Sunday, December 6, 2009

My Generation

It has been said that what you love in your youth stays with you.
I loved the 60s and 70s (and the 50s too...yes, I am an oldie but goodie!) and I reflect it in my art.

MyGenerationVisualJournalBlog

I had so much fun creating the two page spread seen above. I was listening to a mixed CD of 60s music at the time. Music is a must when I am making art. It allows me to tune out distractions and focus on creating.
The two stamps (a likeness of Bob Dylan, and Give Up War For Lent) were hand-carved during my Zen period.

HippyChickGen
Talkin' 'bout my generation...(that's me around 1972!)

Does your art reflect the things you loved in your youth?

Where I Found My Zen

zenpaul-1

A few years ago I was really into hand-carving rubber stamps.
After losing my precious Mom I needed to find a way back to enjoying my passion...
...making ART...
-the quiet and focused method of carving stamps was my path.
It was where I found my zen.

While carving the rubber stamp of Paul in the journal page pictured above I began thinking back to 1963.
I was 13 and the British invasion had begun!
I remember clearly that even our mom's thought Paul was 'the cute Beatle'...well, at least my Mom did! For over 42 years Mom and I loved listening to the Beatles together.

Saturday, December 5, 2009

I have a photograph, preserve your memories...

TwoGrandfatherJournalPage

Long ago it must be
I have a photograph
Preserve your memories
They're all that's left you.

--bookends...simon & garfunkel--

We all have them. Old photographs in shoe boxes; in photo albums on dusty shelves; in envelopes stuffed in a dresser drawer...and in our busy lives we rarely pull them out and look at them.

Two photos of my Grandfathers were tucked in a large brown envelope at the back of my closet. I made photocopies of each of them and grabbed my Visual Journal...now I look at these photos often and reflect on my families history.

After creating a background using acrylic paints I simply cut out the photocopies and adhered them to the page using a gel medium...I used a gel pen to jot down thoughts that came to mind. Finding an image in a magazine of an antique globe I cut it in half using one half on each page and drew 'stitch marks' to symbolize the connection these two men shared...their children (my Mom & Dad) who joined together.

The original photos are still tucked away (for safe-keeping) -- but now I (and others) can enjoy the memories I have preserved in my Visual Journal that gets opened far more often than the family photo album or shoe box up on the closet shelf :)
Think of what YOU could do with photocopies of old family photos and create a one-of-a-kind Visual Journal as a gift for someone in your family!

(you can enlarge the photo by clicking on it)

Saturday, August 1, 2009

It's Personal

PersonalJournal-01
(my handmade Art Journal)

Visual Journaling is a very personal thing. I have always felt that whatever we create as artists - it must be something we are passionate about. If we don't express ourselves in a true and honest way - then what is the point of our art? I have, more than ever before, been practicing this belief in my visual journals. I have learned that there is no benefit to censoring my creativity. Sure, some people may not like the 'politics' I express, or the experiences I have had in my 59 years on the planet, or the views I post here. But, I hope that in some way my ART connects with YOU. Just YOU. Not the masses. Not everyone who comes here to visit. Just one person may say..."yeah, cool, ...".

PersonalJournal-02

My generation was the Hippie Generation. Love-ins, peace marches, flowers in our hair. And I loved every moment of it. I felt full of hope during those turbulent yet groovy years. Yes, we wanted a revolution and we sang about it and spoke about it openly and freely. And so, as I openly share my personal journal pages with you...love 'em or hate 'em...the choice is yours...and that is one thing MY generation stood up for....choice.