Bohemian Art Buffet: art journaling

Showing posts with label art journaling. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Progress Leads To…?

We do not sit still in time and space. We are always progressing toward something—this is a paraphrase of one of my favorite quotes from the movie “Phenomenon” with John Travolta. We cannot not make progress. It may SEEM that we are going nowhere fast, but the fact of the matter, the Truth, is that we are in fact, always progressing.

I am thrilled that I am progressing toward the completion of the art studio renovation! Worked almost the entire weekend and came a long way—only a few things left to do before I’ll be able to actually use the space again for myself and for my classes! #artclasses #artjournaling #fusedglassclass #bohemianartcafe #studiorenovation

Upcoming classes:

January 31/Feb 1 = Art Journaling Extravaganza

February 4 – April 22 = Creating the Life You Want Mastermind Group

February 28 – March 1 = Glass Synergy Workshop

The Bohemian Art Cafe—feeding your creative self—where we serve art, not food.

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All photos © SZing, 2015.

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Check Out the Art Lesson Videos Tab

Somethings NEW on the Bohemian Art Buffet. See that tab in the header that says Video Art Lessons?

Click on that link. You'll find our very first YouTube video art lesson.

I've been teaching art for more than 10 years now. So, it was time. I'm learning fast about the video editing process so our next video will be a little cleaner than the first one. Still, we hope you enjoy learning new techniques.

I won't just be focusing on art journaling. Every once in a while I may throw in some other tidbit or tip or other medium or craft.

Plans are to get one video on YouTube (and here) every single week. If I'm having a really good week, there may be more than one video. Please enjoy, share our YouTube and Blog site with your friends and subscribe so you won't miss any of the new shows. Hey, if you like it, please let me know and give me the thumbs up on YouTube.

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Part of Something Bigger Than Yourself

truth page, (c)SZing 2013

King of Hearts page (c)SZing 2013

Brink of Ruin page, (c)SZing 2013

We seem to live in a culture of apathy. Or maybe it's laziness. I'm not sure. We are comfortable and it's easier to sit on the couch and watch TV than it is to commit to a project.

But I've found a set of projects that really stir my creative blood up and get my creative juices going. It started with a participatory public art project through Artify Projects. I was looking for a something where I could explore art journaling and I was also wanting to art where I might get some exposure in an art show since I moved away from the mainstays of my art show locations. As it turns out, the Inspiritus Art Journal Project 2013 did just that. Here are a couple of my collage art pages from that journal.

Glass Windows Page, (c)SZing 2013

Goddess page, (c)SZing 2013

Scribble Hand page, (c) SZing 2013

Body Electric page (c)SZing 2013

The project last year was seen in several cities last year including Atlanta GA and Cincinnati OH. I loved that I created my own individual artwork and it was uniquely my own take on inspirations and things that make me go, Hmmmm. And then I sent it in to the project organizers, Artify Project. They confirmed receipt of the art journal and then they made arrangements for it to be included in their art shows. It was exciting. I loved that my art was included with hundreds of other artists as a whole show and yet there were so many individual parts to the show.

And I loved it so much that I'm participating again this year in Inspiritus Art Journal Project 2014. The art journal kit is about 5" x 7" and includes 40 pages. That isn't a terribly difficult to achieve goal or commitment. I even was able to do much of my journaling on the couch while "watching" TV with my sweetie. The added benefit, as if just the creative aspect AND inclusion in an exhibition were not enough, is that as a result of my participation my art journaling has continued in its evolution. I can't wait to see where my journal this year will take me. And I can't wait to see where my journal will get to go.

So if you've been apathetic, want something that is relatively low stress/low demands to work on and want to be able to be a part of something bigger than yourself, I highly recommend Artify Projects. I found them so valuable that I've even committed Bohemian Art Cafe to be a sponsor of several of the projects to assist with marketing and preparation for the shows. They have other projects open for participation and will unveil additional projects throughout the year. Get off the couch, get signed up and then you can cuddle back up with your artwork.

Thursday, January 30, 2014

An Art Journal Journey

A friend of mine asked me recently, "WHY do you journal?" There are multiple reasons:

1. It is a quick and easy way to do something creative if you don't have time to get more involved in another art project.

