The Tactile Notebook

Twelve of us gathered in ARCAC's beautiful new room

to a classroom filled to the brim with inspiration.

Inspiration on clotheslines

inspiration in piles on tables.

It had taken Sandra many hours to arrange the room

and all her materials.

She is a generous and caring teacher.

So many wise words

were dotted about the room

to inspire us in our personal journeys with words

Diane and Chris mixing paint for all of us.

Anything can make the word

 Linda, Karen, Diane, Celeste, Ilga, Sandra 

and Val with her back to us

sharing pages from her notebook.

Jamie showing

Val, Karen and Kathryn her handmade notebook.

I think we all have magical memories of our three days with Sandra.

As I said

Sandra is a warm and inspirational teacher.

Just two things Sandra reminded me of...

the importance of 

ritual in our creative lives

and

the equally important daily recording

of our very personal reaction to the words

and experiences of our daily lives. 

Wish it had been much longer.

Though we are complete novices at this

Diane and I hope to continue bringing inspirational

teachers to our region.

In fact the next one is 

Dorothy Caldwell in September.

Can't wait!

The Circle of Life

I have been stitching round and round in circles

Inspired by a couple ....

....of pages in my sketchbook.

Rhythmic meditative stitching

and your mind changes the initial idea

of a tree's life rings

to my own life circles

where the rhythm of each year is always interrupted

by events

both joyful and sad

The ebb and flow of life.

Always Thinking Marks

Yes, I am always filling sketchbooks

Doodling

or scratching

and rubbing

Holding the pen with purpose or loosely uncontrolled

Mostly thinking repetition

and sometimes just creating a mess!

But that's okay

I consider a sketchbook a learning tool

not necessarily a thing of beauty.

Waiting and Sketching

Never leave home without a sketchbook....

Never sit in a waiting room without pen and sketchbook!
I had seen these shapes in bark on a tree.
As I doodled it occured....

...that a series on tree bark
could become shields
because the bark protects a sensitive core...

...but they wouldn't have to be shield shaped.

Then I thought of frozen puddles...

...and how I might stitch them.

Then I remembered my circles piece
and that I should do another one.
Finally my wait was over
having accomplished a lot!

Marked Pages

 

With pen and ink one can become a doodlebug!



Just getting started on thoughts

for a series I think will be called I am an island

 

I'm liking the scratchiness of pen and ink

 



Felt markers seem so heavy

compared to the uneven coveraage

I get with a nib

 



eeeeeeee!

 



Looks too much like a leopard skin for my liking.

 



 

When your nib drops a blob on a page

it can still be made into something!

 

Just marking page after page is fun

but I expect it will take many days of making marks

to come up with something meaningful.

We shall see.

 

 

 



A Play Day

Diane came round for the day

and we made marks

Some pretty ugly

Some on paper

Some on fabric

Some could do with more work

but I think this one could be stitched.

A play day

It's important to play.

Pink is the Colour of the Morning Sun

The moon was still high in the sky

as the sun appeared behind me

Small whisps of cloud clung to the marshland across the basin

And morning dew clung to fragile spiders webs

As usual I stopped to admire my favourite rusty post

Back in the studio I doodled another piece of bark.

A bit of a mess

but

there are some shapes in there worth exploring.

Strutting Pheasant

Did some strutting around in my sketchbook

Sun Worshipper

Thought if I doodled warming spiral energy

some of that glorious sunshiny weather

I've been hearing about

might come this way a bit faster!

It's time.

Think these words of wisdom from Goethe are sometimes just what I need.

"Whatever you think you can do or believe you can do,

begin it.

Action has magic, grace and power in it."

A Leap Year Trip

A day trip up the valley.
An artist date with Diane and Sharon
buying delicious threads
sharing the treat of a lunch out
and show and tell of our latest work.
What more could one ask for on a day that only occurs
every four years.

On the drive up we passed snow covered fields of golden stubble.
No time to stop and photograph.

 Back at home the next day
simple markings on the iPad
helped me to record

before I forget

because I want to remember.