In the previous post I wrote about how God has revealed something new and exciting to me. Here is what it is:
I already can't remember how, but earlier this week I learned about the book Inner Hero Creative Art Journal by Quinn McDonald. The book description explains that in this book you will meet your inner heroes (ones which she has named) who will help you combat the voice of the inner critic. I am familiar with the "inner critic" as it is much discussed in many art journal techniques book. I believe it was Julia Cameron who first wrote about the inner critic in her book, The Artist's Way, originally published in 1992. Though the concept wasn't new at that time either. Anyway, I have not read about our "inner hero or heroes" before this. (I'm guessing it isn't a new concept either, but it is new to me.) I have ordered the book, but have not yet received it. I did search online for more information on inner heroes. I found another book called, No Cape Required: A Devotional: 52 Ways to Unleash Your Inner Hero by Kristen Parrish. I have ordered this book as well. In addition, I discovered the website of Ben Fanning. He discusses inner heroes as they are found in the corporate world. His description of their characteristics is right on in regard to my own inner hero.
Loving this idea of having inner heroes, I set about discovering mine. Using a page from Quinn McDonald's book, which is available as a free download, I came up with a list of my inner heroes.
I am also re-reading The Artist's Rule by Christine Valters Paintner. I read this for the first time in the Spring of 2012. This book uses Benedictine Rules for Living and applies them to being an artist. In the first chapter she discusses the "inner monk" and "inner artist". Psychologists often refer to our "inner child". I am naming these three as inner heroes as well as five more.
My Inner Heroes
The Monk
The Artist
The Child
The Mother
The Hopeless Romantic
The Gardener
The Naturalist
The Historian
I will introduce you to them in upcoming posts and show you how I am incorporating them into my Identity Art Journal.
Friday, February 7, 2014
New Things
Now I am revealing new things to you
Things hidden and unknown to you
Created just now, this very moment.
Of these things you have heard nothing until now.
So that you cannot say, Oh yes, I knew this.
Isaiah 48:6-7
God is revealing new thoughts, new ideas, new inspiration to me. It is exciting! my Identity Art Journal is coming together far better than I thought it would. I started it with some concepts and it really is amazing how God is crafting it.
"When we open ourselves to exploring our creativity, we open ourselves to God..." - Julia Cameron
Saturday, February 1, 2014
Books That Have Greatly Influenced Me
My husband and I have read and continue to read books about what it means to live as a Christian in the 21st century. We find it very helpful to learn from others how they view and live out this way of life. It is good to have a broad perspective and not be stuck in any one way. The books that have had the greatest impact on me personally are these. If you are looking for a fresh perspective on what it means to be a Christian, living life to the full, discovering and using your God given talents, feeling at peace and not being satisfied with the "status-quo", then give these books a read.
Rob Bell
Velvet Elvis
Sex God
Love Wins
John Eldredge
Epic
Journey to Desire
Waking the Dead
Captivating
Barbara Brown Taylor
An Altar in the World
Randy Harris
God Talk
Soul Talk
Shane Claiborne
Irresistible Revolution
Gary Thomas
Sacred Pathways
Mark Scandrette
Soul Graffiti
Books on Art and Faith:
The Artist's Rule - Christine Valters Paintner
The Creative Call - Janice Elsheimer
Julia Cameron
The Artist's Way
Walking in This World
Finding Water
If you have read any of these books, I'd love to hear what you thought of them.
Rob Bell
Velvet Elvis
Sex God
Love Wins
John Eldredge
Epic
Journey to Desire
Waking the Dead
Captivating
Barbara Brown Taylor
An Altar in the World
Randy Harris
God Talk
Soul Talk
Shane Claiborne
Irresistible Revolution
Gary Thomas
Sacred Pathways
Mark Scandrette
Soul Graffiti
Books on Art and Faith:
The Artist's Rule - Christine Valters Paintner
The Creative Call - Janice Elsheimer
Julia Cameron
The Artist's Way
Walking in This World
Finding Water
If you have read any of these books, I'd love to hear what you thought of them.
