rootless
5×7 blank journal
original mixed media art cover

Rootless is a coptic bound journal containing 72 handbound white pages (144 pages both sides). #70 paper. The cover for this unique journal combines a new interest of mine in working metal. Most of the panel is made up of a metal sheet on which I created prints using real grass reeds found outside in a park. Above the metal piece, I attached one of my photos to the top of the panel and then encased it in a thin layer of beeswax. I really like the juxtaposition of two totally different surfaces next to each other. One, smooth and buttery, and the other cool and rough. The edges of the panel are wrapped with linen bookcloth.

The words on the metal part read:

birthed from the earth yet
without roots:
rootless
no grasp
my past

The cover of this journal is signed by the artist.

To purchase this journal, please visit the Collage Section of amanobooks.com

Towards Wholeness
6×6 inch blank journal

I have been busy adding more blank journals to amanobooks.com. This blank journal, Towards Wholeness is now available for purchase in the collage journals section.

The cover of this journal was created on a canvas panel. The art on the cover is an original mixed media painting signed by the artist. This piece is about a journey towards wholeness. In the fragile beauty of the petals I hope to capture the beautiful impermanence in this world and the loving acceptance of our limitations.

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.

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!

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.

Yes, it is January and most of us are still in a deep freeze. But what better way to warm up then dream about spring? I think that is why the seed catalogues arrive in our mailboxes in the dead of winter- to comfort us with the knowledge that soon the days will get longer, the sun warmer, and life will begin to emerge from the earth.

I am honored to have my journals and art mentioned in an article in the February 2009 issue of a UK magazine called Organic Garden and Home. The article Creating a Gardening Blog was written by Ann Somerset Miles. While her article focuses on how to create a garden blog she also writes about using your paper journal to augment the blog. Some examples include keeping a record of your seeds or diagramming out your garden.

Everyone’s needs for a garden journal is different. But here are a few ideas.

:: Use your journal now to dream up your garden. Create a diagram of your garden, deck, balcony.
Figure out what the conditions are and where. There’s no point in growing sunflowers in a spot
that gets no sun!

:: Put the month’s calendar on a page and plan out the planting, fertilizing, and weeding schedules

:: Glue in graph paper and plot out your future garden with colored pencils

:: Jot down the weeks when things pop up and bloom

:: Take photos with your camera and glue into your journal. A visual garden tour in a book!

:: Glue down pictures of flowers from magazines and catalogues of dream flowers and vegetables
that you may want to have one day

:: If you draw, use your plants as models in your journal. It will be such a personal record of your
garden

:: Glue in an envelope on one of your pages and stick seeds inside. Or place a dried and pressed
flower petal in a glassine envelope and attach that envelope to the page

:: Write down your observations of the plants growing. The wildlife that visits-bugs, butterflies,
hummingbirds. Write about the colors, the fragrances, the life in your garden

:: Write down the recipes used with the vegetables or herbs that you grew

:: And, of course, write down the mistakes and the plants that you don’t want to grow again

Journaling allows us to pause and slow down. Working the earth and gardening is the same way. When we garden we have to pay attention to the seasons because the sun and the clouds dictate our actions. The health of one single leaf is so important. Gardening and journaling requires us to be observers of life and the world. Keeping a garden journal is a nice way of integrating both the external and internal processes.

Experience the Seasons 5×7 inch blank journal
available at amanobooks.com
Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature- the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter. ~Rachel Carson
*********************

Gardeners, like everyone else, live second by second and minute by minute. What we see at one particular moment is then and there before us. But there is a second way of seeing. Seeing with the eye of memory, not the eye of our anatomy, calls up days and seasons past and years gone by. ~ Allen Lacy

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.

Meditation/Prayer Journal: Keep inspirational quotes in this journal and a record of specific prayers or meditations. Think of this journal as a place to seek guidance and answers from your higher power and as a daily record of what God is doing in your life. This can also be a form of a gratitude journal- keeping a list of daily things to be grateful for can really enrich our perspective on the abundance in our lives.

a beaded journal entitled “Milagros”, 2005

inside page of the “Milagros” book

Travel Journal: Writing as you travel will capture as much and even more of the essence of your trip than just photographs. Write during layovers, on a bus, or at the day’s end. Paste or write in your itinerary. Bring along an envelope to collect ticket stubs, pamphlets, programs, brochures, postcards, etc.

Family/Child’s Journal:Keep track of the big events and even more importantly, the little details, of your family’s life. Write down milestones in your child’s development. Have your child write an entry describing a family even in their own words, without any adult input. You may be surprised by what he or she experienced!

Quote Journal: Collect your favorite quotes in a journal dedicated solely for this purpose. Don’t forget to write where you got it from, as you may want to go back to that book again.

Grief and Healing Journal: Use a journal to help you during an illness, a death of a loved one, or even a dissolution of a relationship. So many emotions and issues come to the surface we deal with the mortality of being human. Journaling can help you cope with loss. If you have lost a loved one, a grief and healing journal can be used to maintain “communication” with him or her. On birthdays or anniversaries of his or her death, write to that person and describe how the past year has gone.

Dream Journal: Keep this journal by your bed and write down your dreams as soon as you wake up. Dreams can be very telling of how we feel about current situations. Or sometimes, they are so bizarre that you just have to write them down! For creative types- our dreams are tools to enhance our creativity. Tune into your dreams and find your personal symbols. Let your dreams inspire your paintings, writings, music making, etc.

Garden Journal: A gardening journal can be used to help you plan what you plant and when you plant. You can plot out of the garden which can also help you keep track of what that plant was when it finally comes up! Observe and write about what grows and lives in your garden. Close observation with a journal can really open up the mysteries and wonder of the seasons in relation to the earth and to ourselves.

Remember: You can never journal wrong. Your journal is whatever you want or need it to be.

For the visually inclined:

Themed Visual Journal: Pick a theme to explore visually in one book. By reworking the same theme over and over again, you will delve deeper into meaning, motifs and also technique. Here is a sample of one of my visual journals. This was a collaborative project and took about two years to complete. My personal growth from this project was tremendous.

visual journal with the theme of “journey”, 2005-2007

spread in the journey book

Studio Journal: Working on a series? Need to write an artist statement? Keep a studio journal- jot down discoveries, ideas, inspiration. Keep a list of paint color combos that are working for you. This journal can be a powerful tool and useful resource.

Artist Shayla Perreault Newcomb shared with me recently that she herself keeps several journals.
-a daily gratitude journal that is all writing, mostly lists
-a free form journal, again all writing
-a written art journal that includes “lots of messy writing and planning”
-a visual art journal
You can view more of her work at her web site.

Like I said, there are so many ways to journal, don’t limit yourself to any preconceived ideas. Journaling is there for you to use as you see fit, not the other way around! Most importantly enjoy the time you have set aside for youself to journal. Whether it is a leisurely hour late at night, or three minutes before your bus arrives, it is your time. Honor it.

spiritual life, 6×6 inch blank journal

The square format is unique for a journal, but it just feels right when it’s in your hands. The mixed media artwork on the covers include photo transfers, cheesecloth, oil paint and beeswax. Both covers are signed.