It’s been a busy start to the year! I’ve spent most of my time preparing for and giving workshops here at Collage Your World. I finally have a chance to breathe, so I thought I’d share a few notes and biz highlights with you…
 "The Final Frontier", Collage, Daily Ephemera Page, February 2012 Glimpse into the Practical Guide to Journaling Workshop:
This month, I was thrilled to have Ruby and Connie in my Practical Guide to Journaling Workshop. Both new to collaging, they did a marvelous job creating their first journal pages. It was wonderful to see the excitement on the faces of these two long-time friends as they shared their pages with one another. I was delighted to see Connie’s sensibilities as a quilter coming through in her choice of the layout and colour design for her pages – it’s great that we can bring those important facets of who we are to our journaling. Ruby, hoping to come away with some ideas to fuel her desire to create a travel journal, found that daily ephemera collaging is just the form she can use to create one for her next trip! – taking up very little room in her suitcase, I might add! After the workshop, I was pleased to receive a thoughtful message from them letting me know that my class had transformed their perspective in seeing the world through the eyes of collage – these are the moments I treasure as a teacher!
On-line Collage Your World Workshops:
Not long ago Gloria Ware, a subscriber, asked if I’m considering giving on-line workshops. The answer is YES! It may take some time because, at the moment, I’m only a company of one, but I’d like to find the resources to offer on-line workshops in the near future. In fact, I’m thinking of starting with the Vision Board Workshop. I’ve benefited so much from on-line classes and love the sense of flexibility, community and affordability they offer clients. Next month, I’ll be looking into resources like video making to get myself started. I’ll be sure to keep you posted. Please let me know if there are any particular on-line collage workshops you may be interested in having me hold.
 Collage by Wangechi Mutu Celebrating the Art of Wangechi Mutu:
It’s Black history month and I’d like to introduce you to the incredible collage work of Contemporary artist Wangechi Mutu. The work of this Kenyan-born, UK and US-educated artist first caught my eye on the cover of an art magazine. Her human-hybrid collage creations remind me of something out of a sci-fi movie or graphic novel… there’s something other-worldly and ancient yet also techno and futuristic about them. These collage creations were born of Mutu’s desire to re-create images of Black women, who she feels have been stereotypically portrayed by the media as being either overtly sexual or tribal. Her eclectic array of collage materials includes: fragments from porn and fashion magazines, medical and automotive drawings, soil (from her home town), beads, glitter and inks. It always gives me chills to hear Mutu describing her workspace as a kind of operating theatre – it’s so Frankensteinesque! Her stunning collages are a must see! You can hear Mutu speaking about her work and process for her “This You Call Civilization” exhibition.
 A Bit of Raw Journaling on My Booklist:
I’ve been slowly reading: Quinn McDonald’s new book Raw Journaling: Making Meaning, Making Art and am really enjoying her take on what it means to journal. I really love the way she begins with a gentle reminder that a journal is not about perfection… this is something that I feel is often lost when we feel that our own journaling must match the drop-dead gorgeous imagery we see in arts and crafts books and magazines. Regardless of how they look, it’s what we get out of the process of journaling that counts – that’s where the true beauty lies. I’ve always been a fan of the simple journal, never been too interested in the fancy gymnastics of adding all kind of fabulous do-dads, preferring instead to make some magic out of a few images and simple bits of writing from the heart. So far, McDonald’s book is thoughtful, thorough and offers much practical advice. I’m currently reading the chapter on writing and have discovered many new ways to enhance my techniques in this area. I’ve always enjoyed reviewing McDonald’s art business commentaries in Somerset Studio magazine and, true to that spirit, her new book is just as inspiring and helpful.
