Last Day!!!! AEDM2015 Day 30: "

AEDM2015 Day 30: "Protecting the Future"

It's the last day of the Art Every Day Month challenge! Once again it has been a fantastic experience because of these things:

***It reinforced a creative discipline by encouraging me to set aside time to create art daily. 

***I have tangible proof that I am a creative person in the form of a piece of art I create every day. 

***At the end of the challenge I have a journal filled with my art, which I can hold in my hand!

If you are interested in deepening a creative discipline for yourself  using my method (30 days of small pocket-sized collages) -- I will be re-releasing my e-course Your Daily Creative Practice in February 2016. Stay tuned...

AEDM2015 Days 28 & 29

AEDM2015 Days 28: "All You Need Is Light"

AEDM2015 Days 29: "Reinvent Yourself"

AEDM2015 Day 27: Her Next Move

AEDM2015 Day 27: Her Next Move

I'm starting to think about and brainstorm what I want to be doing artistically and with my art biz in 2016. I have had so little juice or energy to do anything this past year. It's been a year of moving through the grief process and delving into old processes and character traits that just don't serve me anymore.

I still don't know what 2016 will bring but i have a few ideas that I am going to act on, and I will let the details unfold by themselves. When I look at this collage it really seems to represent where I've been and where I'm going. The photo on the left is one I took a number of years ago in a Mexican cemetery. Beautiful and colorful, but there is also a clear separation between death and life. The eye -- looking forward is also seeing between the gap in the bars, and I have the feeling that the person belonging to the eye has the ability to move forward into life. Anyway that's what I see or feel from this piece. I enjoyed creating it -- and with none of this in mind!

AEDM2015 Day 26: "More Color"

AEDM2015 Day 26: "More Color"

I was too lazy to create a page spread on Thanksgiving so I forgave myself for this lack of self-discipline (it went the way of the "I shalt not overindulge" commandment -- out the window). I was going through my images and found this African Bee eater. I fell in love with these birds when i attended the University of Nairobi as part of an exchange program. It was a magical experience for a 17-year-old in 1971 -- and the Bee Eater became a symbol for my once-in-a-lifetime trip. This image requires a neutral background to magnify its colors -- but I decided to do the opposite and see if I could incorporate its colors into the background. I used acrylics and rubberstamp ink pads and am pleased with my efforts.

AEDM2015 Day 25: "Way Station"

This spread was a bit of a challenge. I'm posting it as is -- but I'll probably work on it a bit more.  I had originally created a half page within the two pages of the spread -- something I do occasionally to extend the story of a page. So it's really 2 spreads back to back but one of the spreads covers one and 1/2 pages. Like I said it was a challenge -- hard to describe and hard to photograph. I really need to film a clip of it but I'm too tired tonight!

I called it "Way Station" because to me this collage has the feeling of where we come from and where we are going to across our many possible -- or reincarnated lives -- and all of the variety and implications associated with that concept. I like the idea of it -- the execution -- well there's more to it and I'll leave it for another day!

Side One -- Middle flap closed to the right

Side One -- Middle flap completely opemed

Side Two -- Middle flap closed to the left

Side Two -- Middle flap opened to the right

Side Two -- Spread completely opened

AEDM2015 Day 24: "Reading Clouds"

AEDM2015 Day 24: Reading Clouds

I'm 62 years old and I still see fanciful creatures in the clouds. It's one of my "skills" that I don't every want to give up, along with what the hummingbird is saying to me, or the conversations the stuffed animals have on my bedroom lounge. It's something that I believe my mother and my grandmother encouraged -- along with Southern storytelling tradition as well as a life of never ending emotional drama. This has its good side --  I am lucky to be alive, I believe, because I've spent a lot of my life making up things. It's a good thing too because those aforementioned traits lend themselves to my being the artist I am!

AEDM2015 Day 23: Join the Celebration

AEDM2015 Day 23: Join the Celebration

I have to say that things seem to be shifting in my life. I feel like I'm coming out of a long period of mourning. Maybe it's because enough time has passed since my mother's death in April. Maybe it's because I hired a personal trainer and I'm starting to work my way back into dancer's shape. Maybe it's because I'm meditating everyday. Maybe it's consciously setting intention and recommitting to doing art everyday. Maybe the new  bio-identicals and thyroid supplements I'm on are finally kicking in LOL. And then maybe it's because I've reached the age of 62 and I am no longer a "yute" and I'm finally stopped having a tantrum about that. All I know is that I feel lighter, and life moving forward seems so much more promising, despite the challenges that living in this world brings. And mostly I'm just grateful for the life I've led, the me I am now, and the person I'll discover tomorrow.

