2008 Personal Art Journal

So far, my only real New Year's Resolution is a commitment to keeping a daily art journal. My first entry is shown above.

I have established a group of "rules" for this journal:

1. This will be a multi-media journal, with emphasis on paper - particularly recycled paper. I will use ONLY previously used paper as the basis for each page. I want to try to use something that would be destined for the trash and preferably a piece of paper that passed through my life on the day of my entry. Such things as junk mail, emails, wrappers, drawings done with Airus, receipts, lists, etc. will be the foundation for each journal entry.

2. I will try to use warm and cool colors on facing pages.

3. I will try to use a variety of techniques through the year, hopefully expanding my processes, combining treatments and layers to create interesting works.

4. Writing on each day's journal page will be optional, but so far I have been writing a bit about each day and ending with our dinner menu.

The page on the left (January 2) includes a background made of the copper foil wrapper from a chocolate bar I got in my Christmas stocking. An old business window envelope was cut down and painted to make a holder for the picture of Michelle at Ground Zero.

The page on the right (January 3) - the paper was one of Airus' many drawings, overprinted with poetry. The round circles were stamped with soup bones.

Again, one of Airus's drawings on the yellow left side page. I saved the fortunes on the tags from two cups of Yogi tea to include on this page.
The background for the page on the right was a page from the 2007 calendar that was headed for the trash.

The lavender page on the left was formerly a piece of junk mail. It has been overpainted, stamped and screen printed.

The green page on the right was the other half of the calendar page shown previously. It was painted, and screen printed.

The background for the orange page was one of Airus' drawings with his marks showing through my paint and stamping. The page on the right is a design made from the lines on the "Postage Paid" postcards from various solicitations.
I like this . . . it is giving me some ideas for a quilt.