 Valentine’s Mini Book (Cover), Collage/Mixed Media, 3.5 x 10 inches, February 2011.  Valentine’s Mini Book (Inside), Collage/Mixed Media, 3.5 x 10 inches, February 2011. Text: Panel 2: “here’s a photo of us”; Panel 3: “filling the space”; “between the stars”; “so bright and constant”. Valentine’s Day is approaching and I thought instead of giving the standard “romantic” gifts, why not consider giving a collage mini book! Mini books are great presents for any occasion. Last Valentine’s Day I made an accordion style collage mini book for my husband, Kevin. Being married to this whiny artist for 23 years, he deserves the very best! I wanted to make him a special quirky memento and a mini book from the heart seemed perfect! With regards to making a mini book (even a card), I always think it’s better if you know the person you’re making one for well. Then instead of filling it with goopy, lovey-dovey stuff (after 20+ years of marriage it’s hard to buy into that stuff!), consider themes for your book that revolve around memorable life anecdotes or idiosyncrasies of the person you’d like to give it to; they’ll add a touch of humour and emotional appeal to it. Let me recount some novel features of Kevin’s Valentine mini book to give you a few examples of what I mean…
The cover of Kevin’s book (above) has an elegant romantic feel; it’s covered with pink and cream velvet embossed paper. Since I love contrasts and didn’t want it to look too girly, I included the image of a mischievous-faced boy*. My hubby’s never really grown up and I felt it suited his “inner boy” and also added a sense of playfulness. Inside I added another fun element that addressed a different facet of his personality with an illustration of deep sea diver in old-fashioned diving gear… I knew he would connect with it immediately because he loves sci-fi adventures like Jules Verne’s: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. On a personal level, this image reminded me of his ability to be totally consumed by the virtual game worlds he immerses himself in every day! I love to complain about it, but I’ve come to learn that play and exploration are vital components he needs in his life to balance his high-pressure job. Besides, it gives me more time to work on my art! So I grin and bear it. I loved turning this same image into a cartoon with a word bubble that echoed a fragment of a story his late Uncle Archie told me. Childless, Archie and his wife Kay took great delight in spoiling Kevin as a young boy. One day they surprised him with a brand new wagon and Archie told me “The first thing that kid says to me is… hey, this wagon’s got a squeaky wheel!” Just like my Kev, always looking for something to fix! I found a beautiful long-legged model to stand in for me (ah, the joys of collage!) and added some bits of found poetry to connect the book’s panels. It was fun collaging these imaginings together. As usual, I worked intuitively … searching through images until I found bits of my husband’s life I could visualize in them. The project took me a couple of hours to complete; far less time than going shopping for a gift at the mall! And definitely less expensive. Even better, it was a hit! I was also fortunate enough to receive a hand-made collage card from Kevin himself! – making it a truly special Valentine’s Day.
How to Make an Accordion Style Mini Book:
Mini books are easy and fun to make. All you need is some art paper, collage papers, a few bits of found poetry, pens, a glue stick and some ribbon.
– Cut a thickish but flexible art paper into a long strip that you can fold into three or four equal parts (mine’s 3.5 inches high x 10 inches long). I use 90 lb Stonehenge paper because it doesn’t crack when you fold it into sections with a bone folder.
– Collage the back and front of your book with found papers, images and poetry text; maybe even a quote from a favourite character or personal memory. You could title your book, too.
– OR If you like the continuous feel of a book cover, instead of collaging bits of paper, wrap your book’s cover with a piece of thin hand-made paper or wrapping paper. Start with paper that’s a bit bigger than your book; glue it down and re-fold your panels. Let it dry, then trim the excess ends off with a steel-edged ruler… this’ll give you a cool fuzzy edge. If you’re a neat freak, fold and glue the ends onto the inside of the book… then collage the inside.
– I generally fill in the blank or white areas between images with metallic Sakura Jelly Roll pens to give the story inside a continuous feel. I also like to outline words to make them stand out. Or add decorative elements (dots, squiggles, etc.) here or there.
– You can keep the book closed with the addition of a satin or velvet ribbon tied in bow around it. I added a year of the rabbit charm (Kevin’s Chinese birth year symbol) to a pink satin ribbon to personalize it.
Good luck! I’d love to hear how you do! Any further questions – just drop me a line. Many thanks to Peter Farris Manning for taking these beautiful photos of my mini book!
Note: This is a fragment from photographer Jonathan Hobin’s piece: “The Twins”. See Hobin’s website for more information about his work.
Other Related Links:
A Mini Book for Gillian
As promised, here are some daily ephemera pages I made over the last couple of weeks. I started by creating single pages, then I found I rather enjoyed making two-page spreads. Single pages took me about half an hour to make and double ones about an hour. I have to confess that I started out with a 20-minute time limit of making a page then found it took me at least that much time just to find the right image fragments! I found I didn’t necessarily like the brasher colours of some items or the dull colours of others I collected; I like rich, bright colours and a variety of textures on my pages. Trying to keep the process to no more than an hour, I decided to allot 10-15 minutes to my journal writing time which ended up being okay because once I chose my images, the words just seem to flow and fall into place.