AEDM2015 Day 22: Regeneration

So here's my creative process today: it started with a big ole green leaf, which was lying on my table. Next I laid down a bunch of different colors of green ink pads. The leaf was taller than the journal so I laid it on its side and I thought "pocket". Then I went on a search for something to sit to the left of the pocket and found the jaguar. What to fill the pocket with? Big cats --  all of them may be disappearing in the wild within the next 50 years. Lying on my table was the magazine ad text "regeneration". It seemed to fit but I looked up its definition. Regeneration is "the action or process of regenerating or being regenerated, in particular the formation of new animal or plant tissue". Which is what we are going to have to do if we continue destroying habitats...

AEDM2015 Day 22: Regeneration

AEDM2015 Day 21: What Would I Have Done?

AEDM2015 Day 21:"What Would I Have Done?"

Today I was motivated to use purple -- which is unusual because it's not a color I usually work with. I used acrylic paint, and ink pads, then looked at the page and said "Now what?" I don't even remembering pulling this image from a magazine but I had thrown it into my "blue" color pile sometime ago. It was an unusual shade of purple -- but the best thing about it was the kid holding onto his/her puppy. It just brought up in me memories of holding my kittens and cats through the years. How I had a friend no matter how lonely I felt. How much pleasure they gave me. How much unconditional love was communicated.

Caught Up!!! AEDM2015 Days 19 & 20

Yesterday was my father's birthday -- he would have been 103 years old! I though about him a lot as the day progressed. He had such a wonderful spirit and helped many people change their lives through his work as an AA sponsor. My father encouraged my spiritual searching and encouraged me to find some sort of program and work it. He opened the door for my journey -- one, it seems, of many unanswered questions. Yet more and more I accept the gifts of "not knowing" all the answers, and discovery and joy seem to be some of the byproducts. I look forward to seeing Daddy-O again one day.

AEDM2015 Day 19: Unanswered Questions

 What is essential: To life? To living? To loving? A mysterious question demanding a lifetime of answering.

AEDM2015 Day 20: What's Essential

Catch Up: AEDM2015 Days 16, 17,18

Three more journal pages for my Art Every Day Month challenge...

AEDM2015 Day 16: Peace and Love

AEDM2015 Day 17: Plays Outside

AEDM2015 Day 18: You Will Travel...

Catch Up: AEDM Day 13, 14, 15

Just like my life, my collages can sometimes be a jumble of images, words, ideas. Sometimes I am OK with that. Sometimes I revert back to my favored simpler style of using one or two images, which I've found to be a powerful technique, but definitely in my comfort zone. So when I push myself to fill my collages with a lot of stuff it often feels uncomfortable - but I usually end up liking what I've produced!

AEDM2015 Day 13: Ideas

It's been awhile since I included a half page into. Collage spread. Adding in this structure also seems to expand the storyline of a one page journal spread.

AEDM2015 Day 14: Explorers (Side A)

AEDM2015 Day 14: Explorers (Side B)

I do believe that animals have souls. And they should be treated with respect and honored with great love.

AEDM2015 Day 15: Animals Are Persons, Too

Catch Up: AEDM2015 Days 10, 11, 12

AEDM2015 Day 10: "La Vie Verte (Healing)

Continuing on with my catch-up posting of my Art Every Month journal collages. This collage is close to my heart. The two most healing things for me are cats and nature -- or green places in nature. I happened to run across this photo of a grey cat that I clipped sometime in the foggy past. This cat reminded me of a Russian Blue I had rescued in Midway, Kentucky during a college summer break. She was instrumental in the healing of my relationship with my alcoholic father who had recovered in my 16th year. I didn't know how to talk with him, or he with me until Roxanne came into our lives. She would intentionally lead me into my father's room -- or I would be looking for her and she would be there on his chest in his bedroom. We would start talking about Roxanne, then the family, then life, then spirituality and over the years my father and I built a loving, laugh-filled relationship. Thanks Roxanne wherever you are!

AEDM2015 Day 11: "Begin an Enduring Love Affair"

I love the feeling in this page that I created, perhaps because it speaks to me of my  journey through life. It is also a pop-up page -- the girl springs up when the page is opened -- you can see the shadow created by her face.

AEDM2015 Day 12: "The Search"

Might do some journaling on this page...

Catch Up: AEDM2015 Days 7,8,9

AEDM2015 Day 7: "Secret"

During this year's challenge I find myself once again creating in my journal very simple collages -- sometimes it's only one or two images, with or without a painted background. When doing a creative challenge I've discovered that often simple is best -- otherwise I get discouraged or frustrated with how much time it takes -- or start to rebel and even quit. Like most people I have a busy life -- lots of obligations, lots of interests, tons of activities. Plus there are emotional challenges and a natural tendency to drift away from my creative, artistic self. I have found that if I keep my collages simple it's -- more often than not -- easy to carve out and stick with a daily creative time. And doing that for myself has so many benefits and pluses to the psyche and my emotional well being that I'm reinvigorated creatively by the end of a challenge or a project.

