Art Unraveled

It has been a very busy summer, and I am finally finding time (on vacation no less) to share some of our adventures in Phoenix at Art Unraveled.

Dave and I spent the week between our trip to Cincinnati to shoot photos for the new book and our trip to Phoenix working in my studio completing art and making artist prints to sell. We shipped three boxes of supplies and artwork to Phoenix and had two boxes of books shipped from the publisher.

We arrived in Phoenix on the first day of Art Unraveled, and checked into the hotel. We had a great view of the golf course and the mountains from our window. I was taken aback by the landscape around Phoenix. I had never been in the desert before and to see such flat land with mountains just popping out was a bit strange - as was the brown. I'm used to hills, grass, and tall trees. The desert felt alien to me.

That evening we took part in the Meet the Artist Event, and participated in answering questions from some of the participants of the event. Several of the questions brought up some good debate and good discussion, and I mulled over several during the week. I will share my thoughts on those at a later time.

We taught three workshops during our week there. We had a nice space with a lot of natural light, and since our classes were small, everyone was able to spread out. All three went especially well, and I think that most of the participants appreciated our approach which I gather is a bit different from what many of them are used to. We focus on process and not product sharing a bunch of concepts and techniques allowing the participants to experiment and to play. The six hour format was great, and we were able to cram a lot into the time. We had three participants that took all three of our classes. It's exciting when someone is really into what you do.

We had the opportunity to work on our own things, and I especially enjoyed the Identity Mapping activity we did in our second workshop, and I laid the foundation of a few really good pages and ideas.

One night we were part of the book signing where we participated in a discussion about inspiration and signed books. We got to meet several other authors - people we had known from their books and blogs. I felt like I was meeting celebrities for these were some big names in the journaling and mixed-media world - Michael deMeng, Traci  Bautista, Pam Carriker, and others. It was great to meet these folks in person. 

We were able to see some of the sights on our one free day. Dave's godmother Peggy lives in Phoenix and played tour guide for us. She drove us into the downtown area and then out to see the Cardinals' stadium where we had lunch at a nearby restaurant. She then drove us out into the desert, and once again I was fascinated by the landscape. It's just so different then Virginia.

We were part of the Shopping Extravaganza the following day where we met and talked to a lot of great people. We had the opportunity to sell work, prints, and books, and we made a lot of contacts. Next year we need to remember to bring an actual mailing list for people to sign and business cards.

We participated in the Artist Showdown our final night in Phoenix where each artist had to select from a bunch of random materials and create with them. The actual piece that I made is the small canvas in the lower left of the above image, but I couldn't help spilling over onto the kraft paper covering the table.

It was a great first art retreat experience. We met a lot of wonderful people and had a chance to relax by the pool, see the sights, and mix and mingle with fellow artists. We definitely want to do it in the future, and we will be submitting proposals soon.

Challenge #20: Show Up Like Magic

We all have those times when we need a little support, when we need to be lifted up, and when we need the help of someone else. We can look back through our lives and remember times when someone showed up for us when we needed them the most as if by magic. It may have been in a dire hour or it may have been when we just needed someone to take us out for a cup of coffee. And hopefully, we can remember times when we have been there for someone else.

How have you been there for someone else and picked them up when they needed it the most? How have you supported and done small things for those who have needed you? Who in your life, right now, needs you to show up like magic – to be there – to make them smile – to feel your support? How can you show up like magic?

Challenge #19: Come Out and Play

Play. When we were children there was nothing more important than play. School, church, dinner, baths, and sleep were never as important as play. We counted down the minutes to recess where we could tear around the playground, swing as high as possible on the swings, play favorite games like Four Square and Red Rover, or make up our own games. Then we grew up, and too often we have stopped playing.

When was the last time that you simply played and had fun - not compete, not glued to a screen or phone, but played? When was the last time you headed outside, ran, romped, and carried on until well after dark on a cool summer evening?

Is someone calling you to come out and play? Reflect on how YOU can come out and play – how YOU can disconnect from the TV, the computer, the phone, and go enjoy yourself without worrying about all of those things that we have to worry about.