Whenever I begin a page, I don’t necessarily work with a theme unless I know ahead of time that I have images that will work together. Having all the right pieces ahead of time is less stressful, but nothing beats the adrenaline rush of building pages from (seemingly) nothing! Our brain always has raw material for us to work with. Over time, the control freak in me has found it loves leaping into the darkness and just letting things happen. I love that the journaling aspect of my life allows me to work this way. So for the most part I work intuitively (listen to my inner feelings) and pray to God that something happens during the composition process to make things gel together! I read once that our brain is always searching for patterns in things so it can make sense of them. I feel this is true when it comes to the process of collaging. I can always find some narrative link in my pages and often it has to do with the problems or issues that consume my life. I don’t always find links to everything I choose; when this happens I’m reminded, like some of the segments of my life, some of my journal pages will always remain a mystery to me.
I’m finding journaling with ephemera quite addictive now. I take delight in seeing bits and pieces of myself emerging through its fragments and words. I get such a great feeling of satisfaction when I finish a page. I hope these pages prove useful and inspiring to your own daily ephemera collaging. I would love to hear your comments about the process or these pages. (See below)
Other Related Links:
Daily Ephemera Collection List for Journaling
Creating Collage Using Daily Life Ephemera
Collage Tip #7 (Part I): Going Gaga for Magazine Textures!
 “Ghost Boy”, Collage Journal Pages, 5 x 7 inches, February 2012 “Ghost Boy” (Two-page spread)
Fragments: magazine images, fortune cookie saying, cloth label, patterned masking tape, patterned scotch tape, sticky note, dream account of my brother written on old yellowed paper, newspaper, alphabet stickers.
The fragments of this page where inspired by a nightmare I had about my brother the day before and other fragments of his life.
 “First Born”, Collage Journal Pages, 5 x 7 inches, February 2012 “First Born” (Two-page spread)
Fragments: map piece, scrapbook paper, magazine images and text, found poetry, game board piece, staples
I was the first born in my family far away on another continent. It didn’t matter to me if the image was of a boy or a girl… it just made me think of myself as a child…very solemn.
 “Missing You” (Left); "Giving Up" (Right), Collage Journal Pages, 5 x 7 inches, January 2012 “Missing You” (Left)
Fragments: art brochure, handmade card from a friend, magazine graphic, scrapbook paper, paper cutout, piece of a painting
The main elements of this page are composed of a card from an art colleague; a piece of painting from my former journaling teacher (thanks Kelly!) and a graphic image that made me think of my late father. I wrote the words “missing you” in my non-dominant left hand.
“Giving Up” (Right)
Fragments: wrapping paper, handwritten letter, art brochure, postcard, alphabet letters, magazine image images
This page conveys my feelings of being an artist on a bad day… worrying about my financial woes. The red flap of butterfly wrapping paper reveals more text underneath.
 “Lucky” (right); "Ermisoa" (left), Collage Journal Pages, 5 x 7 inches, January 2012 “Lucky” (Right)
Fragments: paint colour samples, postcards, bus transfer, clothing tag, 649 ticket, map, found poetry fragment, alphabet and circle stickers
“Ermisoa” (Left)
Fragments: magazine images, map, envelope package label, hand written price code, window envelope, hand written recipe
Although these pages are separate, when I made them, finances loomed large. I’d just lost the 649 draw again! The next day I had a dream that my grandfather’s land in Goa (India) were given to me! In my dream, I remember my uncle saying their net worth was 9.5 million dollars! I thought, how cool for a dream to be that specific!
 My Daily Ephemera Workshop Poster collage is composed of: map pieces, wrapping paper, magazine images, old hand written letters, bus transfer, political flyer, calendar fragment, scrapbook paper, alphabet stickers, words from poetry book, legend of shopping mall map and Dymo tape writer. Text is inspired by a pop song, Twilight movie soundtrack lyric, Mayan legend and astrological signs. This year, in my Practical Guide to Journaling Workshop I’ll be teaching students how to make a daily ephemera journal page. Simply speaking, I like to think of daily ephemera as the stuff of life… bits and pieces of things that give physical evidence of our daily life, thoughts and routines… through them, we can discover who we are and the context we’re living in.