AEDM2015 Day 8: "Ask Yourself if this Is Important"

AEDM2015 Day 9: "Wildlife"

Catch Up: AEDM2015 Days 4,5,6

AEDM2015 Day 4: Where I Am

Life keeps getting in the way of creating -- or at least it feels like it. Last Wednesday through this Monday we were in St. Thomas for a destination wedding. I took my journal and art supplies and had very good intentions of continuing on with my journal page spread a day for the Art Every ay Month Challenge. I confess I spent to much time on the beach or at wedding event, or having dinner with family and friends. Hence I didn't complete any collages that i could scan.

AEDM2015, Day 5: Whole New Ways to Make (A) Better World

I did however, spend some time pulling magazine images, and gluing pages, and laying down some color, and laying some images down, So I was technically being creative. Still I felt guilty. ANd this is a trap I am very aware of now. So I don't let it snowball me. I know that at some point I'll get back into the swing of creating. I have to be compassionate with myself and then all of sudden things will start to flow.

AEDM2015 Day 6: Welcoming You with Wonder

 So I'll continue to catch up as I move through this month and post my collages as I have the time. Starting with now!

AEDM2015, Day 3: The Sea Is in Deep Blue Trouble

AEDM2015, Day 3: The Sea Is in Deep Blue Trouble (with pop-up closed)

Heading off to the Caribbean for a wedding so this image of a beach grabbed my eye. Then I just stared at it...nothing was coming to me and no other images popped out as I flicked through a magazine. Usually at this point my inner critic starts grumbling. The best tactic is to just ignore it and either walk away for a few minutes or just keep searching for the "right" pieces. Something always gives and for this collage things went a little bit wacky. I ended up making the fish into a "pop up" and the woman, well I just liked her facial expression -- she's either appalled at the dismal state of the oceans -- or she's in the process of becoming a mermaid!

AEDM2015, Day 3: The Sea Is in Deep Blue Trouble (with pop-up open)

AEDM 2015 Day 2: A Landscape I Didn't Know Existed

AEDM 2015 Day 2: A Landscape I Didn't Know Existed

How do I come up with the collages I create? I'm really not sure. Often I'll run across images that resonate with me on a deep level. I may not understand why or for what reason I am drawn to an image or a setting (such as this room), but I will add them into my journal and let them "percolate". I may eventually add other images to it and the story will start to unfold. Or I may add a line of text because it also resonates with me in conjunction with the image. Or the image may prompt me to journal. Sometimes I'll just leave the image as is -- just because I like it -- and I've come to see that there is creative payback in doing just that.

"She remembered this room. She remembered sitting on the linen sofa, waiting for someone or something to come through the door. It had been an hour or two of slow minutes and the light was fading. Becoming increasingly drowsy she stood up abruptly and walked around the perimeter of the room. There was a flash of movement behind her and as she turned she saw a shadow move in the mirror...."

November Is Art Every Day Month!

Day 1 AEDM, "Commitment: I Will Participate". 

It's cool that Art Every Day Month has rolled around again -- just at the right time for me.  I will be making a collage spread a day over the next 30 days and will be using one of my small Paperblanks journals. I had an Open Studio to day at the Novato Arts Center, and decided to work on my first spread while I was there. This is really my first piece of completed art in 5 months! I really have had little desire to move past the sorting of collage images and just a general puttering around my studio. 

Nevertheless when I sat down in front of the journal I had selected for this art challenge -- I knew that my desire to create would overcome my inertia as well as those inner critics that bounce around in my head. I was a bit awkward with the color and text and images -- but I pushed past my inner critic and "just kept moving". This is the 3rd time I've done AEDM (plus i did my own personal art challenge (Daily Journal Page Challenge) for 3.5 years) so I know the benefits of setting an intention and sticking with it. 

I must say it felt so-o-o-o-o good to create this spread! It's also serving as a visual statement of my commitment to continuing on with my creative journey.

Drop by Leah Piken Kolidas' website Creative Every Day and sign up for one of her art challenges -- it's not too late!

AEDM Day 9: "Beautiful Chaos"

Art Every Day Month Day 9: "Beautiful Chaos"

Today was a day fraught with worry and pleasure. My 18-year-old cat was in distress. I had to drop her off at the vet's in the morning and then go set up and teach a workshop at my studio in the afternoon. I was worried about her the whole day and all the while taught a great workshop -- loved the ladies who participated. But the anxiety I felt about my aging cat still remaned. I wrote about this in my journal -- and used the crosshatch technique to mask the specifics. I thought about leaving page as is -- just the writing. Then I wondered was there any color or something else I could add? Could I push myself past the starkness of negative conclusions? To me this page represents the part of the human spirit that can choose to love or find beauty in the midst of worry or chaos.

AEDM Day 6: "More Red"

Art Every Day Month Day 6: "More Red"

Decided to see how many small pieces I could fit onto a spread (I have several boxes filled with ATC-sized images). Red, again, seemed to be the color I was drawn to!