A Host of Workshops: Retrospective

Marilyn's "Between Kisses" AB Spread (Collage Cafe 1.21.12)

Here are photos and links to more photos (click on the captions) to Express Yourself! Workshops and Collage Cafes that I've held over the past few months. An assortment of women and men from the Bay Area keep proving to me how rejuvenating it is for the average human being to create something artful! Making art is a way one can be brave and take risks in expressing oneself without having to think too much about it. This is especially true I find with altering books: accomplished artists can renew and expand their creative spirit, and so-called "non-artists" can easily discover their creative side with the added benefit of the pleasure of seeing something that only they could have created. Marilyn (above) came to a collage Cafe and had this to say about it:

"Thank you so much for the collage cafe and more! t was so nice meeting you and your wonderful studio, jewelry, journals and inspiration! I did 3 more pages when I got home! I lovelovelove them... I can see the growth already. Again, thanks for all the fun and inspiration!"

Janet's Back Pocket AB Spread (Express Yourself! 2.3.12)

Janet's work was a great example of an artist trained in a specific area (mono print) who desires to experiment in another medium. Her use of color and choice of images is bold and experimental. Janet said this about the workshop:

"I had a wonderful time at Virginia's Introductory class. What fun to play with all those art materials and to start to transform a regular book into something so rich and original. I've wanted to learn to do "altered books" for some time and when I first met Virginia and saw one of her books, I knew she was the one I wanted to learn from. And I loved working in her studio. Everything you need is there. I look forward to going to her "Cafe's' and learning and playing some more in my book! Thanks Virginia!"

Express Yourself! at Book Passage, Corte Madera, CA (1.28.12)

My Book Passage Express Yourself! workshop in January was a lot of fun for me and the participants. Attendees ranged from "I've never done any art" to people who had attended art school. A fun note were two women friends who each brought a teenage granddaughter. Here's what Leslie (she created the above spread) said about the experience:

"I attended your Altered Books Workshop in Corte Madera, along with my granddaughter, sister-in-law and her granddaughter. We all had a wonderful experience and hope to continue altering books (and maybe our lives). Thanks again for sharing your talent with all of us. Each of us came away inspired to explore and develop our own artistic abilities."

Studio Time Challenge -- Day 11

In the studio today, but it was difficult getting in there -- I procrastinated by finding lots of house things to do and errands to run. Why does it take so much effort to do something I like to do? Another one of those ongoing questions or self-inventory that has no immediate answer. Nevertheless I spent 3 hours in there today and caught up on journal pages. I also took photos of all of the beads I bought at a local bead show I attended on Sunday (can I claim the 3 hours shopping as an extra studio day???). I found a lot of beautiful semi-precious stone beads (snakeskin jasper, moss jasper, red agate, etc.) and crystal beads that I plan to use in my animal totem pendants.

Studio Time Challenge -- Day 10

Box Construction: Pegasus in January Skies

I spent 5 hours again today in my studio. Some of the time spent with Sophie, some on my own. Today I made a shadow box out of an altered page calendar I did in 2004. Twelve artists each choose a month: mine was January. Cold, deep blue skies and constellations seemed appropriate for that winter month. Thinking of the constellation Pegasus, I found an old engraving on the net and used that image as my center piece. The background is book page about yearly resolutions; I handwrote mine -- see, create, dream, believe, imagine. It is such a lovely collage and it has been languishing on my art studio wall, so today I decided to give it a home by making it into a box. I found the perfect shadow box that has a hinged front. I painted the outside with Lumiere paints, gray, green, and halo blue/green. I happened to have a page of crystal stars and used them in varying sizes. Simple. I like going through my studio and completing projects, items that have just lain around gathering dust. Freeing up energy for new projects perhaps.

Time Travel: Transformation of Loss

Pen and Ink Drawing by Virginia Moremen Lindsay

My grandmother was an important person in my life. She gave me a lot of structure and guidance. She was very creative -- she painted, drew, sculpted, sewed, sang acted -- and passed those talents through my mother to me. She was intelligent and could suss out any situation and any falsity in one second. She was also a very frustrated woman who never found happiness in her creations, and never took her talents to great heights, real or imagined. I have had this beautiful, but sorrowful pen and ink drawing by her hanging on my office wall. She made this in 1926, she was 28 years old. It features a naked woman crying or praying. It has always resonated with me, perhaps because I am the daughter and granddaughter of two creative, talented women who never did anything with their art. I have always had mixed feeling about this drawing -- probably because it was too close to the truth --I have lived the same life (and lie) only until a few short years ago when I decided to try to bring my talents out into the world. I am not famous, but my work and my jewelry is out there -- on the internet, in a published book, in people's homes and on their bodies. Today I took down my grandmother's drawing and added a Nelson Mandela quote (courtesy of Sophie) to the front of the glass: "There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you, yourself, have altered."