During my research of daily ephemera journal pages, I never ran across an exhaustive list of materials I could give to students… so I made one of my own! Here it is for those of you who take delight in detailed lists!
– Used Tickets from: bus (bus transfers), airplane, train, ski hill, concert, movie, etc.
– Used Lottery or scratch tickets
– Copies of photos of yourself; photos taken at a photo booth
– Used bus pass photos or other old ID pictures
– Tags from things you buy like clothing; even buttons that have fallen off
– Business cards with cool graphics/images, brochures or flyers from stores or public events you frequent
– Pieces of used maps or architectural layout or plan (ie. city, mall sports arena, house); alternately you could draw your own layouts of places real or imagined (ie. a virtual gaming one or a memory of an old home)
– Set of instructions from furniture you put together (ie. IKEA)
– Old greeting cards or postcards, stamps, envelopes (window envelopes from bills are great, too)
– Wrapping paper, packaging paper, tissue paper with store logos
– Fortunes from fortune cookies, paper mats from restaurants
– Labels, box covers from anything you buy (ie. gum wrappers, candy bar wrappers, your favourite grocery items packaging (ie. cereal, cookie, granola bar boxes, etc.) Note: these can’t be glossy on both sides; must be matte surface on one side so you can glue them
– Logos of paper shopping bags or mall food shops (ie. AE, Tim’s, Starbucks, etc.)
– Any kind of sticker or label
– Shopping Receipts
– Founds papers (ie. someone’s old grocery list)
– Old handwritten recipes or even copies of them would be great
– Clip out your horoscope
– Old calendars
– Images and Words from magazines, brochures, fashion/restaurant flyers or local newspapers
– Drawings, doodles, artwork (yours or someone else’s)
– Yellow sticky notes to yourself or from others (ie, parents, friends, etc.)
– Sentences, images or diagrams cut out of used books
Additional Collecting Criteria: Anything flat is great. If items are stained, torn or wrinkled that’s even better… it gives them more character!
Stay tuned next week when I post some examples of daily ephemera pages I’ve been working on. Above is a poster I made for Sir Wilfred Laurier High School for a daily ephemera journaling workshop I’ll be giving there in a couple of weeks. If you’d like to add to my list, I’d be happy to hear from you!
Other Related Links:
Creating Collage Using Daily Life Ephemera
Collage Tip # 7 (Part 1): Going Gaga for Magazine Textures
 Pages 1/2 of my mini book for Gillian Jansen, 3.5 x 5 inches (approx.), Collage/Mixed Media, January 2011, Text: "Letters from the dead... the lost souls who loved me..."  Pages 2/3 of my mini collage book for Gillian Jansen, 3.5 x 5 inches (approx.), Collage/Mixed Media, January 2011, Text: "follow me through the dark... and hope for..."  Pages 4/5 of my mini collage book for Gillian Jansen, 3.5 x 5 inches (approx.), Collage/Mixed Media, January 2011, text: "return... to the saviour" Last January, I received a small hand-sized collage book from my friend Gillian Jansen, a painter and mixed media artist. It was a beautiful one whose theme centered on an old Irish New Year’s blessing which Gillian had carefully hand-written across its pages in a glittering black Sakura marker. Its soft blue, rose and lavender tones revealed graphic images of trees skillfully embedded between various patterned, textured and lavender scented papers. Running my hands across its surface, I loved the organic feel of it against my finger tips and the smell of its delicately perfumed pages. This wonderful book inspired me to want to create one for Gillian and in no time a book for her was underway despite the fact that I had no two clues about how I would stitch it together!
Living on the south western tip of the UK, nestled between the English Channel and the Celtic Sea, Gillian is blessed to have the seashore as her home. I felt this was something she held dear so I decided my mini-book for her would reference the natural world too… there would be forests, lakes and an endless sky. As I began to find images that carried the geographic and mythological feel I associated with her home, the theme of my book emerged: an other-worldly place far off in the universe where dead souls communed with their earthly counterparts. While I was making it, a little voice in my head informed me that I was in the process of making a book for the dead! These stories evolved from the Celtic and Gaelic tales I’d been introduced to by my fourth grade teacher, Allan James Gillis, who hailed from the east coast of Canada where such stories thrive. The images were equally inspired by the scenes I conjure up in my head when I hear the World/Celtic music of singer Loreena McKennitt. As visual references to a boundless universe, enchanted human/forest creatures and estranged loved ones materialized I crafted my text from randomly selected lines of poetry from the works of Pier Giorgio Di Cicco which I felt captured their spirit. Although I agonized about how I would do this for months, on Gillian’s urging, my book was eventually bound with simple single stitch and tied in a knot. The making of this book inspired three others which I’m very pleased with.
