It’s complicated by the fact that this is an artblog; as I show my art, I am publicly exposing aspects of myself. It’s impossible to separate any kind of authentic art from the artist. Still, no more hiding. That’s the mantra for today.

I took photos of each stage of this piece. Hope you enjoy the process.

Sketchbook page

Painted substrate

Collaged layers

More collage

Entire collaged background

Transferring the main ideas

Sketch going onto dry background

Taking shape

Painting beginning to bloom

Painting leaves

Detail of muted flower

Detail, lower right corner

Detail, lower left

Detail, right of figure

Detail, flower right of figure

Face up-close

All done.

I heard yesterday that drumming reduces stress. I believe that is true. I think it’s the primitive remembrance of the heartbeat in the womb, but that is speculation. The talking head I was listening to started naming very simple stress-busters and it seemed to me that they could all be labeled sensory experiences. Smell the flowers, beat the drum, move to the music, eat the “brain foods,” and play!

I knew that. I’ve been to Omega Institute in New York, I’ll have you know. Now the only trick is to apply it to my life. Seems simple enough and I’m trying to relearn that lesson again for the thousandth time.

So back to the art which is–no doubt–a healing form of sensory play. When last I left you, I had talked about the collage page of the swirly-faced woman with mappy hair. I got her more to my liking with a lot of touch-up. Worked in more paint, took out some heavy shadows, and eliminated a lot of the color on her face. I didn’t like the purple eye shadow—odd, I know.  I then went over all the lines the Gesso had muted and made them dark again. I just like her with a white face and dark lines, surrounded by color. If you look closely in the lower right, I painted in a word: Traveling. I don’t like it and I’m going to paint over it. The instructor had said to add words, but I remembered that in this course I don’t have to worry about a grade, and a word just isn’t needed or wanted on this piece. So there.

I have worked on other journal pages with this same set of techniques.

Now that I look at this one and try to write a caption, I realize that it incorporates many elements of essential, grounded heavenliness to a little girl born unto the sign of Taurus. The picture in the upper right is Yours Truly at age 2. I am clutching my lovely little handbag under my pudgy little arm. There’s a tree and a sunny flower and jewels and a big ol’ hat and swirls and great clothes and a cottage and earthiness and a garden gate and keys and ROSES…Every Day.

This one began as a Treasure Map a while ago (I’ll talk about those in a future issue) but morphed into what you see here. Clothes on the line. A photo of a chair from a San Antonio trip. Colors I love. It’s partly about putting oneself into a setting and partly about waiting, a moment frozen in time.

Again, this page is very personal even though I have no idea who the woman in the picture is. I love her white linen dress and summer chapeau. The handbag in the lower left is one of my vintage ones and there is fabric and a nice bit of tinted trim on the right. I remain very happy about the “stitches” around the photo. There’s journaling on this one!

I have been thinking more about a journal or sketchbook as a whole entity rather than separate, unrelated pages. In the online art journal course, a different instructor began her four weeks of lessons on March 1. The first tutorial seemed overly simple and yet I keep thinking about it. As often happens in life, the simple concepts are the hardest to incorporate yet most significant. Her ideas seem to be centered around “breaking in” a new journal and making it your own. She suggested making a folder within the journal for bits and pieces you want to use. She also showed how to extend pages so you can create an expansive fold-out spread. The best thing she did was introduce a SIMPLE tool that had a little reservoir so that one could paint water onto drawings done with watercolor pencils or water soluble crayons. Of course I went and found a link—so exciting!!!—it’s an art supply I don’t have!! It’s called a waterbrush. Can’t wait to order one!

Till next time…HUGS!!

~suze.

Beginnings

Laying out some elements

I’m working on this art journal page within the framework of an online workshop. It’s really good for me because not only am I learning a few tips here and there, but it’s also helping to get me into SuzeStudios and actually work. “Work” is the operative–and most workable–word in this paragraph. I even worked in a few underlines to help you.

It’s a *journal page*so I added a bit of free-form writing as the instructor said to do. She also suggested shading with a charcoal pencil to give depth to the piece. So that’s what you can see here. We were also to add color with oil pastels. Oddly enough, I forgot to take a picture of that stage. But the whole piece, which I’ve worked on for a couple of days, is very vividly colorful at this point.

