The Blank Canvas Blog Hop!

Are you familiar with that feeling one gets as you're facing a task and you just don't know where to begin? Well artists aren't any different from any other person who hasn't a clue of where start a new project!

It's often a scary place -- especially when that blank canvas, book, piece of paper, quilt, chunk of marble is just sitting there! For an artist this can be a terrifying place to be. Doubts loom and often a litany of self-criticism rises to the forefront. The Muses have left the house. What if they don't come back? 

Luckily after many years of dealing with the Blank Canvas -- or in my case the "Blank Book Page Spread" (since I primarily alter books) -- I've learned a few tricks on how to get the creative juices flowing. And so have 16 artists in the Blank Canvas Blog Hop. Each of these artists share experiences on how they jump start their creativity PLUS each is having a drawing for a giveaway. So hop on over to the first artist, Karen Friedland on Monday, September 8th. 

And return to my blog on September 15th to see what I do to get myself moving in the flow -- and to enter for a chance to win one of my Wild Spirit Animal pendant necklaces!

BLOG HOP ROSTER for ARTISTS -- Follow the links to each day's artist to get tips on addressing the Blank Canvas and how to participate in their drawing for a free gift! And if you come in late to this Blog Hop you can go to any of the earlier artists' pages to see their tips and enter their giveaway contest (Sept 8-22).

Earlier Participants!
1. Sept 8   Karen Friedland 
2. Tuesday Sept 9   Lezette Markham
3. Wednesday Sept 10 Cynthia Patton
4. Thursday Sept 11 Jennyann Carthern
5. Friday "Frenzy" Sept 12  Kiala Givehand
6. Saturday Sept 13 Jan Blount
7. Sunday Sept 14 Effy Wild
8. Monday Sept 15 Virginia Simpson-Magruder
9. Tuesday Sept 16 Dariana Cruz


TODAY'S BLANK CANVAS ARTIST!  
10. Wednesday Sept 17 Susan Miller go here

Next in Line!
11. Thursday Sept 18 Grace howes 
12. Friday Sept 19 Tori Deaux 
13. Saturday Sept 20 Kiala Givehand
14. Sunday Sept 21 Martin Arkenstone 
15. Monday Sept 22 Nicole Piar

When you return on Sept 15 to here my tips on dealing with Blank Canvas Paralysis, you'll also have the opportunity to participate in my Wild Spirit Pendant Giveaway. First Like my Wild Spirit Animals Facebook Fan Page, and then Sign up for my monthly newsletter by clicking on the blue button in the column to the right of this post.

Wild Spirit Animal Pendant

Hello, My Mane in the Wind!

Dear Mane in the Wind,
It's so GREAT! hearing from you. You've been on my mind...always...but somehow I just couldn't sit down at the computer to write you a love letter. I knew somehow that you'd understand, because your blood runs through my veins. I've guess I've been traveling the road of independence, maybe? Kind of like a teenager or college grad? Well,  I've been testing my wings; experimenting with different life situations; trying out all sorts of, hmmmn, illicit substances; giving up old habits and acquiring some new ones! Sometimes I feel very alone in this world. Sometimes I just want to be alone (except for my two kitties). But I really want to tell you and The World what I've been doing creatively for the past two years; what I'm doing now; what's been working and what doesn't seem to fit; what things I planning to do, what things I'm just dreaming about. I think there might be some kindred souls out there who are also traveling this road and I'd love to hear from them!

Was it only 5 years ago I started sharing this creative journey with you? I was so unsure of myself then, as you well know...And now, well, something is stronger! I now know and without hesitancy can claim that I am a gifted, creative soul!

And my mane definitely blows in the wind! It's great to be back!

Love, Love, Love,
Virginia

Photos of Some of the Things I've Been Doing in 2013-2014 (Teaching Artist for ATA; Get to draw Rodin's "The Kiss" at the National Gallery of Scotland; Studiy painting and drawing with Sabrina TerHeune; Hold "Express Yourself! Intro to Altered Books and Collage" and "Altered Book Portals as a Way of Seeing" workshops; Learn intuitive painting from Flora Bowley and Tracy Verdugo workshops; Teach altered books at The Gap, Inc.; "Hold Art Journal Your Travels" workshop at Book Passage; Expand my Wild Spirit Animals line of jewelry...) Visit Kentucky Girl Designs website for more info...

Cities I Love: London Oriel Pendants

 Here's a group of Itsy Bitsy Oriel Pendants that I made as a custom. I enjoyed doing them so much that I plan to do a foreign city/country series. London is so cosmopolitan -- where else other than NYC can you here 12-20 different languages being spoken on the street? It is a curious mix of history, mod-sixties, hip youth, and pop idols.

These are all icons of London -- I'd say my it's my favorite city in the world (English as the primary language). These tiny snapshots (1"-square) will fondly remind me of another place, another time, distant memories....they can also serve as a visualization of a place where I want to go back to visit!

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."