While journaling gives me a chance to connect with my inner feelings about life, making these mini collage books allows me to experiment with other aspects of my experience and imagination. It was so fulfilling to take those folktales and songs I loved and build my own story around them. In other accordion-style mini books, to further challenge myself, I’ve drawn on the personalities or favourite subjects of their recipients. A humourous one I made for my husband as a Valentine’s Day present was based on his incessant virtual gaming; a bold statement he made as a child and something silly my little sister said to him when she was just four. Another, for my friend Diane was based on her love for contemporary dance; it was really fun to try to capture the feel of energy and movement in this one. Yet another book for friend Elaine was prompted by a recipe from an old family friend I wanted to share with her. Soon I’ll be posting a new portfolio page with more of these images for you to see; eventually I’ll be documenting the steps for you to make your own mini book. In time, I’d love to offer collage workshops on these as well.
Other Links of Interest:
Loreena McKennitt’s The Bonny Swans video
Loreena McKennitt’s All Souls Night video
Special thanks to Peter Farris-Manning for the beautiful photos above.
 Grazia Lecci the inspiration for "My Love for Stories" journal page holding her gift from the Ottawa Public Library (Main Branch), November 2010 Do you remember Mrs. Gracia Lecci, the librarian from my elementary school days who inspired “My Love for Stories” journal page? If you don’t, here’s a brief re-cap. While I was exhibiting the piece at the Ottawa Public Library last fall, her colleagues decided to buy it for her as a surprise gift! Since then Grazia and I have kept in touch and agreed to meet one day to catch up on things…
On a chilly December day last month we finally got together and chatted over a warm cup of coffee exchanging stories about our lives just like old friends. We began with our journeys to Canada. I recounted mine of coming here from Pakistan as a child in the 1970’s while Grazia told me hers. A newly wed, she and her husband emigrated from Tuscany via ship to Montreal, Quebec in the early 1950’s shortly after World War II. As she relayed the difficulties Italian immigrants faced finding employment in Montreal then, I could empathize with her plight remembering how long my father pounded the pavement to find a job here in Ottawa. It took her some time to find one, but eventually through a family friend, she serendipitously found her life-long calling at the Ottawa Public Library; even in Italy, Grazia had worked in a library and was elated to find work in her field. After our exchanges, we both almost simultaneously exclaimed we felt like modern-day Canadian pioneers trying to carve out a decent life for ourselves in Canada! As I listened to Grazia’s tales of her life, one after the other, of children, grandchild and beloved work colleagues, I was impressed that not only did this woman have the gift of being able to beautifully convey the stories of others, she also easily and skillfully weaved those of her own experiences with such humour and heart-felt emotion. When I told her of my observation, she blushingly remarked that her children wanted her to record these tales for them… maybe even write a book about her life! I agreed and tried my best to convince her, even in some small way, this was worth doing… for the grandkids at least! She agreed to give this some serious consideration. To give Grazia a taste of how precious relaying personal histories can be, I directed her to an oral history site I frequent… whenever I hear these stories, it revives my passion for journaling… you can check out Story Corps for further inspiration.