New Book and Upcoming Workshops

Dave in the photo studio at F+W Media, Inc. working on a page for a step-by-step photo.

The summer is in full swing, and Dave and I have had a very busy summer so far. There's lots to catch up on.

We just got back from Cincinnati where we spent a week shooting the step-by-step for our second book. Titled Journal Fodder 365: Daily Doses of Inspiration for the Art Addict, it will be a follow-up to our first book. Centered around the idea of a year-long workshop, the book will consist of 12 chapters, each with its own theme. Each chapter will contain 4 prompts, several new and specific writing, drawing, painting, and mixed-media techniques. Where our first book is a resource of a lot of techniques, Journal Fodder 365 will emphasize the application of concepts and ideas. We took a close look at how we use ideas and techniques, and put that into book form. We are very excited. The new book will release July 2012 - just a year away. We'll post more at various stages, and we'll share an image of the cover a little later.

Dave saying bring it on.

We are spending this week working on the new book and gearing up for Art Unraveled in Phoenix. We will be at the Embassy Suites from August 1-7, and we will be teaching 3 workshops. On Tuesday the 2nd, we will be teaching the all-day workshop Visual Ammunition for the Art Addict based on our first book. On Wednesday the 3rd, we will be teaching Mapping Identity in the Visual Journal. On Thursday the 4th. we will be teaching The Challenge of Beauty based on Arrien Angeles book, Signs of Life: The Five Universal Symbols and How to Use Them. It is not too late to sign up for Art Unraveled, and registration is taken up to the day of the workshop. So hopefully, we will see some of you in Phoenix.

In November, we will be teaching at Jerry's Artarama's Art of the Carolinas 2011. We will be teaching two workshops sponsored by Strathmore Artists Papers. On Saturday, November 12 from 5-8pm, we will teach Visual Journals: Personal Mythologies, and on Sunday, November 13 from 9am-12pm, we will teach Visual Journals: Compulsions and Obsessions. If you will be in Raleigh, NC that weekend, hopefully we will see you there. 

Unfortunately, our workshop at NCCAT (North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching) which was scheduled for November 14-18 has been cancelled due to budget issues. NCCAT's budget was drastically cut this year which meant the cancellation of most of their Renewal Seminars. We are very sorry to not be teaching this workshop at such a remarkable place. Maybe in the future, NCCAT will get its budget restored, and we can once again offer this seminar to the teachers of North Carolina.

Challenge #18: Self Talk

It is sometimes said that as humans we think too much. Often this thinking is self-talk – a dialogue that we have with ourselves about the past or about the future. Dr. Phil McGraw calls these “tapes” because we replay and loop the same thoughts and words through our head focusing on negative aspects. Many of these tapes or scripts focus on the past and are thoughts about failings and shortcomings. Many others focus on the future and are thoughts and obsessions about what is yet to come or about waiting for “the other shoe to fall.” Still many others are general thoughts of self-denigration and are about our sense of worth. Whatever it might be, this self talk takes us out of the present and has us worrying about things that we cannot change, that we have no control over, or that are not grounded in truth.

What is your self-talk? Do you fill your mind with thoughts about lack, failure, and your own perceived worthlessness? Do you relive the past wishing you could have done something differently? Do you think about the endless possibilities of the future worrying about what has yet to come?

How does your self-talk pull you out of the present and cause worry or anxiety? Reflect on the tapes that you have looping through your thoughts.

Journal for the Second Book

I've been working recently in a journal that I specifically started for our second book. I decided to go through all the prompts and techniques we plan on using in the book and use them in a journal that I will ultimately send to North Light (our publisher) to use as artwork for the book.

Though both Dave and I have used many of the prompts and techniques throughout the years that we have been doing journals, we have a lot of other techniques, ideas, and media in those journals that we are not really covering in the book. I thought that this type of journal would more clearly illustrate our ideas.

It's been interesting keeping two journals. I plan on posting more glimpses as I work.

