal Madness

I must confess to a very bad habit.  A very strong habit.  A habit I am unlikely to break.

I make books.

I make blank books.

I create journals and don't write in them.

 

Confession is good for the soul.

Actually, I seem now to be able to create a very specific journal and work in it.  It took a class with Judy Wise to get me in there and I have, for the first time, completely filled a journal.  Every page is painted, collaged and written.

However, most of the ones you see here are either empty or have a few pages completed.  I obviously have a ways to go in conquering my addiction.

Next time up, I'll post some pages here.  Perhaps it will keep me on the straight and narrow.

 

 

I Still Love Rubber Stamps

Well, not ALL rubber stamps.  Mind you, I've been using them since, oh, about 1970, when I made my own.  And I still own over 3,000 (though I haven't counted in years).

But, I don't use them a lot now except for some background patterns. And more than that - letters and numbers.  I have a couple of sets of antique rubber sign makers stamps and they still work, after almost 150 years!  I don't know how many alphabet stamps I have, but lately, I've been especially enamoured of numbers. 

Last week, I found this very simple set of numbers at Kinokuniya in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo.  I love them!

What started it...

I always did some kind of artsy thing, even as a kid.  Acting.  Poetry.  Doodling.  But you know how it goes...life takes over and you let go of some things without realizing how important they are.  

About 20 years ago, I started talking and talking about how I missed art and wanted to take up painting, blah, blah, blah.

Then, my brother Rob gave me this amazing gift.  Out of the blue.   And that's what it took to wake me up.  It's seen a lot of use since then as you can see.

It comes with it's own little water bottle (see the cap?) and a tiny brush.  When it folds up, it looks like this and is only about 5 inches high.

I've had many travel kits and palettes since then. But this treasure is my favorite and always will be. 

Thanks, Rob.