You know, so many of us lead such incredible lives and we don’t even realize it! One day when we die, all those precious moments “will be lost in time, like tears in rain.” to quote a memorable character Roy Batty from a favourite sci-fi thriller: “Blade Runner”. Batty, a cyborg, who’d been given a 4-year life span by his maker, an old scientist, spends much of the movie tracking down the man in order to force him into prolonging his life. Long story short, he never realizes his goal… as Batty waits for his impending death in a fabulous scene on the rooftop of an immense building in the pouring rain, he reveals his love for life and recounts a few memorable experiences, both wondrous and minute … watching space ships on fire or seeing glittering c-beams in the night sky…. and even though Batty is one of the villains in the film, tears always well up in my eyes every time I hear that scene from the film because it bears witness to his humanity… deep inside, I know it’s one of the reasons I’m compelled to journal. When I’m old, I want to remember some of those precious moments of my life; I want my youngest sister to have a record of my life and I want to give proof of my existence in time. In the same spirit, in a video discussing how she felt about saving news items about her early musical days in an archive/scrapbook, Annie Lennox (of the Eurhythmics) sums things up beautifully when she describes her journal as a “a big breath” and “the essence of her life” she can share with others. Life is one moment after the next and the next and the next she says; keeping an archive is a way of stopping time as well as collecting it all in one place. I loved Lennox’s reflections on keeping a living record … to open an ordinary book and feel that you have something inside that comes alive in your hands and makes you feel like it’s a living, breathing entity is such a cool thing! For these reasons, I hope Grazia will decide to one day record her life’s adventures… or even at least one really good one – like the interviewees of Story Corps. And you, my dear readers? If you had to record just one moment about your life what would it be?
You May Also be Interested In:
“Pieces of Me II” Exhibition: Sharing Journal Pages & Blessings!
Why Not Keep a Visual Journal?
Video Clip of Roy Batty quote from Blade Runner
 Sarah Bentley, Vision Board, Collage, 16 x 20 inches, April 2011 Would you believe with a little help from her Mom, my friend Maggie Jordan and a psychic, that Sarah Bentley found her way to my workshop?! Well, it’s true… read on for the intriguing way her vision board story unfolds…
 Sarah Bentley working on her Vision Board, April 2011 1. Sarah, what’s your background?
I am a recent college grad, I studied Public Relations at Humber College in Toronto. I moved back home about a year ago and have been trying to kick start my career since. I am trying to find the balance between having a job I love and am passionate about, while also ensuring I still have time to live and enjoy all that life has to bring.
2. Please tell us the intriguing story that led you to my vision board workshop…
I visited a psychic about 6 months ago and she informed me that I hold special energy. She said that the entities listen to my energy so I had to be careful how I channelled it. She told me vision boards were a great way of doing this and within a week of finding this out my mom told me her friend Maggie was organizing a vision board work shop!
3. Did you have a particular vision/dream in mind before the workshop? If so, what was it?
I have to say I didn’t have a particular vision in mind before the workshop. I knew I wanted to do something that was simplistic and would aim to relieve stress but that was all. During the meditation is when my vision started coming together.
4. How did you feel about the visioning process (ie. closing your eyes, meditating on your vision)… was it useful?
The meditation part was probably the most surprising to me because I didn’t think I would get so much out of it. You told us to go to your place where you feel the most relaxed. I envisioned myself in a bedroom (it wasn’t actually my own, but one I had imagined) with big windows and delicate decor. It was raining and I was snuggled up in bed. This setting influenced what I chose for my collage.
5. How did you find the process of collaging your vision board? Was visually setting down your ideas helpful to you or revealing?
There really wasn’t much of a process to my collaging. I just went through magazines of all sorts and ripped out anything that caught my eye, even if it was just a component of a picture or page. I ripped out more than I needed so I could have a lot to choose from when I started putting everything together. It was almost all done subconsciously.
6. You have some cool surreal imagery on your board… how do you decide to select such imagery? I just love the baby goat jumping over the bed… how did you arrive at that?
The goal of my vision board was to bring out feelings of contentment, relaxation, and a bright future. I knew that in order to achieve this you need to remember to always have fun with life and not take everything too seriously. That’s how some surreal imagery found its way into my vision board. The baby goat jumping over the bed is a playful reminder and the kitten sleeping signifies an appreciation for all the little things in life.
7. You and your Mom attended the workshop together… what was it like to know a part of each other’s visions/dreams? My husband and I did our vision boards around the same time; I was surprised to discover his vision theme was travelling to a specific kind of space… what about you two?
I think my mom and I both had an idea of what the focus of our vision boards would be but it was neat to see how they came together.
8. Where is your vision board now? Is it working for you?
My vision board is right next to my bed by my window. It’s great because I can look at it at the beginning and end of my day. In keeping with my theme it helps promote relaxation by being near my bed! Since having my vision board up I feel like I am relieved of a lot of anxiety. The first day I posted my vision board on my wall I had the best sleep of my life. There was an enormous thunderstorm and I slept right through. Everyone was talking about it the next day and I had no idea what they were talking about. It was very strange and I like to think it was the work of my vision board!