Collage: My Darkest Hour by Virginia Simpson-Magruder, 1986

I went to hang it on my gallery wall, outside my studio and saw a collage I had made in 1986 -- I was not that much older than she was when she penned this drawing. I was struck by the similarities of the woman in the collage and my grandmother's, and I was struck by the appropriateness of the Mandela quote. And as I looked at both pieces, I saw that I am altered, I am no longer that person who suffers, or grieves, or is afraid to bring out what she has created into the world. That as I hold the awareness of that history of loss and sadness, it is being replaced with the opposite -- a woman of talent, beauty and the knowledge that I am exactly who I need to be right now, in this time, in this place. I also realized that today, July 16th, was my grandmother's birthday. Happy Birthday, Mimi, wherever you are.

Studio Time Challenge -- Day 9

Altered Book: Earth in Balance (Discovery Spread)

Altered Book: Earth in Balance (Front)

Altered Book: Earth in Balance (Back)

Well, getting into the studio this week everyday was a bust. I just couldn't make art a priority. I could blame the 3 hours a day I spent at the Theatrical Camp I'm attending, but really that's only 3 hours out of 16 waking hours. So, what happened? It's not that I'm not being creative -- I think all my energy is just pouring into new venues -- new dance styles (Modern, Contemporary, Hip Hop) and acting, and singing lessons. Today I did spend 5 hours in my art studio. I finished my Earth in Balance Altered Book. I feel great about that -- and I had forgotten how much fun it is working in this medium. With this book I tried to express my feelings about the necessity of bringing back to the world the Feminine -- in order to heal and bring nature back into balance.
I also filled the tin (Altoid) box with leaves, acorns, and animal power medicine cards, then tied it up with ribbon and slide it into the niche I had created in the book.

Studio Time Challenge -- Day 8

Earth in Balance AB: Feast

Today I worked again in my Earth in Balance altered book. As I began creating another spread in it, I had the idea to make a poster for an altered book workshop that I am going to be teaching at the end of the month. Using an AB spread would be the perfect vehicle, plus I can take the AB down to the studio and let it serve as an advertisement for the workshop.

Altered Book Workshop Poster

Studio Time Challenge -- Day 7

Mz.Adventures Altered Book: Sweet as a Raspberry

Well today I spent 6 hours into the studio. Don't ask me what I did -- I haven't the foggiest. Well, that's not really true. I spent at least an hour straightening up in prep for Sophie who was coming for a session. I had at least 40 magazines spread all over the studio floor from the day before. I had to wade through a sea of magazines, in various stages of disarray, to get to my table, which was piled high with 10 different types of art supplies, strips of paper, ink pads, and flotsam and jetsam. I am definitely sure that even if I had an art space three times the size of this one, at least once a week it would be carpeted from wall to wall with magazines and books and containers of cut out images. I like having everything out there in front of me. Sophie and I went into the studio around 1:30 and didn't raise our heads till 5pm. I worked on today's Daily Journal Page Challenge, then I worked on my Mz.Adventures altered book. Everything I did felt disjointed, awkward -- nothing seemed to flow. But this is part of the creative process, right? And if I'm not willing to throw down my "crayons" and walk away, then I am just gonna have to hang in there and mess around with anything and everything I can get my hands on. Something will eventually emerge from the mix.

Mz.Adventures Altered Book: Tunnel of Love

Studio Time Challenge -- Day 5

This and That -- Day 5

I spent a total of 4 hours in the studio today -- I'd say this was a good day. My friend Sophie came for a session and we had a really good time together inspiring each other to creative heights. I worked on four items: the cover of my altered book, newly renamed Miz Adventures (formerly A Round-Heeled Woman); completed my Daily Journal Page Challenge entry; and created one spread each in my "To Do" journal, and my "Oriel Biz" journal. I felt a little bit fractured -- I bounced back and fourth between my projects -- and although I felt a bit uncomfortable, I know that this place of unrest can be a very strong place for creative possibilities. I kept one eye on Sophie's progress and making suggestions for possible directions. One of the things I became aware of today was the phenomena by which you can start a collage with one very strong image and by the end it seems to lose it's energy (for that collage) and is discarded. I often will think I have to hold onto that "prized" image, that I have to make it work. Not so, it seems. The image may call in other images and then its work is done, or it can be used in another collage. Sophie had a lot of feeling around this image of a woman with her arms outstretched. I suggested that she give it some depth and strength by mounting it on illustration board and cutting it out. She placed it on a canvas, which she had painted and it drew in a lot of beautiful images. But soon it was evident that it no longer belonged on the canvas. I didn't want Sophie to nix the image, and was quite adamant about that. But I surrendered my opinion and kept working on my projects. When I lifted my head, Sophie had started on another impromptu collage using this image and boy did it find itself a home.

Sophie's Image Dancing the Light Fandango in a New Home

Studio Time Challenge -- Day 4

Jen's Garden of Soul Board Book

I had an unexpected visitor to my studio today. Actually I knew she was coming -- it was my friend Jen. She came up to work on my cat Angelina. Afterwards I invited her to come do art with me in my studio. I set her up with a children's board book and gave her some ideas on doing a collage spread in it and she just buzzed along. I like how her spread has a very light, organic feel to it. She picked one image of a young girl. I asked her who this was to her -- she said "me, me waiting to bring out the garden in me...". Well, I think she did!

