LET'S TAKE A RISK AND START AN ART JOURNAL NOW!

"Better to do something imperfectly than to do nothing flawlessly."

Robert Schuller

Grab your books and let's get inspired.......


Supplies you will need before you begin:

journal or altered book
paint, can be any that you like working with, watercolor, watercolor pencils, pens, or inexpensive craft paint
gesso, this is a white, flat paint that dries with a rough finish, makes a great ground for pages. Pastel or white craft paint works as well.
scissors
brushes
pens or pencils
matte medium or glue stick for adhering papers
variety of thin collage papers: these can be from magazines, junk mail, old book pages, painted papers, etc.


















Here are a few recent journal pages as examples.




This is a minimalist page with paint and very little collage, without text










These pages are just some doodles with a fine line micron pen. It's a great to get you warmed up and get your right brain in gear.





A page with collage and paint
Art journaling can help us to express our emotions, or be about something that is troubling us.




This page is strictly collage and I added the word art and the stripes with a marker.


Don't forget to follow me on instagram @lynncorsibland for the #stayathome Journal Challenge, May 1st in my stories.

National Collage Society 2011 Exhibit

PRESS RELEASE FOR 2011 SIGNATURE MEMBERS

Lynn Bland, Gatlinburg, TN, has been granted Signature Membership in the National Collage Society.  This is the highest distinction awarded to collage artists who have been selected by juries for the Annual Juried Exhibit.

The National Collage Society, Inc. (NCS, Inc) is a non-profit art education foundation with headquarters in Hudson, Ohio.  The purpose of this organization is to educate the public about the only new fine art medium of the 20^th Century, collage.  Collage is defined as a work of art with another layer glued on the surface.  It was found in many craft forms until 1912 when George Braque glued a piece of wallpaper on the surface of one of his paintings and created fine art.  He was sharing a studio with Pablo Picasso in southern France and they both pursued this new medium extensively.  Their collages can now be found in museums around the world.

NCS, Inc was founded by Gretchen Bierbaum in 1982, then incorporated in Ohio and obtained the IRS classification 501 C 3.  Membership has spread around the world with web presence www.nationalcollage.com.

Each year a new three-person jury selects the Annual Exhibit from hundreds of entries.  A museum curator, art history professor and professional collage artist provide a balance of opinions to maintain a high standard of collage and assemblage.

Assemblage is 3-dimensional collage.

Literacy Series: Book I

This assemblage is a combination of collage and pen and ink drawing with encaustic. I have used the beeswax to coat the altered book and the background surface. The twigs and mica are adhered with the wax and found objects such as an old key, a small carved wooden cross, stones and an acorn are added for dimension. Check out this link to view the exhibit:
http://www.nationalcollage.com/2011_exhibit/2011.html

Photograph by Jill Greene

My Workspace and things I like to create with!

Welcome!

My reading area

Fun Stuff

Inspiration

Colorful Fabrics

More Fun Stuff

Sewing Corner

And more fun stuff

my easel

Mediums

Some Acrylics

I didn't show my wax area as I've shared it before in this blog and can be viewed in that earlier post. I love my studio and would rather be here as anywhere else. Although my flower gardens are strong competition at this time of year.  

And my books ( just a small sampling) I can't resist an art book or any book for that matter. Right now I am reading,
Dreams of Joy, by Lisa See, a wonderful account of China when Mao took over and it became communist, Ape House, by Sara Gruen, and Art and Fear , by Bayles and Orland (which I re-read often and I recommend this to every artist)

Photographer, Cara Barer

Look at these amazing book sculptures by photographer, Cara Barer. Unfortunately the photos are not very clear and these deserve a closer look. Please go to her website  http://www.carabarer.com/ Select the last category, Sculpture, to see how lovely these are on her site.
After reading her story I learned her inspiration came from a public phone book. These book pages are stiffened and shaped with melted beeswax, so again, another unique way to use encaustic. Without speaking to her I don't know her process, but I can see the use of beeswax in many of her sculptures.  I was so impressed with the soft forms and flowing nature of these book pages.