More New Work

 I wanted to share a few more  pieces that I had created for my show at King Street Coffee in Leesburg, VA.
Excavation 12, 6"x9", Watercolor pencil and colored pencil on paper.


 Palimpsest 2, 6"x9", Mixed media on paper.


Paradox, 11"x14", Watercolor, watercolor pencil, and colored pencil on paper.


Artist Reception and Book Signing: February 4, 2010, 6-9 p.m.

New Art and Exhibitions

The new year has already been a busy one for me. Back in October, I scheduled an exhibition at a local coffee shop, and I have been busy recently making and preparing new work. I already had quite a bit from an exhibition that I had a year ago, so I supplemented some older pieces with some smaller, newer pieces. The piece above is an 11"x14" piece using watercolor, watercolor pencil, graphite, and colored pencil. It is a continuation of my Excavation series.
This piece is part of a new series - Palimpsests. I was introduced to the idea of a palimpsest in Patti Digh's book Creativity is a Verb. A palimpsest is an ancient manuscript, usually a parchment, that has been reused where the original text has been scraped off, washed off, or erased, and a new text has been written on top. Fortunately for future generations, some of the original text shows through, and experts have been able to recover some if not all of the original text. The word palimpsest has come to mean anything where there are evident layers. I felt like this definition was a perfect description of my art.

Today, I hung thirteen pieces at King Street Coffee in Leesburg, VA. I'll post photos of the exhibition at a later date. But in the meantime, if you are in Leesburg, stop by. My work will be on display from now until the end of February.

The official Artist Reception will be Friday, February 4, as part of Leesburg's First Friday Gallery Walk from 6-9 p.m.

 I also have a piece of art hanging in a current show, Center Pieces, at the Franklin Park Arts Center in Purcellville, VA. See Steve Loya's post - he also has a piece on display. The Center Pieces exhibition will be on display through the end of the month.

So, it has been an artful new year thus far. Here's hoping that it will continue.

Watercolor Salt and Free Downloads


This is the latest video tutorial that I have uploaded to YouTube. It demonstrates how to use salt and rubbing alcohol to create textures in watercolor paint.

Also, our publisher F+W Media has created a new mixed-media website called Create Mixed Media the have posted many free PDF downloads from some of their books including ours. Check it out. I'm sure you will find a lot of goodies to inspire your creative endeavors. Specially check out the two free downloads from our book. The first download is all about page alteration, and second is all about writing.

Goodbye 2010

Today is the last day of 2010. And as with every passing year, I sit, scratch my head, and wonder where the time has gone. Another year has slipped away, and here I am pondering. I've already reflected a bit on my birthday a week and a half ago, but today I want to reflect a bit more. Looking through possible journal spreads to post, I ran across this one from volume 12, and the question "What is your truth?" struck a chord with me. And so I wonder what has been my truth over the last twelve months and have I been living up to it.

Over the last 12 months, I have come to realize my truth in a few different areas. The first is balance. I feel that I was able to strike a balance throughout 2010 among the various aspects of my life. I have been able to balance work, art, home, journaling, spirituality, cyberspace, and conferences fairly well. Of course there were times when certain areas ebbed and others flowed, but that is life. Things never balance perfectly all the time. But I feel like I have not deprived one aspect of my life to devote energy to another.

The second truth is in the area of spirituality. I have discovered that I am a very spiritual person - not religious. Though I grew up in a Christian household and embraced Christianity as a child, I became disillusioned with the faith in high school and college. For many years I was very agnostic to the point of being almost atheist. I guess that I am still that way, and so it has been no wonder that I have been drawn toward Buddhism, which by the admission of the Dalai Lama is an atheist religion since it does not hold to the belief of a divine creator. There is such logic and rationality to the Buddha's teachings, and I am drawn to the idea that we can achieve happiness from within by training our minds, reflecting on how we react to things and situations, and seeing objects and phenomenon as they really are - empty of inherent existence. But I don't call myself a Buddhist - I have yet to begin really practicing. I have found opportunities for stillness and quiet. I have found opportunities to be present in the moment. I have found opportunities to reflect on what it is that I wish for my life. I believe that these are ingredients for a spiritual life - get still, get quiet, and go inside.

The third truth that I have realized in 2010 is the impact that I can have on people through art and the journal. I have been continually surprised and awed at the reaction that The Journal Junkies Workshop has received, at the excitement and wonder expressed by participants at our workshops and presentations, and at the reception of my endeavors through this blog, Facebook, and now YouTube. To see our ideas of the visual journal and creativity spread has been a humbling experience, but it makes me firmly believe that I am on the right path. Although there are certain aspects of teaching art in a public school that I absolutely love, I feel that I have a limited impact within my classroom. I feel most in my skin when the impact is much wider and broader. I feel that it won't be much longer before I can leave the constraints of public school behind, and take a leap into something greater. I am continually grateful for all those who spend some time with the Journal Fodder Junkies.

And so to wrap this up, I would ask you to ponder these three questions:

How have you found opportunities for balance?
What have been your opportunities for stillness?
In what ways have you found to leap into the unknown?