Friday, January 31, 2014
Works in Progress Wall
I have rearranged the seating a little in my studio so that I can see my "works in progress wall" more often. Each piece individually needs something more in order to complete it, but as a large grouping, I find it quite delightful to look at. Especially on this last day of January - when it is still months before there will be color in the garden again.
Addition: Shortly after posting this I got a tweet from Julia Cameron with this quote:
"I have found that sitting in a place where you have never sat before can be inspiring." - Dodie Smith
I would add "or that you haven't sat for a long time..."
Cheers!
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Identity - A New Visual Journal
Many times an idea comes as the result of a collection of thoughts, reading and observing. This is the case with my newest art journal, which I have entitled Identity.
Thinking about what I would like to create next, I've decided that I would like to put me into my artwork. Yet I don't want it to be Frida Kahlo-like. I don't want my work to be portraits of me, just the essence of me. Like my Songbird Silhouette Series - the essence of the birds. Thinking about it further, I would like to represent me as a woman. (Yes, I am a woman, but I mean this in a generic yet inclusive way.) As such it would be a statement about women in the garden. (An artist statement for this will come at a future date. It will tie in with my other blog, Hortus Conclusus, The Enclosed Garden.) I plan to use other women as models in addition to myself. Not having formal training in drawing or painting the human figure, this is going to be a challenge. In addition, I want to configure a layout that will be similar to those of ancient illuminated manuscripts, in combination with the style of Alphonse Mucha's work. I've loved both these looks for many years.
I know I won't come close to anything this gorgeous, but it is my inspiration.
I have also been thinking about me - who I am, who I was, who I am becoming. Almost 53 years of age, I am swiftly approaching menopause and I can understand why they used to call it the "change of life". (I haven't heard that phrase in quite a long time.) Many changes besides the physical go on at this stage in one's life. For men, they call it mid-life crisis. The deciding how to handle the future in light of these changes is what all these thoughts are about. Something perfect to journal about!
So I began a few weeks ago by gathering resources such as images from magazines and catalogs along with ephemera of various sorts. Last month I purchased the Autumn 2013 Art Journaling magazine by Somerset Studio. In it there is an article by Sandra Skies Ludwig entitled, My Journey into Gluebooks. In the article Sandra explains that a glue book is an art journal in which everything is glued down. Pages of collage basically. Well I can do that! This was the perfect idea for what I wanted to do. I wanted to arrange the clippings of women and gardens and arches and wrought iron gates and flowers that I have been saving from various magazine subscriptions over many years, into something that told a story of some kind and which would serve as a "springboard" for my artwork. Also in this issue is an article by Kelly T.M. Kilmer entitled, Finding My Way. She uses cut outs of women from magazines and catalogs as well. This was confirmation to me that this is the project I need to be working on at this time. I read somewhere, maybe in one of these articles, that this journal is the place to use all those snippets of paper I have been saving for "some day". I won't use magazine images in collages that I would sell to avoid any copyright infringement issues. But pasting them into a journal that is for my personal use is perfectly okay.
I began by selecting a book to alter rather than using a blank journal. I chose a book that had some images in it that I wanted to use and that was of a size suitable to this project. I removed several pages to compensate for the expansion that would occur as I added elements. Using just a glue stick to begin, I placed one image of a woman per two page spread. Next I added garden images. After that, blank paper to cover up the original words on the page that would also provide space for me to write. Washi tape is being used as a decorative border on some of the pages. Here are a few pages, still not 100% complete, but getting there.