2. It is portable. I can take it traveling with minimal supplies and still get in my creative time.

3. It is a way to express myself.

4. If I don't do SOMETHING creative every day, I get cranky and this is an easy fix. (Friends and family appreciate this, believe me!)

5. I can work on my art journals in small pieces. I don't have to do everything on a page at one time and

can work on developing elements a little bit at a time. (If I'm making dinner and waiting on something, I can doodle a border or paint a background page for example.)

6. I can use it to artfully doodle if I am bored or need to relax. Never Underestimate the Power of the Doodle.

7. It's a great creative thing to do when watching TV--my significant other likes me to watch TV with him, but I'm one of those people who has a difficult time just sitting there doing nothing. We both stay happy.

8. When a page or a journal book is complete, it can be a true work of art and a body of work.

9. It helps me to develop skills as an artist. I have developed my own style through art journaling.

10. I can play and try new mediums and techniques without fear of "messing up" something more important.

11. It is a pictorial way of me to connect with certain events or times in my life.

12. It doesn't take forever to read. And I want to look back through them more often. I don't have to capture every moment of every day or even every day.

13. I don't feel guilty if I miss a day or month or even a year of journaling.

14. It tends (for me) to focus on the more positive aspects of life.

15. It is a great activity to do with a women's group--everyone brings their art journal and via chatter and connection we also each work on our own works of art.

16. It is fun. If it isn't fun, why do it?

I have journaled since I was very young--probably right after I learned how to write words. I didn't have much to say then and I can tell you my handwriting was atrocious. My biggest worries were what to play after school with my friend Teresa or whether or not I'd have to do dishes that night. Not earth shattering stuff, but, maybe, from an archaeological or sociological stand point, the stuff of life.

There are four banker's boxes filled with my journals in storage. They have traveled everywhere I have traveled. My journals have logged more miles than some people ever do in a lifetime. I'm slowly going through those journals and shredding the pages. I only keep the pages that have true significance to me. I've given up my grandiose idea that someday those journals spilling my secrets from when I was 12 at camp El Deseo are going to be important to posterity. The pages that I keep, I can incorporate into my current art journals.

In the past 10 years, I've transitioned from the strictly written journal to the more expressive art journal. My first art journal really sort of looked more like what they call a scrap book or a "treasure map." I wasn't very practiced at collage and I really didn't know how to go about creating the visions I had in my head.

I played around with using digital pages and then pasted them into my journal book. I also discovered white gelly roll pens. I still found that most of my art journal pages tended to be heavily laden with text.

So I continued to create art journal pages.

I discovered that making the transition from text to art was more challenging than I had expected. I relied heavily on my digital artwork, which I was able to create via a plethora of photographs I've taken over the years. Still...the journal pages were still feeling encumbered and heavy to me.

I went for a minimalist approach next.

Like any art endeavor, it takes time to develop a "voice" and a "style."

With years of practice, I've gotten to a place where I mostly like my art pages and feel they are expressing from my heart zone without requiring a lot of interpretation or exploration. When I create the pages, I am in that creative zone where time stops and I am just humming along.

Now I teach classes. If you are in Florida anywhere near the Space coast or Orlando, you might want to check out the Art Journal Sampler Class or the Inspirational Art Journaling--the Divine Art of Journaling on the First Saturday of each month from 1 to 3 p.m. or 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. respectively at The Funky Trunk Treasures, 222 Woodland Blvd in Deland, FL during 2014.

In 2014, there are big things ahead for my art journals...one of my art journals, The Art of Words, will be on an art show tour from Brooklyn, NY to Los Angeles, CA throughout the year.

I also am participating in a participatory art journal project where my journals will be included in a digital library and traveling art exhibitions in 2015 through Artify Projects. I've just registered and am gathering ideas for it. This project is called InspiritUS. There is still time to register for this art journal project (through April 30, 2014) if you want your artwork to be included in the digital library and go on tour. I'm hoping to be selected as one of the artists featured in Art Outside the Box ezine as a result.

My last reason for art journaling? It just feels great. Makes me feel like a kid again--in a good way.

