Sunset Color

Ocean Colors

Panama City Beach, Florida

February 2010

White sand

the sparkle of diamonds on waves...

no snow!

Trees in my Art

Pen sketch in my art journal
Woodpile under snow
Jan. 2009
You can see the Maple tree in the background,
along with Pines and a Pin Oak...

Watercolor done while painting with a friend.
Portion torn from practice page & mounted
in my art journal, 2009

Pen drawing inspired by Klee's art,
especially the "Twittering Machine"
2007

My first ever "Tip-In" for an altered book swap!
Watercolor and collage
2005

Watercolor in my art journal
Lake Erie park
2005

Pencil sketch from a Chinese art scroll
by Dong Qichang, Toledo Art Museum.
Watercolor added after returning home
2005
This scroll was housed in a glass case, and
the lights came on in the room as you entered, in order
to minimize light damage to the colors. As I stood and sketched,
the lights went out because I hadn't moved much, so I had to
walk around a bit every few minutes to keep the lights on
while I sketched!

Pen and colored pencil in art journal,
from a National Geographic magazine photo.
2003
Ruins of sculpture (South America or Mexico?)

Pencil sketch done in my sketchbook/art journal, 2001
Camp Avery Hand, Ohio (a Boy Scout Camp)
Had to darken the scan a bit...

Trees are a recurring image in my art.
I am intrigued by their variety of texture,
shape and personality. Bare winter trees
are even more interesting to me
as they have a sculptural quality
silhouetted against the sky.

Dawn asked if I have different journals for different media. I actually work in a journal until it's full, so the different media are all mixed in one book. It usually takes me a couple of years to fill a sketchbook/art journal.(So I am not terribly prolific!) I have one main art journal at a time, but might work in other smaller journals sporadically. This blog has served to inspire me to make something to post at least once a week!

In looking at my older sketchbooks, I did a lot of note-taking about composition, media techniques and ideas to be explored. I also enjoy collecting quotes about visual art, music and creativity, so those are also found in my journals. I believe an art journal should be whatever you want it to be, so pretty much anything goes. I have been known to glue in brochures from museum visits, write in notes from the exhibits I saw there, or paste in magazine clippings that I like or think might inspire some artwork later. The art in my journals reflects where I am in my development as an artist, so my older journals tend to have more drawings & watercolor work in them. As I've experimented with mixed media and combining elements of painted papers, drawing, fabric, and hand-carved stamps in collage, that is reflected in my art journal as well. Inspiration can be found almost anywhere. I hope you will act on that inspiration and create some art!

Art Journal Page

5 1/2" x 9" flap in watercolor journal

Border made with scraps of fabric,
painted papers & scrapbook paper;
drawing in permanent marker.
Quote written with calligraphy marker.