Thinking about what I would like to create next, I've decided that I would like to put me into my artwork. Yet I don't want it to be Frida Kahlo-like. I don't want my work to be portraits of me, just the essence of me. Like my Songbird Silhouette Series - the essence of the birds. Thinking about it further, I would like to represent me as a woman. (Yes, I am a woman, but I mean this in a generic yet inclusive way.) As such it would be a statement about women in the garden. (An artist statement for this will come at a future date. It will tie in with my other blog, Hortus Conclusus, The Enclosed Garden.) I plan to use other women as models in addition to myself. Not having formal training in drawing or painting the human figure, this is going to be a challenge. In addition, I want to configure a layout that will be similar to those of ancient illuminated manuscripts, in combination with the style of Alphonse Mucha's work. I've loved both these looks for many years.
 |
| Times of Day - Alphonse Mucha |
I have also been thinking about me - who I am, who I was, who I am becoming. Almost 53 years of age, I am swiftly approaching menopause and I can understand why they used to call it the "change of life". (I haven't heard that phrase in quite a long time.) Many changes besides the physical go on at this stage in one's life. For men, they call it mid-life crisis. The deciding how to handle the future in light of these changes is what all these thoughts are about. Something perfect to journal about!
So I began a few weeks ago by gathering resources such as images from magazines and catalogs along with ephemera of various sorts. Last month I purchased the Autumn 2013 Art Journaling magazine by Somerset Studio. In it there is an article by Sandra Skies Ludwig entitled, My Journey into Gluebooks. In the article Sandra explains that a glue book is an art journal in which everything is glued down. Pages of collage basically. Well I can do that! This was the perfect idea for what I wanted to do. I wanted to arrange the clippings of women and gardens and arches and wrought iron gates and flowers that I have been saving from various magazine subscriptions over many years, into something that told a story of some kind and which would serve as a "springboard" for my artwork. Also in this issue is an article by Kelly T.M. Kilmer entitled, Finding My Way. She uses cut outs of women from magazines and catalogs as well. This was confirmation to me that this is the project I need to be working on at this time. I read somewhere, maybe in one of these articles, that this journal is the place to use all those snippets of paper I have been saving for "some day". I won't use magazine images in collages that I would sell to avoid any copyright infringement issues. But pasting them into a journal that is for my personal use is perfectly okay.
I began by selecting a book to alter rather than using a blank journal. I chose a book that had some images in it that I wanted to use and that was of a size suitable to this project. I removed several pages to compensate for the expansion that would occur as I added elements. Using just a glue stick to begin, I placed one image of a woman per two page spread. Next I added garden images. After that, blank paper to cover up the original words on the page that would also provide space for me to write. Washi tape is being used as a decorative border on some of the pages. Here are a few pages, still not 100% complete, but getting there.
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Spring and Summer Dates for Practicing the Art of Being Fully Present: A One Day Retreat
Guided exercises will help expose you to unique thoughts and experiences.
This retreat will provide plenty of quiet time. We will spend time in the gardens, create a small flower arrangement as an act of meditation and work in a visual journal.
Come revive your soul, free your spirit and live the day through your senses.
Location: My home in Stratford, CT.
2014 Dates offered:
Friday, May 30
Friday, June 13
Friday, June 27
Monday, July 7
8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Retreat is limited to 8 participants.
Fee is $60 which includes a generous continental breakfast and healthy lunch.
To register or if you would like further information, please email me at susan@susan-ernst.com
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Vintage Blue Ball Jars - Inspiration
We are about to renovate our kitchen and dining room. Although we are selecting new materials, it is my aim to keep the vintage farmhouse look that I love. Blue Ball jars are my inspiration for the new look. We plan to begin demolition on January 1st. We are hoping to be finished by the end of January. Hopefully there won't be many glitches to delay completion.
Saturday, December 14, 2013
Handmade Birding Journals
I keep a record of the birds that visit my gardens and feeders in a
sketchbook journal. It becomes tedious to record the lists each day as
the species of birds are quite consistent each season and especially day
to day. Thinking it would be convenient to have a checklist, I created
these small journals today.
I plan to make additional journals as the seasons progress and will keep an eye out for a container in which these will fit. Or possibly construct a slipcase for them.
The covers are my own handmade gampi papers.
The
checklist was created in Microsoft Word, printed onto drawing paper,
and sewn with single and double pamphlet style bindings.
I plan to make additional journals as the seasons progress and will keep an eye out for a container in which these will fit. Or possibly construct a slipcase for them.
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