Friday, January 3, 2014

for many years my routine has been to take my journal to a coffee shop

at the crack of dawn and write or draw.  for christmas a friend gave me two pounds of coffee

sustainably grown and songbird friendly called birds and beans, the good coffee.  the 

Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center seal  certifies that it is shade coffee.  i knew

nothing about this before i received the gift but i discovered that the coffee is 

delicious.  now my whole mornings have changed and i make a cup of coffee and

write at home.   it's actually very cozy and i don't have to change from my pjs.

the eiffel tower is a memento from a themed dinner in paris themed party.

i thought it went well with my coffee cup and french press. 



an earlier journal page






and more citrasolve experiments








in this portrait i took out some of the ink from the page

and added inks and oil pastels, sanded it and added more ink.





this page started off lighter than many of the pages.  i used a acrylic and matt medium 

mixture to paint.  also a little ink for the eyes.  i will continue to explore

with this medium and decide whether it would be a good presentation 

for my group.



view from the manhattan beach pier.  can you believe it's winter?


the hill in the distance is where i live.

welcoming in the new year with 


XO



10 comments:

  1. wonderful photos and art projects-love the look of the citrasolve pieces! Yes, in the weather we've had lately it's best to stay warm and cozy inside-though that beach looks awful welcoming :):) Happy PPF and happy 2014!

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  2. The citrasolve experiments are quite cool looking! Very interesting. I'll have to look into it. Happy new year!

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  3. I like the bluish one..looks great happy new year

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  4. Interesting experiments. I cannot wait to see more! Happy New Year!

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  5. Fabulous citrasolv work Irene, you are so clever!! I also enjoyed seeing where you live, what a beautiful beach, it does look like summer!I must say going out every morning for coffee does sound lovely, but as you say now you can stay in your pjs a little longer. :)

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  6. Have fun writing and drawing at home with your new coffee maker. Are you familiar with Danny Gregory's video of his drawing his breakfast ? It was one thing that inspired me to start drawing regularly.
    I answered your question about pens, paper and paints at my blog "Getting My Feet Wet"
    Happy new year. Your journal pages are great fun!

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  7. Love the photo of the coffee scene! Coffee is m favorite drink, bean only please! When in doubt give coffee, good chocolate or booze I say! Glad you get to enjoy what I have for 40 years! Wonderful artwork! Wishing you small moments of joy all year long!

    Hugs Giggles

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  8. You have some lovely result form your experiments with citrasolv. The coffee scene looks very cosy, what a lovely gift

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  9. Love the journal pages and the citrasolve experiments, particularly the ginger-haired lady with the inky eyes. It has been interesting reading about various people's use of the citrasolve technique, but what I am not clear about before I perhaps try it is whether you neutralise the citrasolve after you have achieved an effect you like, or whether it can continue working on the paper?
    Yours are the loveliest uses of the technique I have seen, with the faces merging so beautifully with the backgrounds.

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  10. Wonderful paintings, dear Irene! I love this mystic touch in your faces. This allows so much interpretations and ideas.
    Hugs from Erika

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