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.



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.

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

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.

I have a photograph, preserve your memories...

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)

It's Personal

(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, ...".

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.