I loved learning of the serendipitous way Sarah discovered my class! It seemed so magical. I could certainly relate to her goal of wanting to create a board as a stress reliever.
Now, some people meticulously plan out their boards and even come to class with almost every detail worked out; this level of dedication never fails to impress me, but I must say, I equally admired Sarah’s free-fall method of working by collecting images that caught her eye and spirit at the moment and seeing how they all came together… and then, instinctively teasing our her vision as she saw fit. As my eye wanders across her visually stunning and poetic board, I feel like I’m being given a momentary glimpse into her soul… there, I love the way things fall, fly, float and reflect soft light upon its surface… I like the sense of comfort images like the kitten, cozy bed and warm sweater evoke… the rippling pond, sprigs of flowers and things taking root suggest feelings of renewal and a certain newness (a fresh start). Sarah’s colour palette of soft blues, creams and whites are so calm and uplifting. She poured so much positivity into her board, it’s not surprising that its soothing power protected her from the lightening storm and became just what she imagined it to be – a source of comfort… or maybe it’s just that once Sarah manifested what she needed into some type of physical form, that this strengthened her body, mind and spirit.
There’s so much to draw from your vision board, Sarah. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and visions with us. I think your bedroom is the ideal spot for it! I don’t know how many restless nights I’ve spent or mornings I’ve woken up and longed for something to infuse my spirit with a sense of peace of mind for the new day. It’s my fondest wish that your personal and career paths bloom and unfurl in the same way your marvellous vision board has! Please keep me posted…
Vision Board Quick Tip:
Often we rely on vision boards to help us attain concrete stuff in the real world (ie. a new home, a car, a job, etc.), Sarah’s one reveals that we can even conjure up intangible things such as the feelings we’d like to suffuse and strengthen our spirits with! For further inspiration on materializing feelings through a vision board you may also be interested in: Charlotte’s Quest for Stillness.
 "Imagine", Mixed Media/Collage Journal Page, June 19, 2011 Recently, many of you have received my holiday card, “Imagine”. So, I thought it might be nice to give you a little background on the piece.
As an artist, the question: “what if” propels my imagination when I’m collaging or making just about any form of art. When I’m getting ready to make a piece, I like to think that anything is possible, that nothing is beyond my grasp to express how I feel about my subject matter… worlds, people, places and things centuries apart all collide and come together to rest on my page as fragments. I work diligently to transform them into a seemingly seamless whole. When I can create a whole new world that’s both familiar and unsettling, for me, this is one of my greatest joys of life – that for just a little while, I can construct a world of my own choosing. I exist on this journal page as the young woman, swirling around like a whirling dervish, in pure ecstasy imagining her next visual conquest or, slightly above, as the bold Victorian lady peering out of a viewing apparatus at some beguiling subject matter. Sometimes I think, if we could all learn to approach life with this kind of “what if” mentality, that perhaps we would be able to face our future with far less fear and a bit more excitement.
Making “Imagine” was my way of celebrating my goal of finally being able to show in a City gallery this year. As I sat down at the end of December to reflect upon my accomplishments for the year, I was quite proud of myself. I’d faced many demons and challenges in 2011 and still managed to pull through despite them. Many of these challenges couldn’t have been as easily overcome without your support of Collage Your World… so thanks to all of you for helping me make my dreams real this year! I hope you too will take the time to review 2011 and take pride in your accomplishments for the year no matter how small… in my experience, one single change in a life style can lead to so many more! And, please don’t be disheartened if you’ve found you still haven’t met the goals and dreams you longed for – you have yet another year to continue to strive for them and slowly make them real. My dream of holding a solo exhibition in the Atrium Gallery took 15 years to realize (!)… and it only began to take shape once I took the time to slow down; imagine something I really wanted and took note of the steps (in writing!) I needed to undertake to make this dream a reality. So try to take time this month for dreaming, planning and writing down some goals and strategies for reaching your dream (even next month or later is okay – it’s never too late to transform some aspect of your life). I wish you the best in making 2012 a year to make your dreams real! As you do, know I’m always happy to commiserate with your trials or share in your triumphs along the way as you have with mine.