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

The Art of Words

I just completed my art journal/sketchbook for The Sketchbook Project and I have to admit--it was difficult to let this very personal work of art go--knowing that I may never actually lay hands on it again as it will become a part of the Brooklyn Art Library's permanent collection of hand crafted artist made artworks.

I titled my book "The Art of Words" to fit with my chosen theme "Say Words Out Loud." I chose words that are inspirational to me. Each page features a different word and are artfully embellished. They are even cinqo-lingual (is that a word?)--in any case, each word is on the page in English, Spanish, French, Italian, and Danish--of course, some words, like "Vision" are the same in several of these languages.

I also included quotes relevant to the word or idea, or in some cases, I journaled briefly about that word or idea.

After spending what I am guess-timating to be some 200 hours or more creating this little 32 page art work, you can imagine how letting it go was a real challenge. It was rewarding as I saw each page develop from a blank sheet, then to a lovely painted background, then receiving their words--Love, Joy, Create, Wealth, Serendipity, Freedom...just to name a few. Each page took on its own originality and I can honestly say it became a labor of love.

My great hope is that "The Art of Words" will leave its viewers feeling enlivened, refreshed and invigorated. Perhaps even inspired. I contemplated, for about 48 hours, not sending it back to be completed with the project--but I know that it will serve the world far more where it is headed than it would on a shelf in my office or studio.

I'm excited that my little book will potentially be seen by hundreds or even thousands of people in its lifetime--maybe even millions since it is being digitized on both Bohemian Art Cafe (where you can see all of the pages) as well as eventually with the Sketchbook Project site. Plus it gets to see the country as it goes on tour from Brooklyn New York and traverses across the continent to end up in Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco before zipping back across country to land in its final home in Brooklyn.

I'm also editing a video with the before and after of the process of creating the book (unfortunately, I got so wrapped up with the creation of the book that I forgot to document and video the actual art process). Eventually I'll post the video here and on Bohemian Art Cafe, and maybe, if I'm very daring, YouTube.

I know my art journal is in good company as there are over 17000+ other participants who made their own art journals. I love the idea of the diversity not only of how each page and book looks, but the diversity of the artists and the lives they lead. It's a very intriguing chain of connection to participate blindly with other artists and creators.

And perhaps, one of these days when I am back in New York City for a visit, I can stop by the art library and say a fond "hello and how are you doing" to my little book.

(c) 2014 SZing, Bohemian Art Cafe

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Who Hasn’t Doodled?

Wow, it wasn’t until I saw that title in the big pink letters that I realized how wrong that sounds. I’ve been asking that question for years in my classes. Have always gotten a few sort of funny faces and a lot of giggles as a result but wasn’t sure why until now.

Let’s face it. Everyone doodles.

My Bomomo artwork, #1, (c) SZing.

As an artist, my job is to figure out how to make my doodles count. Doodling is useful for me in a number of ways:
1. In my art journaling.
2. When I’m stuck on the phone listening to musak or someone droning on and on…
3. As a way to clear my mind when I’m getting organized for a project.
4. To help me think outside of my current color scheme or ideology.
5. To practice drawing.

Bomomo #2, (c)SZing

I’ve been doodling for as long as I can remember. My mom doodled profusely. I’m guessing my grandmother might also have been a doodler. I come from a long line of doodling.
I recently have been looking at online and phone widgets that have artistic applications. I do a lot of abstract painting and glass work so I want a tool that can help simulate my artwork without too many limitations. I also want to be able to save my work so that I can view it, use it, change it.

Here are a couple of my favorite online widgets:

Scriblink—a great tool for collaborations, whether artistic, business or otherwise. The thing I don’t like about it is that there is not a way to save a picture—instead it saves a link. That’s not as useful as I’d like it to be for my artistic purposes. The tools are somewhat limited as well. You can invite parties to the URL and collaborate. Very cool. Lots of limitations though.

Qweeky—this is a pretty sophisticated doodling machine. Actually, it really is more designed for drawing rather than just doodling. Very complex and complicated. I honestly don’t have the time to sit and figure it out when what I really want to do is get hands-on doodling time in.

Swarmsketch—this is really limited because you only get to put one line in and you’re done. On the flip side, since it is creating a collaborative art piece, it’s pretty cool.

