Journaling in July

I know the Journaling in July thing is probably supposed to be newer works, but as I was rummaging through my attic looking for art supplies, I actually found this book that I made while I was in Art school back in 2004. 

 I enjoyed looking through my old sketches and old quotes I found inspiring, and poetry that I wrote to outline some of my drawings.  This book was a project that I had done for my Life Drawing class in which we drew nude models to capture form and learn the human anatomy.  

The book is actually made from scratch, 2 pieces of cardboard covered in fabric, and bound together by hemp string.  The pages were created from Arches Block water color paper, the edges cut with Provo Craft scissors to get the fancy edges.  Among the mediums used in this project are charcoal, some pastel. 

Front Cover

Inside Cover

"Although my body is glued to this page, my hand is still free to reach out & touch you..."

"The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls" 

-Pablo Picasso

"Drawing is like making an expressive gesture with the advantage of permanance."

-Henri Matisse

Minute Gestures

"Dream with Truth, Sing with Love, Dance with Magic, Play with Luck... Ask the world a question, the world is our teacher..."

-Me

Here is a little poem I wrote around the edges of the figures. There are pieces of tracing paper glued over each figure so it gives the effect of frosted glass...

" I'm beautiful

Can you see right through me?"

I'm Honest

Can you see right through me?"

I'm Innocent

Can you see right through me?"

I'm Unique

Can you see right through me?"

I'm Perfect

Can you see right through me?"

I'm Funny

Can you see right through me?"

Im Self Conscious

Can you see right through me?"

I'm Fearless

Can you see right through me?"

I'm Strong

Can you see right through me?"

I'm Mature

Can you see right through me?"

I'm Calm

Can you see right through me?"

I'm Regretful

Can you see right through me?"

I'm Crazy

Can you see right through me?"

I'm Loving

Can you see right through me?"

I'm ME

Can you see right through me?"

"Love is poison in a bottle, but I'll drink it anyway!"

-Me

Here is a little poem I wrote back in high school, and I used it in my project.

"I could sit here all night watching the pale moon shine through my window until the sunrise...

I could just sit here perfecting an image of a love so dear, I could almost feel their invisible heartbeat...

But that's all it is though, just an image , not reality.  But could it be someday... will it be?"

Minute Gestures

"Flickering flame, beautiful song, a precious jewel, in darkness I lay..."

-Me

"A girl wants to look sexy, but what's more important is that people take you seriously as a human."

-Gwen Stefani

"In silence, you hear who you are going to become, and you create yourself."

-Jewel

"I believe in rainbows and all that, but it's the shade that defines the light."

-Tori Amos

Some inspiration from the movie Moulin Rouge

Minute Gestures

End Inside Cover

End Back Cover

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The following were done while I was living in LA last summer (2009)

"Heart is Torn" kind of represents for me, the decision to live in California versus the decision to move back home to New Jersey, hence the compass, and half heart happy, and half heart sad.  I knew that it was good for me to experience all of the things I was experiencing, being on my own for the first time in my life, and pushing my music out into the west coast.  I knew realistically though, LA was not the place for me, I literally went there with the clothes on my back , and a few bags.  

"Hummingbird"

This sketch was done in acrylics , and I watered them down alot to give it that watercolor effect.  All of the black ink was just freehand doodling.  I saw alot of Hummingbirds in LA, so they represent to me , that time in my life, where I spread my wings and was off on my own.

The picture above, and the one below were just silly doodles. They don't really mean anything personal, I just was feeling the need to create something, and these came out!  I had the girl cut out from a newspaper I picked up on Venice Beach. I thought she was kinda funky looking with the white hair, so I even took things a bit wackier, and pulled some cotton apart and glued it on where her white afro was , to make it more 3D.  The rest of the mediums I used were watered down Acrylics for the backgrounds, marker, ink for the lettering and doodles, and crayon/color pencil to outline the lettering...

"Rose and the Beast"

When I was in LA, I read A LOT of Francesca Lia Block.  She is my favorite author, and she is native to LA, so I really felt like her books said a lot about where I was at that time in my life.  She often writes about pixies, pink cadillacs and sunglasses, Hollywood,Venice, Oki-Dogs, and Purple Jacaranda Trees, which were my FAVORITE things about LA !

Just a silly painting/collage I did because I was in the mood to create.  I used acrylics, and ink pen, and cutout cherries from a magazine.

Another silly doodle, done in Acrylics and ink pen.  I was in one of my whimsical Tim Burton-y kind of moods when I did this... I enjoy looking at a lot of his sketches he did early in his career... this reminds me a lot of those...

I actually made this drawing/collage when I went back to LA after visiting back home for about a week in May.  I had surprised my mom for her birthday by coming home, so then I took her to New Hope/Lambertville one day.  We had a nice lunch at Lambertville station and then we went in a bunch of vintage shops, and played dress up... We even came across a little tiny vintage fashion boutique, and in the back room where the fitting room screen was, a little work station was set up with a sewing machine.  We started talkin to the woman who worked there, and I saw these itty bitty red tight leather pants hung up on the wall. Either me or my mom had commented on them, and she had told us that they were STEVEN TYLER'S PANTS !! And then next to the pants, was a picture of him wearing the pants ! She had been his personal stylist through the 70's, and I think she styled some other people too, I don't remember.  So then we went in another little vintage shop where I scooped up the postcard in the collage above.  All of the info in the collage is the actual info of the shop that was on the back of the post card.

I created this piece after making the decision to move back home to New Jersey.  I was so excited about my decision, excited to see my boyfriend again, drive my car again, sleep in my own queen size bed, and not a futon anymore, eat my parents home cooked meals, and have my own craft room again! I wanted to find a job that suited me, and that I did find.  I am glad I moved back home, I am very content with my life here in NJ... but I will forever be grateful for the experiences I had , and the friends that I made in LA.

The following sketches I did at my old job... I worked a very boring receptionist job, and I would have long afternoons with NOTHING to do... so I brought a sketchbook with me, and collaged n doodled....

Just a random collage from magazine cutouts, I drew the face except for the eyes, and the pink and black checkers on the left hand side... everything else is collage.

"Across the Universe"

This is a sketch/collage dedicated to one of my favorite Beatle's song's "Across the Universe". The background is done in watercolor, the heart was colored in with pink sharpie marker, and the crosshatching and lettering is done in office pen, lol.  Then I topped it off with a magazine cutout of the girl.

"Nothing's gonna change my world..."

The following pieces are both Radiohead inspired pieces.  They are one of my favorite bands, and at the time, I was listening to them A LOT!  

"Last Flowers" is a song off of their In Rainbows album.  I love how it is just piano.  I really love the simple production of songs sometimes... less is just more....

"How to Disappear Completely" is a song off of their Kid A album.  I listen to this song on rainy days, or when I'm feeling kind of introverted, and I guess I was feeling that way when I created this....