Collage


Collage is fundamental to the the visual journal. It is the food - the fodder, and when you feed the journal, it gets fat.


Using a good glue stick is essential, whether gluing in postcards or thin papers. Any type of ephemera is good for the journal. I especially like finding random, mundane things.


Identity


The visual journal is a perfect place to explore who you are and what you want from life. Using words and images that are all about identity is an easy way to ponder these ideas.






These notions can be examined in many different ways, from photographs to tracings, and from image transfers to reflective writing.


Find Your Style


2017 is already off to a busy start - a new online workshop and a new exhibit. And now I can add another project to the list. Find Your Style is an an ebook compiled by Kristal Norton. Kristal is an artist, writer, and creative guide. She offers several e-courses as well as ebooks on art, journaling, and creativity, so she definitely speaks my language.

I was honored when Kristal asked me to be part of this project, and I couldn't say no. I'm a big believer that the universe answers if we are willing to listen, and so it was with this project. Out of the blue, this wonderful offer to share my small story came about, and I put together a short write up about how I have found my style. I join eleven others who share their stories and a little bit of advice on how to find your style.

For more details or to purchase this collaborative effort, check out Kristal's website, and see how you can FIND YOUR STYLE!



Straight Lines


The visual journal is an accumulation of actions - little steps that lead to big results. It's not about having hours of unfettered time to sit and work in the studio.


For me, the journal is about working when I find the time, even if it's just fifteen minutes, and having simple strategies to get working. Today's strategy - straight lines - collaged, painted, and drawn. Simple, yet effective.


Art Exhibit: Cascades Library


Today, I was fortunate to hang twenty-four pieces at the Cascades Library in Cascades, VA. It's a nice large space, and if I do say so, I think my work looks pretty great in the space.


Much of the work was from the past year, but a couple of pieces were from 2007 a few from other recent years. Although my work has undergone some stylistic changes over the past nine years, the bright colors tie everything together quite nicely.


If you're in the area, make certain to to stop by and check it out. The work will be hanging throughout January and February. Hanging an exhibit is a great way to kick of the new year.


This Is Not A Resolution


Happy New Year! It's hard to fathom that another year is done, and a new one has begun. 2016 has come and gone so quickly for me, and it has been filled with so much. But I'll save those reflections for another day. Instead I have had a thought, an inkling to try something.


Now this is not a resolution! The new year sees many people making these yearly promises only to have them fall to the wayside. They resolve to lose weight, save money, to make all of these life altering changes, but I've never been a resolution kind of guy. The new year is a symbol of renewal, and I've always had notions and ambitions for the new year. This year is no different. I want to try something. I feel like over the past couple of years that I have lost touch with my visual journal practice. When I got into the journal eighteen years ago, it changed my life, and I used it on almost a daily basis. Now that I have made a major change in my life, I want to engage in the journal like I did those many years ago. So, I'm going to try to work in my journal everyday for as long as I can, and post some of that work each day here on the blog and on social media.


I started my current journal a couple of months ago. I've done some work over those months, and I have worked on a dozen or so pages. Some are rather developed, and others not so much. I just have not engaged the journal in a way that I would like. So, today I dove into working with some watercolor on quite a few pages. I added to pages that I have already begun, like the spread at the top, and I have used watercolor as the beginning of other pages. I don't know how many pages I actually worked on, but these three spreads are just a few.

Look for more tomorrow!