The Land of Lost Luggage

Umber Dreaming..

journal page 9x12 click to enlarge

I can't get enough brown paint... Raw Umber has been my go-to color for a few weeks now... I need to buy a gallon of it. Pronto.

Happy happy weekend friends... I'll be playing some more with my camera...and hopefully won't be asked to leave anywhere. Well.. I guess a sign that you are having a really great time is if you ARE asked to leave..

Set your alarm clocks! My new class Art Journaling Super Nova will debut tonight at midnight! Tune in tomorrow to see the promotional video, supply  lists and if you're interested, registration will be open. I can't wait!

Vacation

Working on my new "Super Nova" Class Series..

Have a great weekend, friends! I am traveling with my family this week to visit family. See you later!

Engage: Every day. (Plus new workshop details.)

9x12" Journal Page: Click image to digest beautiful texture.

Do you take things as they are or make your own destiny? Do you settle for stuff or really go for it?


I cut about 6" off my hair yesterday.... went for it!

This weekend I am filming for my new Art Journaling Online Workshop: Art Journaling Super Nova! The new workshop will be bigger and better than my "Layer Love" class! You can take the new class in two parts or just one. We'll make three beautiful books during part one and in part two we will journal, journal, journal! Tips, techniques, tricks, inspiration...you name it.. you got it!

I'll post the full details for the classes around August 1, but I wanted to let you know that there will be some Layer Love in the Super Nova class.... I am not "re-teaching" Layer Love during Super Nova, but if you have not taken Layer Love, I recommend it before Super Nova begins! I'm still in that class...supporting all of the students, EVERY day. Come on in and paint with us!

I hope you have a great weekend too!

The theme for this week is....

manipulated journal page 9x12"

Biiig sigh.. will find out about camera soon. The lifeless body of my love will be delivered this afternoon to the Canon facility. Meanwhile, enjoy this poor scan of a page too big to fit on the scanner bed.

I have a big imagination.... and you can take my online workshop now!

9x12 click to enlarge

I sold my camera. I also sold my compact flash card with it. Oops! So as I am waiting for yet another package from the electronics store, check out this journal page.

So the beach is too hot and everything else gets too crowded on the Fourth of July? What do you do? You can take my online mixed media painting workshop! It's open now... I am in there and will answer all of your questions within 24 hours! You can click here for more details. (The course description says self guided because all of the videos are posted...there is no grace period between the videos allowing you time to practice before the next technique is added to the mix. You can do the assignments in any order and ask as many questions as you like...I am still there for all of the students!)

Thanks for stopping by....got any holiday weekend plans? We're staying home, hosting a nice little BBQ.. watching fireworks from the yard. How about you?

Then and now..

journal page

In the moment... in the now. Big fat raindrops are falling here.. but they dry up as soon as they hit the ground. There has not been any painting in over a week.. Days are filled with beautiful weather and friendships.. and that is just fine with me.

 

Photo credit: Marsi Latimer

I had a great time at my 20 year high school reunion last Saturday.. stayed out way too late, but made a lot of "re-connects" and I feel really happy. I almost did not go.. that would have been a mistake. The 20 year was much better than the 10. For me, there was hardly any thinking about "then" at the reunion... it was all "now". Perfect.

On a swivel....all of the Julies...

journal page

This is one of those weekends in which the needle has moved up to "11". 

The updates:

1. Met Jenny Doh, Johanna and the wonderful staff at Stampington Friday morning for various shenanigans... received the deluxe tour....sending big thanks for their hospitality. (And nervously hoping I don't make too many grammatical errors in case Jenny reads this.)
2. Had a delicious lunch with my dear friend Michael at Marche Moderne in South Coast Plaza... you can see my entree via my twitpics... three words: dee lish ous!
3. Met Suzi Blu, Gigi, Pom Pom, Katie and Bernie for conversation that kept me up past midnight! Ahh...to feel young again.. not so much.
4. Swimming lessons: check

Still up: Youngster birthday party, my 20th high school reunion and another visit to Suziland.... when can I get that nap?

Yesterday I was having a conversation with Jenny regarding my multiple personalities: Regular Julie, Festival Julie and Executive Julie. After thinking about it last night, I feel pretty good that I have indentified the personalities. Being able to recognize my behaviors is a good feeling... do you recognize your personalities?

Don't forget...Layer Love is like Denny's... we never close! Click here to join the fun.

What you need to know..

portion of a journal page: digitally enhanced

What I know...what you know... a lot of my blog posts contain the word know.. I don't know why exactly...

What do you know? I know that I can recognize my hour of need.. During recent introspection, I spent time wondering what if all of the reading (magazines, books, interweb) were not acting to my benefit as an artist, but where in fact detrimental... what if all of the ideas were contaminating my true artist ability.. Should I disconnect? Would the art be more pure? Real? Raw?

Who in the hell knows. My friend told me that a good artist will be able to filter out the "contamination".. probably so. But I can't help but wonder how my art would feel if I was not exposed to so much of it.

So I am wondering...do you think that exposure to so much art is impacting art as we know it in a negative or a positive way? I don't mean the way that you are impacted by art...I mean the ART itself..

Curious to know your thoughts..
xo

A Lesson in Layer Love and the Weekend Color Report

I recently challenged my students to come up with a Layer Love project using the shades of pink... I thought that everyone couldn't possible be in love with gloomy, dark, moody.. blue or green paintings like me.. so I wanted to make sure they had options to express themselves... it wasn't until that  moment that I noticed all of the pink around me...and you know? I kind of like it!

9x12" journal page; click photo to enlarge

So happy weekend, friends...take a look around- what color is calling your name these days?

What I know for sure....

9x12" journal page

I am in painting mode... not writing mode. Luckily I had this page from a few weeks ago.. just waiting for the right time to post it.

Do I have writer's block? Probably not or I would not be sitting here in the dark typing out this post. I have "Painters Brain".. that's the clinical diagnosis.. there is a lot of painting going on over here at Prichard Manor.

I don't worry about what is happening with my creativity... how many, "my muse is gone" posts can you stomach? You won't get that here, my friends. It is my belief that everyone is creative... if you're not cranking out paintings every day, you can be working on your garden, or cooking....etc.

A friend of mine just sent me the following note:

Olivia is a very good friend of mine... is she an "art friend"? No.. but look how stinking creative she is! Taking the handwritten thank you note to the highest level... more joy to read this than to buy the present.

Creativity abounds...just recognize it.