Art Journaling Thoughts

I don't know why art journaling is so appealing to me.  It's not that I can sell my journals, like I sell my paintings.  And I don't paint just to sell.  So maybe that's the attraction--it's the creative outlet, whenever and pretty much wherever.  Sitting in a doctor's office, for example, I can simply take a piece of paper and doodle on it and then use it on a page after I get home. 

My techniques run the gammet.  Sometimes I like to just water down my acrylic paints and brush them onto a raw paper page, leaving a watercolor like wash, then add stickers, die cuts, and painting over that.  Other times, I like to tear papers and use them to collage the page, then apply some acrylic paint with my fingers in random areas, then apply gesso over that, and then perhaps, some stencils or stamps, or both.  After that, I sometimes add pockets and envelopes made out of paper, cards, or fabric.  Sometimes I sew the pockets in, and sometimes they're just glued on. 

Recently, I traveled to Florida and took a small art journal, a postcard size set of watercolors, a set of watercolor pencils, and some gelli roll pens.  The pages of the journal are less layered, and
mostly painted with watercolors, and accented with the pens, but it was a wonderful way to spend down time on a rainy vacation afternoon.

Lately, I've done a few pages by scraping off the leftover paint on my palette, then letting that dry; then I paint a simple portrait over that, allowing the original layer to show through the skin tone.  That's the technique I used on "Girl with Pigtails".

The Creative Person

I read this on The Huffington Post--excerpt from an article by Scott B. Kaufman  and it rings true, for me at least.

Creative people have a great deal of physical energy, but they're also often quiet and at rest. They work long hours, with great concentration, while projecting an aura of freshness and enthusiasm...This does not mean that creative people are hyperactive, always "on." In fact, they rest often and sleep a lot. The important thing is that they control their energy; it's not ruled by the calendar, the dock, an external schedule. When necessary, they can focus it like a laser beam; when not, creative types immediately recharge their batteries. They consider the rhythm of activity followed by idleness or reflection very important for the success of their work.

Creative people tend to be both extroverted and introverted. We're usually one or the other, either preferring to be in the thick of crowds or sitting on the sidelines and observing the passing show. In fact, in psychological research, extroversion and introversion are considered the most stable personality traits that differentiate people from each other and that can be reliability measured. Creative individuals, on the other hand, seem to exhibit both traits simultaneously.

Creative people's openness and sensitivity often exposes them to suffering and pain, yet also to a great deal of enjoyment... Being alone at the forefront of a discipline also leaves you exposed and vulnerable.