Grandma Reminisces

Grandma Reminisces

Yet another spread from the journal created in If the Walls Could Talk.  This one is like a scene from Norman Rockwell.  The women are sitting around talking about old times when Grandma starts remembering a snowfall when she was much younger and tells the other women about how she met the man of her dreams......

Women Power of the 1940s

Women Power of  the 1940's

During WWII women worked jobs that previously had been male dominated fields.  Building ships and airplanes, well, you know the story of Rosie the Riveter who worked in the factories while the men were at war.  A book I discovered at a moving sale included many pictures of this time period.  I was taken by these women who were ship builders in the 1940's.  Adding the photographs to this spread honors those brave and industrious women.

Contemplation

Contemplation

This is the second spread in the If Walls Could Talk journal.  Perhaps the boy is contemplating his sister who was unable to go to school because of the Taliban control over their village.  If you have read the novels Kite Runner or A Thousand Splendid Suns, you have breathed in the flavor of what is like to live  in Afghanistan, living in a world of very tight control.

The burned cutout on the left hand side of the spread shares the mirror image of the boy on the right.  In the workshop we were asked to give a gift to the person on our right.  My "gift" of ephemera was the black piece of roofing paper with the white mark on it seen on the right side of the spread.  Thanks again Laurel.

Cultural Differences

Journal Cover

Cultural Differences

Two weeks ago I attended a workshop in Redondo Beach, California put on by Orly Avineri and Seth Apter.  If Walls Could Talk is an appropriate title for the workshop and with reflection what a soap opera we would have if they could indeed talk.

I have been working on finishing the journal spreads so I can publish them to this blog.  Last weekend I found a terrific old book with great photographs that I am now using in my If Walls Could Talk journal. The boy above just captivated me.  There is something about his innocence that moved me to include him as a "character" in this journal.  He appears several times as you will see.  I do not know his nationality but I am thinking perhaps he is from Afghanistan.

This spread Cultural Differences represents, for me, the struggles between people who are not accepting of differences.  Around the world and in the United States we have so many groups that think their way is the only way causing huge problems to amass.  Reaching out to find commonality rather than focusing on the differences seems to be the norm.  In this case, I am thinking how conflicts between religions create struggles that could be avoided.  There is example after example of where one cultural or one ideology  invades another and tries to force a way of thinking.  I will let you interpret what you think is happening in this spread on your own.

You will notice that the boy appears in a circle on the right side of the spread.  A hole was cut and I burned the cut to create the opening.  The boy on the right actually appears through the hole from another spread.
My friend Irene Rafael brought a brayer to the workshop that creates a wonderful texture when used over gesso.  It appears like craters on the moon.  The words on the right are favorite words of the other participants in the workshop who added them to my journal.

Barn #100

Barn #100

I am pretty lazy today.  It is raining and I just returned from the dermatologist.  Yikes, those trips are painful! Why was I a sun worshiper in my twenties?  One who lathered up with baby oil and laid in the sun for hours. I am paying for it now that is for sure.  Being lazy today I do not want to do the research to find out which barn spread this actually is.  So I like number 100.  I am getting closer to having this signature ready to send off to Ingrid in Sweden.  Once this is off it will complete our barn series exchange.  I have the cover ready to bind the three signatures that I will be keeping.  Maybe I will get mail from Ingrid today receiving my third signature from our collaborative exchange.  As soon as I do I will publish the bound journal here.

Caught With Your Pants Down

Caught With Your Pants Down

What a great idea for a theme, embarrassing moments! One of my latest ones was when I was heading last June to Terry Garrett's house in Minnesota.  I discovered that a piece of toilet seat cover from the Minneapolis airport was hanging out of my pants.  Damn that sweat!  I walked around for at least 15 minutes before I discovered what was going on.  A whole team of basketball players got off of one flight and went past me.  I am sure that they saw my ordeal.  When I discovered what had happened I headed back to the men's room to take care of it and walked into the women's room!

Hidden Thoughts

Hidden Thoughts

Have you ever wanted to be a clown?  I was once or twice for Halloween.  When one puts on the make-up and the funny clothes one becomes a totally different person.  Perhaps that's what actors do when they play a part and thus that is why they can be so good at being someone else.  We release something that was inhibiting us.

