I have just added three more original paintings to the offerings in the amanobooks.com art section. All of the paintings are encaustic. Take a look!

For the Time Being
encaustic and mixed media
11×14 inches

Posted in announcements, art | Read entire post | Comments

The selection of Natural Elements journals is slowly, but surely being built up. These one-of-a-kind journals are inspired by the simple beauty of nature. The sticks and stones have been picked up on my walks and wanderings and I hope these natural elements inspire your own wanderings.

The journals that depict an image were created using handcarved stamps. A new journal has just been added called Dusk which can be seen below.

dusk
handbound journal
available @ amanobooks.com

Posted in announcements, blank journal | Read entire post | Comments

Last week I added several new mixed media journals to amanobooks. Bound together is the most recent addition to the offerings there.

Bound Together, 6×8 inch blank journal

For this cover, I drew upon a previous encaustic painting that I created last year called Patterns Often Overlooked. I encased the image in wax and pulled out my paints to finish off the rest of the canvas. I often like to revisit an old painting that has already left me and continue the dialogue with it again. See where my explorations take us next.

For this piece I was interested in an issue that I am always intrigued by- our connection to nature seen in the cycles of the moon and the seasons. How life begins with one little seed. But it takes so much to call forth that life. Acceptance, nourishment, cooperation, life; and then ultimately, the letting go, the passing, death. We are all connected and bound together.

Posted in announcements, blank journal, mixed media journal | Read entire post | Comments

Signs from the Sky
6×8 inch blank journal

This mixed media journal is now available at amanobooks.com and was inspired by recent events in my life.

Due to these very same recent events, this blog has been on a bit of an unplanned vacation. My apologies for that. I still wan to post journaling tips, but due to the limitations of time and energy, the posts will not be as rigidly scheduled. Thank you for your understanding and I hope to get back into the swing of things soon!

Posted in announcements, blank journal, mixed media journal | Read entire post | Comments

This mixed media and collage journal is now available at the amanobooks.com shop. I’m thinking that a collection of square journals with little birds is in the making….

Hold Fast to Dreams
blank journal, 6×6 inches

Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly…

~Langston Hughs

Posted in announcements, blank journal, mixed media journal | Read entire post | Comments

Back by popular demand, amanobooks wine journals are back. But even better than that, they are now in the Clearance Section of the amanobooks shop.

When the wine journal is open, the right side is dedicated to recording the details of the wine that you would like to remember. Included are:

Type of Wine
Producer
Growing Area
Vintage
Date of Tasting
Sight
Sniff
Sip
Summary

inside right page

On the left side (not shown) is a blank page with enough room to glue down the wine label. Or even a tasting menu or any other information you would like to keep.

Wine Journals measure 7 1/4 x 8 inches and contains 130 pages, enough for 64 wine entries. I have made a limited number of these journals and once these journals are gone, they are gone! So get them now while you can.

Posted in announcements, blank journal | Read entire post | Comments

There are now 6 coil journals to choose from at amanobooks.com in the Clearance section. Illuminate and Quiet Place are the last two journals to be added. These journals were originally $22 and are now listed at $16. They will be offered at this sale price until they are gone.

Posted in announcements, blank journal | Read entire post | Comments

New Coil Journals have been added to the Clearance Section. These journals were created so that you can have a journal with art on the cover, but at a lower price than the original. The art on the covers are reprints of original mixed media art panels. Each journal is coiled up with 40 white blank pages (80 pages front and back).

Travel Coil Journal

These journals will be on clearance until they are gone. Some only have one left! Please check back for two more designs that will be available soon. Originally priced at $22, now available for $16.

Posted in announcements, mixed media journal | Read entire post | Comments

Two new mixed media journals have been added to the amanobooks.com mixed media shelf. Wings of the Wind and Heart of the Land.

The first one is called Wings of the Wind and the mixed media cover is created on a 5×7 canvas panel. The back panel is also collaged with old maps and painted with a coordinating white.

The words fly upon the wings of the wind is written in graphite and comes from Psalm 18:10.

Materials used to create the mixed media cover include: fabric, thread, transparency, a map, graphite, and acrylic paint.

Posted in announcements, mixed media journal | Read entire post | Comments

Please visit my art blog for a chance to win a free copy of Dawn Sokol’s book 1,000 Artist Journal Pages: Personal Pages and Inspirations (1000 Series). This book will provide visual eye candy and inspiration for both the beginner and the seasoned art journaler.

Just go to Contemplating the Moon Blog and leave a comment, making sure to leave a blog address or email address so that I can ge in touch with you if you win. I will be pulling a name on December 26th.

Posted in announcements, visual journaling | Read entire post | Comments