#STAYING HOME

What a crazy time we are living in today! I felt this would be a great time to connect with all of you, since we are spending time at home, with no idea when we will be able to see the light up ahead.

As an artist I am enjoying spending more time making art. Art can be a solitary practice, so I am pretty good at social distancing. I do miss time with friends, and family. It is important for all of us
to be serious and stay away from others for the common good.

I enjoy working in my sketchbook or journal every day, and have been doing this for the last 16 years.  I never kept a diary or journal growing up but loved to make art. So when introduced to Art journaling I had found a perfect match. The beauty of this is anything goes because it it for just you!
If you feel the need to write a few words, thats great, if not, paint, draw, scribble, anything that motivates you. After keeping an art journal for a while it becomes habit, and looking at completed ones you have done will show your progress in art and life.

I would like to motivate you to start one in the coming weeks. I will be posting photos and prompts to help you get inspired. I will be sharing lots of journal pages on my instagram feed and hope you will follow along with me. @lynncorsibland.

First step is to find a physical journal. They are available in all sizes. There are many out there to purchase online and delivery is right to your door. Altered books, old day planners, and handmade books make great ones. The only prerequisite is sturdy pages that can take mixed media. Thin sketchbook paper does not hold up. I prefer a spray bound book but it is up to you.




Here are some ideas using old books and calendars to alter. I always check thrift stores for children's
books, especially board books because the pages are nice and thick.





Coffee table books also make good  altered journals. I haven't done the cover yet. this next photo shows a gessoed page ready to work on.



This one is an old do it yourself book from Goodwill. I liked the size, the pages were a little thin so I glued two of them together to use.




Below is a journal made from cereal box cardboard bound with a simple coptic stitch.

Don't forget to follow me on instagram. @lynncorsibland for my journal challenge and journal pages.

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

Back to the Sketchbook!

I have been busy working on my book, and it's a good thing as the deadline is fast approaching. January seemed like such a long way off but with the holidays in between it isn't. Because the pages in this book are not as paint friendly as the ones in my regular journals, it has taken me time to adjust my style of art journaling. I now glue or sew heavier paper or cardstock to the page and then begin.

My Little Corner

A glimpse into what's been happening on the inside:

more pages......

and more pages.....

Close detail of colored pencil drawing