stuff lying on my desk

I was looking at my desk and saw this little pile of stuff and thought, "hey, it's a collage!" So, impromptu collaging at its best! My studio is a bit of a mess right now (slight understatement). I hope to get some play time in the studio later this week or on the weekend. Right now, it's study for a big test on Wednesday.

life drawings

I've been working on getting my second portfolio ready for this coming Tuesday. We've been focusing on portraits for the past couple of weeks. I've really enjoyed the portrait section. Trying to capture the likeness of the person is challenging, but a fun challenge.

I've been going back and forth on taking some form of life drawing again in the spring. I don't particularly care for the medium we use (charcoal) because it's so messy. It's funny...I'm an artist but I hate getting my hands dirty! But another semester to hone my figure drawing skills sounds tempting. I'm particularlly drawn to the "Art of Human Anatomy" class offered in the spring. We would be focusing even more on the anatomy of the human body, would actually draw from a cadaver that's present with us (kinda weird, but interesting), and really focus on how the body goes together.

I'm so glad I've had this class because I've felt rather blocked lately in my art journaling attempts. If I didn't have this class, I think I would pretty much be doing nothing creatively. I feel an overwhelming desire to work in the journal medium, but when I sit down, I can't seem to put anything together. I'm trying to stay patient with myself, allow myself to be where I am right now and not put pressure on myself to "perform". A lot has been going on personally, and that's taking a lot of energy. Between that and school I don't have much left over.

Today I have to finish my body parts... one more nose and three mouths to go! I'll post more drawings over the next few days.

some nifty inspiration

I've been buried in schoolwork, so haven't had time to do any art other than figure drawing. Hopefully this weekend I'll have a little time to play.

I was reading a craft magazine before bed last night, and they talked about finding inspiration in everyday things, like packaging, colors of ordinary objects, advertisements, etc. That's something I don't often think about, but would be great to apply to my own process. Mostly because it causes one to really look at the things around them, instead of just going blind throughout the day. I know I tend to go on autopilot most of the time and barely look around me. So, I'll be keeping this tip in mind, and try to shift my way of looking at the world.

some cool art

My friend Dawn did this fabulous journal page in our journaling workshop a couple of weekends ago, and I wanted to share it. Beautiful!!

back from Portland

journal pages from Anahata's journaling class

I'm back from a whirlwind weekend in Portland. It was full of bonding time with my friend as well as lots of fun activities.

I arrived there on Friday evening and was picked up by J and her partner. We headed to McMenamins Kennedy School restaurant which I had just read about in Cottage Living Magazine. These two brothers from Portland started buying abandoned buildings like schools and theatres back in the 80's, and redesigned them to be spas, hotels and restaurants. The former Kennedy school was renovated with such imagination and creativity! Original works of art and photographs are scattered throughout the hallways, all of them depicting scenes relevant to the school's past. The restoration was done with a lot of love and integrity, and it was so refreshing to see such care and creativity. And the food was great too!

Saturday morning we had breakfast with two of J & K's friends. They were absolute sweethearts! They made me feel so welcome and at home. I felt like I'd known them all my life, and know I will be enjoying their company when I relocate. After breakfast we drove around a bit to check out some neighborhoods and house pricing. Portland is a lot more expensive than I thought! It was a little discouraging. But I shook it off and we headed out in the afternoon for a little shopping in some of Portland's cute little shops followed by a lovely soak in K's hot tub.

In the evening we went to see a dance event sponsored by White Bird organization. They are hosting shows choreographed by International women choreographers. The show we saw was choreographed by a Mexican woman. The performance was amazing! The music alone was worth the price of admission! The costumes for each piece were simple, but powerful. And the last dance was performed in a 3" deep pool of water, with water being a part of the dancer's costume. After the show we went to a swanky restaurant around the corner from the theatre and had a late night snack before heading back to J's apartment and bed.

Sunday we walked around the corner from J's house in the pouring rain and had breakfast at a cute little hole in the wall restaurant called Jam's. Then we visited a friend of J's (where I got to make new kitty and dog friends) and did a little more shopping. Later we hung out and I headed to the airport for the flight back to Phoenix.

It was a mixed weekend emotionally. The thought of leaving my life, my home, my friends and some of my animals here in Phoenix is very hard. Being in Portland made my happy little dream of living there more real, and that reality brings with it fear and a heartbreaking sense of sadness. It felt rather overwhelming, the thought of picking up and moving to another state, another city, and starting all over again. But I brought myself back to "one day at a time", and am trying very hard not to stress about something that isn't even a possibility for several months yet. In the meantime, school and other necessities of life keep me rolling and sane.

This week I hope to work in my journal. I'll keep you posted (no pun intended!).

Off to Portland for the weekend

I'm off to Portland, OR this weekend for a quick visit with one of my dearest friends (you know who you are!), so I thought I'd do a quick post before I jet off tomorrow. I've been a bad blogger and didn't post after last weekend's wonderful journaling workshops with Teesha and Anahata. I'll post some art here, then when I get more of a chance, I'll write more. Till next week!

channeling the future

I've spent the last few journaling sessions visualizing what I want for the future. I've made some decisions over the past few weeks, one of which is that I'm moving to Portland, OR in May/June of 2007. So I'm beginning to think about what life there will look like. Home and job have been my focuses this week. I just did this office layout this afternoon. Saw this photo in Mary Englebreit's Home Companion and just loved the look of it, so used it as inspiration for what I'm looking for in the future office and job-wise. So, if anyone out there knows of any opportunities in Portland, keep me posted!

journaling weekend

I'm very excited about this weekend. The Paper Studio here in Tempe is doing a journaling weekend, with classes by Tracy and Teesha Moore, and Anahata Katkin. My friend Dawn and I signed up several weeks back, and I'm so happy it's finally here! We'll be taking Teesha's class on Saturday and Anahata's class on Sunday. Last I heard they'll also be doing a journaling party Saturday night. I need this! I had some spare time this morning, so I did a little more work in my France journal (see above). After this weekend, I will have many new things to share. Till then...