And speaking of the new book, we have a title and have seen a couple of design possibilities for the cover. I'll share more on that when I can. But in the meanwhile , Dave and I will be traveling to Cincinnati next week to shoot photos for the step-by-step. It's all coming together quickly.

Challenge #17: Being Present and Being Absent

In today’s culture, there are many things that can distract us, amuse us, and eat away at our time and our attention. So many of us seem fascinated by what happens to celebrities, by the latest reality show, by the last gadget or gizmo, by apps and games, by texting and messaging, that life seems to pass us by so quickly.

There is a deceptively simple concept that seems to be key in a lot of Buddhist philosophy: Be Present. By being present in every situation, from eating a meal to feeling your emotions, and not allowing your mind to run away from you, you can control your suffering and move toward happiness.

What is garnering your attention at this point? How do you distract yourself and allow yourself to be absent from your life, your emotions, your friends, and your families? How are you being present in your life? In what ways do you find for living in the here and now?

Remember to post a response in the comments or to share a link to your response.

Challenge #16: Making Personal Space

We all need a bit of personal space – a place that is just for us – a place that we can call our own. It might be a lavish studio or a cabin in the woods. It might be the kitchen table or a big, comfy chair. It might be the backyard or a place in our bag for a journal or book. Whether it is a space with walls or not, whether it is large or small, it is ours – our own little corner of the world.

How do you carve out a chunk of personal space? Where do you go to find space for yourself and your thoughts? How do you recharge and re-energize? What gets in your way of being there? How do you make your personal space? If you haven’t, why not?

In the Studio

I am fortunate today to be in the studio working. It has been a while since I have had the time because of the end of the school year and the studio tour.

I am working on several things (as usual), but the above image is of a journal that I am specifically using for the new book due out next year. I am trying to use the techniques and prompts to create a journal that will used for the artwork of the book.

I also wanted to try out a new app for my iPhone that allows me to create posts with images and video. If it's easy to use, expect more posts from me.

Well, I must be getting back to my work.

Studio

I am finally finding a little time to post about my new studio space. For the last nine years, my studio has been sharing space with the guest bedroom in our house. It was a tiny room that often became a mess that had to be cleaned up when we had guests. As mentioned in a previous post, once I was accepted into the Western Loudoun Artist Studio Tour, I spent a lot of time converting my garage into a viable art space. After all the work, I decided to keep it as a permanent studio to the delight of my wife. The above image was taken during the winter, when I first began cleaning out the garage preparing to apply to the tour. The photo below shows the cleaned out garage, but far from being in a state for a studio.

 

Once the weather turned warmer, I began purging a lot of junk that had accumulated in the garage, and I made multiple trips to the dump. Look at all that stuff under the work benches - most of it is gone now or at least stored in the back shed. I cleaned, I purged, I painted, and I cleaned some more. I moved all the lawn and gardening equipment, bags, and tools out to a shed in the backyard, and began to move studio stuff in. I planted grass seed in the backyard as well as around the garage, and my wife did a lot of gardening around the entire house to get everything ready for the tour. We even had the driveway redone with new drains and new gravel. Check out the photo below to see how the new grass, new gravel, new plants, and the general onset of spring transformed the exterior. I would still love to paint the outside of the garage.

 

Inside I painted all the walls white, put up new lights, and brought out all of my artwork and all of my studio materials and equipment. I put in an air conditioner, bought a couple of tables and chairs, and organized and displayed all of my artwork for the tour. The photo below shows the studio set up and ready to go for the tour. The other photos show the set up throughout the studio.

The tour went very well, and I had quite a few people pass through both days. I sold some art, some prints, and a lot of books. The journals were a huge hit, and many people were very interested. Since the tour, I've been trying to organize the studio into more of a working space. I've brought out pretty much all of my art materials, artwork, books, and such from the house. I moved a set of selves from the old studio to the new and got rid of the two black shelves that can be seen in the right hand part of the above photo. I still have a lot of organizing and cleaning to do, but soon, I'll have the transition complete, and all remnants of the old studio will be gone from the guest bedroom.

I can't wait to get producing in the new space.