Art Journaling

 I am a non-journaling art journalist.. if that makes any sense… I have never been one to write down my thoughts, not even in a diary as a pre-teen. I don’t think I ever wanted to write them down! So I find it daunting to explain an art journal to people when I don’t journal myself…Some people THINK it’s all about Journaling.

I suppose blogging is like journaling  (that might be why I am inconsistent with that as well). I am a teacher (computer teacher for years) and an entrepreneur so I find myself coming at this from a different angle, I cannot help it… I think about “what can I teach in my class”…”what will people enjoy learning? or doing? ”  I have made 7 different TYPES of art journals, filling NONE of them fully. Just trying to show people that there are MANY different ways (and reasons) for making an art journal.

You might make an art journal to keep a record of a particular event (anniversary, wedding, graduation), a trip, a vacation (honeymoon) OR it might serve to be a place to collect ideas! House remodeling, backyard landscaping, beauty makeovers, or a place to try out New art supplies, new art methods from a workshop you took. There are MANY reasons to create an art journal and you notice I didn’t mention JOURNALING in any of that… what and If you choose to write in one is entirely up to you. ONE recommendation though, based on a journal I just saw of someone else’s…. Date your pages (or at least the beginning and ending of the book). They can be fun to look back on, but more fun if you know When you are looking at it from!

I have a class starting this coming Wednesday (May 6) providing enough people sign up! and we will MAKE the art journal in the 1st class… plus create 2 pages. Then each Wednesday I’ll show you another idea or technique you can use in it. 3 weeks total. Check it out on the Registration page of my website:

www.BrushWithManyColors.com/Registration.htm

Up-cycle your Trash

Last Thursday our “Tuesday-Thursday Art” group got together on Zoom and created art from trash! Or ‘would be ‘ trash anyway… we saved packaging from things we ate over this ‘still sheltered’ weekend and then used a small painting I made last year as an inspiration piece to recreate with mixed media. Here are some of the results…

Drawing Tree?

I saw this on another blog and thought it was a Great idea… with a little change.  Similar to those little libraries popping up everywhere for people to borrow from or contribute to… this could be a “community tree”…  There needs to be a way to have supplies on hand, or at least the things to hang them with… so if we start with a string around a large tree… and tie strings every so often people could then make their won drawings or small paintings, and poke a hole in the top and tie it to the string!

 

Apparently the idea for this came from another person’s picture they posted on Instagram which you can see here.

Now we just need ideas on how to leave paper & crayons or something there for kids to draw with? This doesn’t look too bad…. with maybe a large rock holding the papers down in the basket… ?

Ready.. Set… Go!

 

Ruth

Another Life?

Today I finally had enough things on my “Get from studio” list that I decided to make a trip over there and pick them up. I had 6 or 8 things listed and as I entered the building it seemed like it had been forever since I had descended those stairs and keyed into the coded doors. I passed by the items on my outer wall, “Hello old friends”,

I had forgotten who I left here. I almost felt I had come to visit them. Sad.  Then I went inside, got out my list and began wandering around finding the items I needed.  As I walked around, I looked at other things, supplies & such and suddenly felt like I had entered a ‘previous life’ space. It was weird!  I have been bingeing a TV show called Timeless lately and I suppose the premise of time travel was in the back of my mind, but it just felt like a space I had previously occupied and I was picking up things to bring to the ‘present’. I guess, in a way, that IS what I was doing.  Go figure.

As I passed the table near the door, I spied some of my alcohol ink coaster sets. I had sold a few of these on prior “1st Fridays” but they weren’t going anywhere sitting here. So I decided to take a few pictures of them and maybe post them on Facebook or my website, or even here.

They are beautiful, if I do say so myself. Sealed and varnished with shiny coats, ready to go to their ‘forever homes’. Do let me know if you are interested. Email me here.  

I also brought some of my blank (inside) Note Cards that were just sitting there all alone on my card rack. No one is buying them since no one can come in!… So I brought a few home, took pictures and if you are interested they are $5 ea or 6 cards for $25 – Just email me and tell me which you would like. I can porch drop off locally (Peoria area) or mail them if not local. Credit Cards, PayPal and checks accepted.

It was a bittersweet visit, but I wanted to keep it short. So I finished gathering and headed out… out to get some lunch at a local hot dog place and go sit with my husband overlooking the Illinois river from our car.

Ciao!

Ruth

 

Yesterday was…Friday

Yesterday was Tuesday-Thursday Art day… (Well it was when I started writing this!) Yes, that is the name I gave it… It has to have a name so I can say, OH ITs time for….   and it USED to be called  “Weekly Art” but for obvious reasons… it now needs to be Tuesday-Thursday Art. And we also need a Facebook page…. We meet on Zoom… so why do we need a FB Page??  Oh Ya… so we can 1) share our art once completed and 2) Have a place to put the Zoom meeting link once in there… Hmm seems a bit public to me… but we’re not trying to keep people OUT… just limit to those who want to make art!

So here are my yesterday creations… the theme was Tissue Paper, Watercolor paint and Glue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the worst for trying to center 2 pictures… 

Anyway. We had a great group of ladies present and we had FUN.  Here are a couple of their pieces, I love them all…

I can hardly wait for next Tuesday…. we are saving Wrappers and  Boxes from what we eat for the next project!

Thanks for reading!

Ruth

Is this really my blog?

I am not sure where I am lately… this looked like my blog when I started… but now… Hmmmm ..anyway I wanted to test out my new “Buy me a coffee” add-on… With not being able to have classes, we are trying to find new inventive ways of paying the rent on our studios. I’m trying to give people a way to be supportive of my art… so let’s see how this goes. Here is my newest piece of art from today. What do you think?

 

Buy me a coffee

If you’d like to you can buy me a coffee to keep me going!

Thanks… Comments appreciated. If you don’t have time, at least hit LIKE?

Ruth

 

April – 1st Friday

Well, today was a very different “1st Friday” for us across the nation. Where we would normally open our studios and invite the world in to see how and where we work, we could not extend that invitation this month, and quite possibly next month… So, since most of us are working in temporary studios located in our homes or such, I thought it might be nice to open Those studios to share with the world…. and how best to do that but on Facebook! So that is what I did today.

Here is a link to the video, but since it’s inside Facebook, I’m pretty sure you would need to have a Facebook account to see it. (?) But give it a try and let me know how it goes for you.

My ‘Open Studio‘

In case the video doesn’t work, here is a screen shot from the beginning of it. Happy trails to all… and to all a good weekend!

PS – I could use some healthy dinner recipes!

 

Ruth