Under a canopy of green, a new visual journal takes shape.
It is a coincidence that my last 3 books have been bound between the covers of old art books. From the book shelves I select a book based on the shape. This one had worn gray book board underneath its crumbling cover. Masters of Modern Art, 1954. Perfect.
Bookcloth tape is wrapped around the spine, then a generous layer of silver duck tape over that. I prefer an unadorned book to house my collages. Plain, utilitarian.
Of course that can all change on a whim.
I like that these pages once lived inside my future visual journal. Aren't they fabulous? Perfect paper for folding and cutting projects for young artists. I have a slew of ideas. Off it goes to the classroom.
I predict this page will be discovered quickly. Someone will insist on making masks. I will probably go along with the idea.
Up next: I fold, cut, and assemble signatures to sew into the covers. I cannot say when that will happen. Someone is moving in slow motion.
so much inspiration here. i love the mask idea… and the note on helping your doter… too too cute. (I was not raised in a generation that used phonics; but my girls were and it made me a bit nervous to visit the class and find that they used phonics in the classroom. It was an amazing process to watch them move from phonics to correct spelling. Phonics appears to work; my oldest girl is now a teacher)
oh oh oh
slow mo me for sure
I want this
and another nap at the beach
dreaming stardust behind
closed I’s
xox – eb.
Hi Mary Ann – Hooray for sloooowww moootiion….with all those little monkeys, you need the slow lane just to catch your breath! Love the way the new journal is coming together. I’ve had such a fun and busy summer, it’s fun to have a minute to sit down and blog browse all my faves. I’m gonna keep scrolling yours! Best – Fran
Tabula rasa[L.], a smoothed tablet; hence, figuratively,
the mind in its earliest state, before receiving
impressions from without.
Sounds right to me….your post moved me to grab the above definition from Google.
Nothing like those clean pages to allow us to take a moment…wait…and observe where our internal tracking system needs to take us.
Great photos too….per usual!
How can you continue to fire our imaginations like this?
It’s like Fahrenheit 451 around here.
Hey Slo-Mo-MA, I’d love to see how you put the signatures in if you get a burst of energy and feel like being all demo-y. You could still do it in slo-mo-tho. 🙂
I just finished my mask and I am going to wear it all day today at work. I predict it will be a smash hit and soon everyone will be wearing masks to work. Will report back on if I am more or less effective at work with mask on.
Great for a new journal. I agree with the slow motion, I too am in the same place. Maybe it’s all this heat.
It is time for me to give birth too but there is just something about letting go. Yes, just like holding on to the last of summer I hang on to my old journal with both hands because then I don’t have to reach out to my new one. Private pages and the inbetweens is all I have for now.
wish I were one of your students!
Very useful tip for masks that I discovered by accident and have never seen in a book: Paste a layer of small fabric scraps inside the mask just like layering papier-maché – makes the mask very strong, hides any stitches from stuff you have sewn on the front, and is much nicer against the face than scratchy paper. And gets rid of a few scraps in an arty way!
Slow motion here too…I’m trying to hold onto the last of summer, I think. Thanks you for sharing the beginning of your journal. I love the idea that those pages are going into a classroom and that you’re open to mask making on a whim. Lucky kids.
Slow motion is a good complement (yes, that spelling) to the pace of your day job.
Did you once state that you used 140 # watercolor color paper for yr signatures? Maybe I dreamed that. How are you attaching them to the cover?
Oh yes – masks will definitely arise from that image.
m.a.~thank you for sharing the beginning of your visual journal process. one day i hope to begin one myself. i have the books…now just how to start is a slow process for me…any suggestions? just too many pieces of wire, crystals, gemstones, hammers, beads and metal to distract me ~
Wonderful! I love to see how people make their journals. The thought process that goes into the making. It’s fascinating.
A defining moment you have brought us into…the birth of a journal. Hush now. Be still and steep in the magic. Slow motion, meant to be savored. A moment filled with promise and precognition.