I wish everyone a bright, happy, and prosperous new year.

Watercolor Bleed



This is the second of the video tutorials that I have posted on YouTube. As with the book, the demonstrations are very basic, but deciding when and where to use them is completely up to the individual. We don't want to can creativity. We want to share some basics and allow you to decide how to use them. To see more videos visit my channel on YouTube.

Happy Birthday

Today is my birthday.

I don't say this in hopes of receiving lots of birthday greetings and nicely wrapped birthday presents. I say it because my birthday is a time of reflection. With it being so close to Christmas and the New Year, my birthday is always a pensive time when I look back over the previous year. I usually spend some time rambling in my journal, but I thought that I would do it here this year instead.

This past year has been an incredible year - busy and jammed packed - but amazing to say the least.

First a few highlights. In 2010 there was my solo exhibit at UNC-G, the National Art Education Association Convention in Baltimore where we presented twice to enthusiastic crowds, the release of The Journal Junkies Workshop and an awesome book launch party hosted by our dear friend Linda, my 7th wedding anniversary, the beginning of my 15th year of teaching, two state Art Education conferences, acceptance to teach classes at Art Unraveled, and the opportunity to meet and inspire lots of amazing people and to share a profound journey.

Next some acknowledgments. I am grateful to everyone who bought a copy of the book, wrote and posted reviews, attended our presentations and workshops, stopped by to see what we've been up to here, on our website, and on Facebook, and emailed or left comments of the most sincere form. I've said it before, but it bares repeating. It is the positive feedback and the knowledge that we are making a difference that keeps the JFJ rolling on. I am grateful to all of the support from my colleagues, my friends, and my family. And the deepest appreciation goes to my wife who whole-heartedly supports my running off to do conferences, workshops, and presentations, and who indulges my hours spent in the studio, and who understands and accepts the money that I spend on hotels, plane tickets, and art supplies.

And finally some personal reflection.

2010 was a year of personal growth. I read a lot mostly on spiritual and creative matters and gained some valuable insight. The Dalai Lama has been a constant source of inspiration and spiritual consideration as I have immersed myself in more and more Buddhist teachings. Patti Digh and Ken Robinson brought home some great points about living creative lives. I feel like my life has much more balance as I juggle work, art, and home. I feel like my relationships have grown stronger, and I feel like I am having a greater impact in the world.

I look forward to the continued sharing of my journey. I look forward to making more art, to inspiring others, to spreading the power of the journal and creativity, to touching the lives of others, and to being touched and inspired in return.

It has a been a great year - not perfect, but great. As a token of appreciation. I am offering up my rules in a fairly hi-res format above for anyone to print out for their own personal use. I created a 6x9 mixed-media piece on watercolor paper. I reworded a couple of rules to take the edge off, and rewrote #10. So, please feel free to print the image and hang in the studio, in classroom, or in an office. Or feel free to collage it into the journal as a constant reminder to make life a creative one.

Thank you to all who have shared this journey with me.

Art Unraveled 2011

The Journal Fodder Junkies have just landed their first big art retreat gig, and we are very excited. We will be presenting three full-day workshops in Phoenix, AZ at Art Unraveled in August 2011. Many big names of the journaling/arts-and-crafts world will be there presenting workshops and taking classes. This is something Dave and I would like to do more of, and hopefully this will be the first of many opportunities.

Below you will find a description of each of our workshops.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011 - Visual Ammunition for the Art Addict
Based on their popular book The Journal Junkies Workshop, Dave and Eric designed this class to bombard you with artistic possibilities. Come and explore a variety of techniques and media that are just as at home in the visual journal as they are in rich, mixed-media wall pieces. This workshop allows you the flexibility to work either on individual pieces or in the visual journal giving you a full range of creative choices.

Focus will be placed on how a plethora of techniques can be mixed and mingled, layered and built upon. Stock up on new techniques and add to your creative arsenal, and leave with visually loaded journal pages or mixed-media pieces ready to hang on the wall.

Wednesday, August 3, 2011 - Mapping Identity in the Visual Journal
It’s all about you in this mixed-media visual journal workshop. Using a variety of prompts, exercises, media, techniques, images, and words, you will begin to unravel the mystery that is YOU by contemplating the questions: Who are you? Where have you been? Where are you going?

The Journal Fodder Junkies lead you through a process of self-discovery and deep introspection as you delve into the visual journal and what its creative powers can mean to you. Prepare to get still, get quiet, and go inside as you learn to encounter the visual journal as a powerful tool for living and dreaming.

Thursday, August 4, 2011 - The Challenge of Beauty
Using a process developed by Angeles Arrien in her book Signs of Life, The Five Universal Shapes and How to Use Them, this class will focus on the use of personal and universal symbols as a way to explore concepts of beauty and personal challenge. The mixed-media approach of the process will touch upon a variety of art media and techniques, but will also add writing and words to the mix allowing you freedom, flexibility, and choice throughout the process.

Come with an openness to explore, and leave with the beginnings of rich journal pages or layered wall pieces.

Click here to see a full list of all the workshops at Art Unraveled.