Bomomo #3 (c)SZing

and of course, my all time favorite so far is Bomomo. There is a large selection of tools. The tools follow the cursor on the screen. The only things I’d change would be the ability to select the color palette and the chance to change the shapes and sizes of the tools at my whim, not the whim of the widget. Otherwise, I can spend my late-night before sleep hours watching TV and doodling.

Of course, I still love my hands-on, in my art journal doodling the very best but the digital version are gaining ground.

Friday, July 27, 2012

Gifts

Today as I work on various tasks toward the goal of making some income from my creative endeavors, I am reminded how important it is to recognize and be grateful for gifts.

Gifts arrive in all sorts of ways...wrapped with bows and ribbons, specifically to celebrate a holiday, money found along a pathway, something unexpected arriving in the mail....and so many other ways.

I was thinking yesterday evening and again this morning about how many gifts I personally have, own and express. I'm reasonably intelligent, somewhat cute, have a weird but good sense of humor, have an eye for color combinations, very skilled at packing, unpacking and setting up house and studio (hah! lots of practice), creative, at least fair to middling poetry writing, artistic skills, teaching skills....very affectionate, a good pet mommy, a talent for organizing, loads of friends scattered all over the country, and soooo much more. I am very gifted. Very talented. Very fortunate. It's good to remember this. It's good to focus on these good skills. It's good to be grateful for them.

Now I'm not much of a Bible quoting person but to paraphrase, it is important not to waste our talents. I'm working on spending my talents so that they grow and multiply. Gratitude for our gifts and talents is a huge part of that process.

(c)SZing, The Happy Only Journal

I decided I'm going to use one of my newly altered books as a "Happy Only" Journal. Happy thoughts, thanks and gratitude to the Creative Source for all the happy and good things in my life. Polly Anna-ish goodness. It's important. Darkness has a way of taking over and smothering creative resources of all sorts and is always a squandering of talent.

Friday, June 29, 2012

Unpackingness and the Virtual Move

(c) SZing An enhanced photo of my keyboard....

As if I don't have enough going on, I've initiated the transfer of my domain from one service provider to a new one that has easier access to manipulate my website...so, for anyone trying to reach me, all of bohemianartcafe.com emails will be down for anywhere from 7 to 10 days. Hopefully much less. During the months of July and August, my website will be receiving a facelift. I suppose it is what one might call a "virtual move"...like the real thing hasn't been enough for me, eh? Makes me want to sing a ditty revised from Finding Nemo..."just keep unpacking, unpacking unpacking unpacking...." and it begs the question...will it ever end? Well, I have decided that I must always say I am working on unpacking because inevitably the moment I finish unpacking and love the way my studio is set up, the Universe conspires to move me on to the next great adventure...so no, it will never end. I'm going to be unpacking forevermore...and the website is just one more manifestation of that unpackingness (yes, it IS TOO A WORD!)

Pretending these are "Flying Hands" working diligently to unpack my studio while I sleep.

(c) SZing "Flying Hands"

So, one might wonder what an artist does while one's studio is discombobulated (also a WORD, I swear it!)...this artist works on making background pages for journaling, practice doodling (it's astounding that anyone actually thinks they NEED practice at doodling!), cutting out favorite images, articles and words from magazines and sorting them into their appropriate new homes (my inspirations binder, my wisdom binder, and the word bin for collaging, respectively. HAH! Talk about your organizational skills...) Also working on teaching proposals--just got one accepted for weekly classes during the "season" (October through April) and seeking out venues for selling one's work--have a line on at least 4 locations and now need to do the follow up/footwork. And tomorrow, I'm indulging in a wire wrapping jewelry class so that I can make some different looks with my glass cabochons. I've been experimenting with wire wrapping and will soon reveal some new rings I'll have available for sale....and reading art related books "Orbiting the Giant Hairball" by Gorden MacKenzie and The Guerilla Art Kit by Smith. So, no, just because the studio isn't up and functional, does not mean one must starve for artistic outlets. If all else fails, I can work on painting the cats and dog or at the least, gel-ling their fur into interesting configurations.

Have a happy weekend. Find a creative outlet. Be.

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