Something new...

...hits the studio (and house) occasionally, and this bookmark is a case in point.

I created the old one early in 2018, and it's been thoroughly brutally utilized since then, having marked places in book after book after book.  Even in normal times I'm an avid reader, and the pandemic increased that exponentially.

Of course there's little that gets thrown away in the world of mixed media, so there is a journal spread in progress to honour the hours of pleasurable reading this bookmark has made possible.

This past week I've been having to push myself to even get into the studio, so the other piece is an in-progress one as well.  An artist tissue piece, it also started its life in 2018, and went no further than the hideously ugly stage.

It's looking somewhat more presentable now with a total wash and wipe-back of turquoise, an application of oil pastels and a further judicious wash of Paynes grey in some areas.  There may be hope yet.

I like the feeling of sunlight peeking through the forest, and it's got me thinking about summer hiking.  How can that be a bad thing?

I also - don't laugh - spent a full day doing a prototype for a slipcover case for my piano hinge skewer book. Those of you who read this blog regularly know how spatially challenged I am, so that won't surprise you at all.  I've made one before but found it as challenging for my brain this time around as it was the first.  I actually managed to mess up the dimensions four times and goofed the fold once.  I'm so glad that it was waste paper, as I think I can manage the concept now.  Maybe.  😃  Perhaps if I spent a full week making these cases, they'd stick in my mind.

Hope you've had a great week - I'm looking forward to checking out your posts!  

There's nothing like it -

- taking a class in January, that is.  This year it's Tracy Verdugo with her Jump Into Abstract Painting  class, and it's already a good deal of fun.

I'm a hit and miss learner, so I watched all the videos and then cherry-picked some things.  I really liked the colour and line segment and went to town on it with paint brushes, gel pens, coloured pencils and every other thing in the studio that made marks.

It was most interesting to deliberately go against my own grain, making marks and using colours that were not particularly appealing, and I found some interesting bits to show you.  I'm loving the hot pink against the lime here.

This segment looks really fun in a vertical format,

and I noticed how much I preferred it to the horizontal.

These candles pleased me, but what's with those black flames????

Apparently I have a thing for making waves.

These flower pots with fledgling plants really speak to me, especially with those tangled roots below.

And of course you knew there'd be hearts somewhere in the mix.

I'll really enjoy the next part of the videos, I'm sure, and will keep you posted.  

Last week it was black and white...

and this week it's the heart journal.  Goodness knows what next week will bring, and isn't that the best part of playing in the studio?

The heart journal is coming along, although there is no guarantee that these pages will remain in this state.  If it's one thing I know about working in journals is that the pages morph from week to week, depending on the ingredients left over in the studio.  

Here's hoping that your creative week has been filled with playfulness, joy and much glorious colour!

What a smashing good time...

...we had during the Christmas season (although nothing got smashed at all apart from a molar of mine, and the fix has started on that).  We stuffed ourselves silly, visited with the family that was able to be here, and I spent a great deal of time in the studio playing as well.

I've been in both small journals, and will show you the 'black and white' results this week.  The journal is getting so full it's near impossible to get a photo of the pages, so you'll find them very wonky.  What else is new with me, right?!

I noticed that I am only seven or eight pages away from completing this journal apart from the cover artwork.  It's been such a pleasure to do that I may start another one if I'm remain undaunted by 80 more pages and the two or three years it's taken.

I do hope that your new year has started on the journey of 'Best Ever', and that you are already staring massive joy in the face.