We don't have to dress-up to hide.  For more years than I can remember I had to play a role, hide who I really was.  No longer, no more.  I feel like a full fledged citizen now.  The Supreme Court decision to strike down part of  DOMA was very powerful and freeing.  Funny how much I think I was hidden but probably not, I was probably very obvious.  I cracked up my friend Brian recently while we were doing art at Irene's house.  I was being campy and Brian started to laugh so hard that he started to cry.  (I like a good laugh that brings me to tears.)  I guess my actions were not so subtle.  Maybe I have not been subtle all my life.

Keeping My Eye Keep On You

Keeping My Eye On You

This is the fourth postcard in the series of six with matching backgrounds.  While in California, Terry, Brian, and I went to the most wonderful art supply store, Art Supply Warehouse where they had terrific papers and several fiber papers that one could not pass up.  The fibers you see on the right of the postcard are from the edge of the purchased paper.  My friend, Ingrid, sends me wonderful ATCs and journals from Sweden, hence the Swedish stamp.

Mighty Warriors

Mighty Warriors

In 1985 I packed up my household in Japan to return to the US but first I decided on a trip to China.  When I visited the terracotta warriors in Xian I was totally enthralled.  One has to experience the excavated site to really grasp how extensive it really is.  This is my third postcard in the series I created last week. All the postcards are united with the same background.

Tippi

Tippi

I love the Alfred Hitchcock film The Birds. Whatever happened to Tippi Hendron?  I made this postcard after my California adventure.  Although you can not see the texture from this side of the postcard, I used masking tape to give it that little extra support.  It seems that home-made postcards are having a bit of a problem going through the mail these days.  Many of the ones I have sent have torn.  We shall see if this experiment helps.  I also have not sent out postcards in awhile.  It is nice to get back to sending some.

Farm Boys

Farm Boys

Over the weekend, I started out to complete the final spread in my Book of the Night journal which is the inside cover of the altered book.  Part of what I had planned on completing was a postcard that will fit in the card pocket of this altered library book.  I made postcards all right, but not in the style that I would consider Book of the Night style.  However, I have six new postcards which will be mailed out to friends very soon.

Book of the Night Cover

Book of the Night Cover

While in Southern California last week at Irene's house I completed the cover for the Juliana Coles' class journal which I have working in. For the class we selected a book to alter into a journal, mine was a discarded non-fiction children's book.  At Irene's I used stamps created by Brian, Terry, Irene, Jacki and myself.  These "chop" marks create quite a fun look.  The bird appears in one of the journal spreads and since I had another distressed bird I added it to the cover as well.  Brian suggested that I include one red something on the front and back cover and use StazOn ink on the edge of the book.  It set everything off just right.

The End

The End appears on the inside of the back cover of the Book of the Night journal.  I was going to continue with more collaging but really liked how this looks so I stopped.

Dancing Ants

Dancing Ants

You will have to enlarge the spread to find the ants most likely.  Last Monday in Palos Verdes, California, Terry, Brian, Jacki, and I met at Irene's house for an afternoon of art journaling.  We gave each other prompts and this is the result of that experience.  I love the prompt approach to art journaling.  Not only is it fun to journal with friends, the outcomes are mostly completed in one setting and all control is thrown to the wind.  It is very freeing.

Searching

Searching

A week ago I flew to Long Beach to spend four full days with Brian Kasstle and Terry Garrett.  What an amazing time I had!  Two of the days we journaled and two of the days we were in a workshop.  Searching was created in my Book of the Night journal.  Brian, Terry, and I shared prompts to create our pieces.  It took 23 prompts to achieve a completed spread.

Prairie Surveyor

This afternoon I was sitting chatting with Tim when I looked at a grocery sack sitting on the floor waiting to be folded.  It was Trader Joe's and what should my eye spy, but ephemera.   I had the background for this spread all ready just waiting for this discovery.  Within 30 minutes while watching the Super Bowl Prairie Surveyor was complete.

Prairie Surveyor