The Keys Are Held By . . .

This is one of my favorite techniques. Duct tape, gesso, water-soluble pastels, thinned acrylic paint lifted off and metallic wax plus a little scratching of the surface. I consider it my secret and only I have the key to unlock the technique. Ha!

A couple of nights ago I was watching "Life Aquatic" and the right lens fell out of my glasses and when I couldn't find the screw to put it back in I thought, "So what, I can't see anything out of that eye anyway!" And then I remembered something I'd read recently in Robert Genn's newsletter:
Recent loss no problem
by Gail Siptak, Houston, TX, USA
"I am blind in one eye. I've been painting since the '60s and felt "in my stride" for the last 20-25 years. I see things, people, as compositions and ideas. I see through my paintings. If I had lost an eye (and therefore depth perception) when I was younger, it might have made work more difficult. As it happened a year ago, it has presented no problem. My mind is the painter."

"My Mind Is The Painter," what a marvelous gift that statement is!

Short Take

Q. You've said, "To be an artist, one must live artfully, even if you're hanging clothes on a line." How do we do that?
A. In everything that you do--brush the dog/your teeth, read a book, take a child to the beach--you are focused. And being in the moment will give you the artful means.
Interview by Susan Cantrell with Caryl Hill - a pal of Henry Miller's

ATC

ATC - Four original flower photographs digitally manipulated in Picture It.

In the 80's I worked entirely in black and white and it still feeds something in me. It could be the tranquil harmony that is achieved in the tonal range.

"Using real ephemera from daily life can add richness to a journal. But packaged images--which might well be called pseudo-ephemera--besides not really being related to our lives have become ubiquitous, and like anything too often repeated, these images have become cliches. As such, this material weakens any artwork in which it's used unless it's radically changed or used very deliberately and for reasons that relate clearly to the concept of the piece." Gwen Diehn - The Decorated Journal

Mmmm, very interesting . . .

TIME

Time - manipulated image. First layer is a photograph of barrels. Images of a clock and a metal washer were altered and resized. Text was added and the entire piece was created in Picture It, 2002 version which is superior to the newer versions!

Gwen Diehn's latest book, "The Decorated Journal" arrived from Amazon.com two days ago and I finally had time last night to do take a serious look at it. While I've always attempted to follow the adage that less is more I have failed miserably to live up to that!

"When the buying crazies hit you, when your confidence in your own work slips, trying holding on to the idea that less really can be more. Try sticking to a small range of high-quality materials and practice with them to learn how they work. Once you can use these few materials well, you will be able to produce every effect you want." Gwen Diehn

Also, "The difficult truth about art materials is that the materials themselves are not as important as what you do with them."

I've always believed the above statement when it comes to having the "right" camera, but when it comes to getting the latest "must have" item I'm already a bust! I had to have Lutradur to make a fabric journal out of. I'm hoping that I can justify the purchase of it by creating an exciting journal to mail with my Flat Villagers for their whirl-wind tour to exotic places with Marie. She lives in Australia and to a native Californian the country down-under is pretty exotic to me.

Mona Lisa Eyes

Mona Lisa Eyes

Digital Collage - manipulated in Picture It.

Gesso and watercolor paint background. Mona Lisa is from
Aisling D'Art's Faces CD. The foliage is from my photo files.

"The world's engagement of beauty is my bible, and Art is my religion.
I come to it as a child, and I add all the grown wisdom I can gather.
Creativity is my salvation. My easel is the altar.
My paints are the sacraments. My brush is my soul's movement,
and to do poorly, or not to work, is a sin."
Robert Genn