Studio Time Challenge -- Day 4: Earth in Balance Altered Book

While Jen was working on her spread, I picked up another partially altered book from years back) and started to work on it. This was a book by Al Gore -- Earth in Balance. I had never gotten any further than gluing most of the pages together, cutting out a niche and making a drawer out of an Altoids tin. I did the front cover, which shows John Muir, an Indian woman making an offering, and one of my red-haired "ladies" (yes, one of my alternate selves), peeking out through the branches. I am certain Muir felt the feminine in nature. He definitely felt its sacredness. I have already spent my prerequisite 2 hours studio time for today, but am going back for more!

Studio Time Challenge -- Day 3

Studio Time Challenge -- Day 3 Stuff (altered book and oriels)

No way I could get into the studio yesterday -- except for 15 minutes to do my Daily Page. Too many meetings and errands. But I can do my pages anywhere -- lots of time I create them while sitting in front of the television catching up on shows. Day 3. Easier to get into the studio today and actually spent closer to three hours than two. Worked on a spread from an unfinished altered book I started a number of years ago. Title of the book I picked way back when -- A Round-Heeled Woman -- by Jane Juska. Non-fiction about the author's coming into her sexuality late in life after a divorce. Nicely written and much humor with a touch of chagrin. I felt this book was the perfect altered book for my giving voice to my own sexual awakening. Should I blush here? But baby mine started when I was born. So did yours! And every day is a sexual awakening -- and I'm not just talkin' about sex here if you know what I mean -- sex is the sum of the parts, the senses, the meat of life. I guess vitality, sensuality are better words. Anyway, enough said on this here subject! I also finished up another oriel called Snake Charmer, and an Itsy Bitsy to accompany it.

Studio Time Challenge -- Day 2

Day 2 of my challenge to spend a minimum of two hours in my art studio, daily (5 days a week). Today it was difficult getting into the studio. Perhaps it was because it's a Monday! Although I went into the studio on Saturday and Sunday to do my Daily Journal Pages, I don't consider that time as part of my Studio Time Challenge. Maybe that's a little odd, but I set this challenge up to do more than my pages, to do other art work and jewelry. Did my page, but no other artwork. I did finish a custom oriel. But it seemed to take forever to complete and package up. I did spend a lot of time looking through images, ribbons, straightening up, and then messing up again! Could it have gone any faster? Maybe if I wasn't "fighting" the whole time. I am hoping that this internal fight with myself will get fainter in the month ahead. That it will be easier to jump into the next thing. I suspect I already know how to do it....In the photo I took today I show a little corner vignette in my studio: two ornaments I made a couple of years ago; one of my box assemblages, an antique shaving brush, a hand-carved bear, a teeny tiny vintage paper cutter, and an impromptu collage created a few days ago. The bottom photo is a shot of my packaging prep for the custom...lots of ribbon choices.

Studio Time Challenge -- Day 1

Studio Time Challenge -- Day 1: Daily Journal Page (to the right), Supplies,
and My Current "Text Book" (to the left)

My first real day of my personal art challenge to spend 2 hours in my art studio, 5 days a week (a minimum goal to start with). My new friend Sophie came to work with me in the studio. In exchange for her getting my Kentucky Girl Designs website set up, I'm teaching her some collage and altered book techniques and giving her free rein of supplies and materials. Let me tell you, this is a win-win situation! I guess I spent close to 3 hours (so far) in the studio today. First spent around 40 minutes cleaning up in prep for Sophie's visit. I totally enjoyed having her in the studio and sharing techniques with her. It always seems to motivate me to work with another person. While Sophie was here, I created my daily journal page, and then soldered the custom animal totem oriel I am currently working on (Philippine Eagle Serpent), as well as a Wolf animal totem oriel. BTW, Sophie has a great blog, A Passion for Living, and as a writer she weaves magic with her words. This is a blog to keep checking in on, so stop by and enjoy.

Sophie Creating Pages for Her Altered Book

Studio Time Challenge: June/July 2010

All right, I'm giving myself another personal art challenge. Don't I have enough already? Maybe, maybe not. The hardest thing I find in working in the studio is just committing to a block of time each day. I can avoid all sorts of creativity and money-making opportunities by finding errands, housework, yard work, etc. to keep me distracted and off track. I suppose all artists deal with this. But I'm feeling the urge to create some sort of discipline or habit around my jewelry and art creations. And setting challenges for myself seem to work. So for the next month I am committing to a minimum of 2 hours each day, 5 days a week. No running around, no sitting down in front of the TV for a half hour, no grooming the cats for 10 minutes. I can do all those things after my 2-hour block, but not during. Seems like this could be easy. Or I could put up a big fight. I'll also post a quick photo each day of something I've done, no matter how insignificant. Today I spent 3 hours in the studio. But that doesn't count! I'll start tomorrow and will run the challenge for 3o days. Here's a photo anyway of oriels and a custom that I worked on today.