Tips For Realizing Your Art-Related Goals:
At this time of the year, I always love to recommend these authors which have now become my staples of knowledge related to the business of art… If you’re seriously interested in making your art career a business, take the time to review the blogs and websites of Ariane Goodwin, Jennifer Lee or Alyson Stanfield; these art coaching sources are a font of information for allowing you to think about what kinds of goals and strategies you need to consider through their books, DVDs, on-line classes/seminars/teleseminars and one-on-one coaching sessions. It’s thanks to them that Collage Your World is now a reality for me.
Alternately, if you’re having challenges just making time for art in your life and know it’s something you’d really love to incorporate into your plans for well being this year, Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way is a highly acclaimed book which relays many great tips for incorporating creativity into your everyday life. For those of you who’ve already read this one, Cameron has two other inspirational texts: “Artists Way Workbook” and “Artists Way Morning Pages Journal” which may also spark your interest.
Image References for “Imagine”:
Woman Imagining: Painting fragment by Brooke Shaden, Blue Canvas, #6, 2010. See more on Shaden’s work at Blue Canvas magazine and Brooke Shaden’s website.
Other Background Images and Victorian Woman: World of Interiors and various art magazines.
 Christmas Me, (1960's) The other day I went through my photo album and found this one of me which was taken in Pakistan. I must be two or three here… a very chubby, cheruby little girl, even then, with a taste for drama… for some unknown reason I rarely smiled for the camera as a kid… ah, if only I could hire me a time machine to find out why…
Happy holidays my dear blog readers. Today my gift to you – is a little break! Thanks for your patience all year round in keeping up with my chatty write-ups and for sending your thoughtful comments. Today, I’m heading out to my sister Lorraine’s to celebrate Christmas as well as my youngest sister, Tess’s birthday… it should be fun. Hope you find yourself enjoying the day!
 Left to right: Gala Girls: Michelle Casey, Wendy Southin, Sheila Cain-Sample, Maggie Jordan, Olive Jones and Maya Hum.
The following are some images from my “Opening Gala” which took place on November 8, 2011 in the Atrium Gallery at Ben Franklin Place (Ottawa, Ontario). A big thanks to my friend and photographer Carmin Davidson for making a special trip down to Ottawa from Toronto to take these shots. She did an amazing job! I’ll be posting many more photos in my Facebook album this month.
 Various views of the Atrium Gallery…
 Left: My youngest sister Teresa and my best friend Jean; Right: My sister Lorraine and her daughter Julia.
 Left: Penelope Kokkinos, Gallery Coordinator and I; Right: My best friend from high school, Tammy and her son Sam came out to support me… Sam wrote a wonderful comment in my guest book…
 Left: Olive looking lovely in red; Right: Maya, Gallery Assistant and a talented artist herself, was a great help.
 Left/Right: Margos, my hairdresser, and his mom Peggy (of Toronto) surprised me with a visit. Margos translated all the words on my journal pages for his mom from English into Armenian so she could understand them. Her favourite piece was “A Memory of A Photo of My Parents” – of that page she whispered: “so true, so true..."
 Left: Our friend Bob. Right: An artist/friend painter, Hamid Ayoub has been so supportive of my work.
 Left: Olive, artist/friend painter David Kearn, and I chatting it up. Right: I had an animated discussion with my sister's Lorraine's friend/artist Urbano and his wife.
 Left/Right: Among the visitors were a number of my hubby’s work associates: Bruce, Susan, Marta, Kathy and her husband Eric – they had such enthusiastic comments and thoughts to share about my work. Kevin’s here in the very far right-hand corner.
 Left/Right: Friends Diane and artist Michael from my old neighbourhood on Gilmour Street dropped by; I hadn’t seen them in ages! It was great to catch up about life and their kids who are all grown up! They shared such insightful reflections about my work. It was also great to exchange thoughts with Doris, a local artist, who also loves miniature art work.
 Left/Right: More opening visitors… That's Leslie, a former Vision Board student, and her partner peeking out from behind the divider.
 Left/Right: More visitors... in all nearly 100 people attended the Opening!
 Left/Right: At the opening I sold fine art cards which were a great hit and also displayed work related to my workshops which attracted many new students. Wendy and her son Christian did a fabulous job of helping me arrange the display case.
|
|