Shading & journaling added

The last instructions for the week included adding a diluted gesso wash to tie the entire piece together. After that, there was the option to touch up with oil pastels once again. I think the gesso layer really dulled my piece, but there are two more weeks’ worth of instructions, so maybe we are going to add paint.

Gesso overpainting & more oil pastels

It’s kinda fun and kinda frustrating to have to wait and see what the instructor is going to come up with next. Until then, I may make some other pages.  I have been sketching a lot too and may convert one of the drawings into a journal page. Now you are up-to-date on the latest project news!

If you are thinking of reblogging these images of my original artwork, please ask permission first. Thanks!

~suze.

GestureDrawings, originally uploaded by suzesque.

The thing is, you’ve gotta stick your neck out–just as many of my figures here do. They stick their necks out because they have long necks and can’t help it. I, too, have a long neck and seem not to be able to refrain from sticking it out on the chopping block of life (where do I get this stuff???)

What I’m saying is that these drawings are not what you’d call GOOD. The thing they have going for them is Personality. More than that, they are ultra quick sketches drawn in ink pen (wonderful Microns) and the ink is indelible. There’s really no erasing like with a nice pencil. I did that on purpose.

I wanted to not be able to erase and to go fast and just see what fell out. It’s funny and a little bit scary to do and that’s why it’s good for me. The sticking my neck out part is the sharing of this in a public way.

It’s a new year’s resolution type of thing for me. If not now…WHEN??????????? huh?

I wrote this entry without erasing, too.

Skinniness…highly prized, originally uploaded by suzesque.

Sketchbook Challenge 1.5.11, originally uploaded by suzesque.

I’m doing the Sketchbook Challenge! I’ve just started, but have already figured out that the “challenge” part is not the structure of the project itself. The women who designed this have made it so very easy to enter and to tailor things to individual tastes, styles, abilities and time constraints. There’s absolutely no pressure as to when or how to sketch, and no limits or requirements as to how many entries to create or display. I would just say it’s all very “ish.”

Which I love, love, love.

The “challenge” however–for me, anyway–is actually doing this thing without too much cringing and second-guessing. I can manage to get to my studio and pick up the pencil or the pen or the brush, but then I am often not satisfied with the output. Guess what! That is exactly why I need this exercise!

Everybody always says that practice is the key to drawing. From experience I know this is true. And I also admit that I’m extremely rusty because I haven’t been practicing. If I am motivated by this project to draw everyday, then I’m bound to improve, right?

It’s one thing to draw and never share my work. It’s quite another to make it public. I consider myself an artist, so here I am, being one for all the world to see. Scary, but ever so necessary!

This whole thing may seem a bit sketchy, but I think there’s some hope that it just might come in handy-ish.

~suze.

Looking back, I recall the first of last year and all that I expected. I had made life-changing plans–big dreams–including the one where we were to sell our house and move into a coveted new home in a gorgeous setting. As it turned out, we could not sell our house, we did not move, and things became increasingly complicated as we floundered our way through to New Year’s Eve, finally bidding a very fond farewell to this year of pain, shock and hard-earned growth.

Today, somewhat ceremoniously, I lifted the old calendar off the hook on the kitchen wall and placed the new one there, opening a new chapter full of unknown events, anticipation and promise.

In Twenty-Ten, I learned a lesson. It is essential to our very life’s breath to always, always make glorious, delicious plans.  We must also know that Life will surely continue to bombard us with difficult circumstances that we must overcome, ignore, incorporate or embrace. Despite all odds, some incredibly wonderful moments will blaze gloriously through to shine fully forever and ever.

Today let’s sign a pact–to make some brilliant moments and string them together in a beautiful necklace stunningly accented with pearls of wisdom, beads of fun and precious jewels of joy!

signed!

~suze.

Jingle Cats Let It Snow Cat Screen Test 006 Hd – Vido1 – Your Best Videos.

Sedaris

An amusing, snowy story from David Sedaris

~suze.

I want to be enchanted and then…STAY enchanted. It’s not about WordPress or the Humpwhipple theme. It’s about What Really Matters Holding Forth and Being There Forever. amen.