Laurelines

Journal pages, June.

 

I'm coming to the end of volume two of my 2012 journal. I use, as you may remember, a Stillman&Birn Alpha series, 8"x12" hardbound book, because it is stoic, sturdy, hardworking, and loyal. 

This one, this April-June one, has been mostly written, with fewer images appearing.  I've been painting more in the studio, so that energy has gone to finished work, work to be hung, not work on pages in a book.

At the moment, I'm a bit stumped on how to proceed with some color illustrations I'm working on, so I did some warmup exercises in my journal. Early this morning, I picked some flowers from the garden and plunked them in a vase. I opened some ink bottles, picked up a brush, and let it flow! My work problem may not have been solved, but I sure feel better!

 

Earlier in the month, I was just starting to play around with ink and wash as a medium for illustrations. I want looseness, but more focus than the rough sketches here... and I want more color.

Dear Laura, get to work. Signed, Laura.

In the upstairs studio, woman at work

My purpose-built painting studio is small and, me being me, messy. There I fling acrylic (and rarely, oil) paint and am generally pretty scattered.

This photo shows the studio... after I'd cleaned it up for company, i.e., YOU!

There's not room in this downstairs studio to make paintings AND to make more precise work, work on paper, work with ink or watercolor, without endangering their surfaces. So I have another room, an upstairs room ...one advantage of an empty nest...where I can work on illustrations and, in more contemplative moods, paint in my journal.

I'm in the middle of an illustration project that calls for pristine surfaces and rather quiet imagery.

I'm, in short, upstairs. At work.

I'll show you the illustrations when the job is done. 

For now, here is a page from my journal... where I can still channel the chi (see post just below), albeit within the constraints of a journal page. My black and white, quieter work isn't threatened a bit.

 

 

And here are some glimpses of the upstairs studio. I like to start work there very early in the morning.

In less than two weeks, I leave for Tuscany and Umbria, where I will attend the wedding of my dearest, oldest friend's son, and where I will FINALLY get to meet up with fellow artist and blogger Robyn Sinclair, a cyber-buddy of many years' standing and a true kindred spirit. Joy, celebration, food, wine, gorgeous countryside and sketches will ensue!