structured and unstructured...

a walk through a regular day.

the first thing i do in the morning is walk into

my studio.  i see the sun rise each day from there.

after a little creating, i walk along the coast or take a yoga class.

on this day there was a sea lion beached.  i am afraid he might 

have been ill to stay so close to people

this week after submitting art to several art venues,

 i have been mark making, journaling and 

generally playing.

these are two finished altered books. 

today i am going to sketch with a sketch club at a local museum and then to

the hammer museum again for a birthday lunch and to revisit the

dubuffet exhibit that i talked about here.  in the past weeks i have visited

several exciting exhibits.  i will be posting pictures

during the week.  check back  or subscribe to the blog

if you're interested.

i am asked regularly if i do art everyday?  

yes, i do.  i have come to realize that i am 

pretty disciplined.  after spending much of my life

rebelling against a structured family, i went in the opposite

direction.  i have come full circle.  to may surprise, i find much comfort in 

structure and have found a way not to make it the 

straightjacket type with no wiggle room.  twyla thrarp's book

the creative habit with helpful in finding my way.

how about you?  structured? unstructured?  disciplined? undisciplined?

current working journals

a lovely spring weekend to all and 

happy paint party friday

                                 

teabag

it is the time of year when regular schedules

are thrown off by a flurry of activity 

around the holidays, family, and deadlines.  

there are those thanksgiving dishes

that seems to last for days.

and bittersweet trips to the airport where embraces 

hello and goodbyes take place

and finding the perfect stool for the studio.

at last!

but a little art has been squeezed in

if this looks like a mish mash 

you're right!  these are a number of 'starts.'

i use pieces of watercolor paper for my palate

or a blotters when I paint.  I save them and

randomly cut them up.  eventually,

they may show up in a piece or as mail art.

do you have favorite ways to start 

your art pieces?  

posting with paint party friday

hosted by the lovelies, kristen and eva

a peek at my studio desk top today.

i showed the onion skins and avocado puts i boiled last week.

the initial dye was a light tint.  i boiled the solution down 

to get a concentrate.  i had newsprint with texture paste

that i made in misty mawn's workshop.  i cut it into

5 x5 pieces, painted them with the dyes, then collaged 

shapes cut from tea bags and  the words to one of my 

favorite poems,  wild geese by mary oliver.  i will continue

to add a bit more but i do like it at this point.  

happy friday!  i have to sets of friends visiting from mexico

and pittsburg and am so looking forward to catching up

and lots of hugs!

happy paint party friday!

i am normally a grab it as i go kind of artist.

i don't plant ahead.  i have all of possibilities 

in front of me and choose after the current color is 

down on the canvas.  i like the openhandedness of this

approach.   the other day i actually planned ahead.  i pre decided

on my color palate, set up all the paints that i thought i might use

along with the brushes.  it was, to my surprise quite enjoyable

to think about the painting and anticipate the colors together.

now i have two approaches.  have you noticed a particular way

that you approach your art?  are you intuitive, spontaneous, planned,

organized, methodical, quick, thoughtful?

i found this mixed media piece while putting my studio back

together after a plumbing leak.  it is collage and painted

in a wonderful  found book from the library sale.  the pages are

nice and  thick.




this week i am excited to announce that i have this sketch

in the new cloth paper scissors coloring book sketchbook

before a trip i always sketch the clothes i take.

i am a visual person and this makes it easier for me to

eliminate the excess and take a minimum in my carry on bag.

one of the editor of cloth paper scissors happen to spy

a tiny sketch on my blog and contacted  me for their book.

i am over the moon about it!

it's friday and i am posting along with other creatives 
at paint party friday.  if you get a moment during 
this busy time of year, grab a cup of tea and 
see what others have created this week.
thanks to kristen and eva for hosting.

as the year comes to an end, i am wrapping up a few 

projects and will be taking time off  to spend  with my family 

and friends.  thank you for visiting  this year.  whether you have 

left a comment or not, i know you are busy and i appreciate 

that you have taken the time.   this week i have found a new (to me) 

obsession....instagram where i have begun to post some

photographs and paintings.  you can visits me there

as well at irenerafael.  

happy holidays to all!

today i am sending all who participate throughout the year with 

kristin and ava at paint party friday many thanks.  you feed the creative fire 

and bring inspiration each week.  i will see you in the new year.

X O X O

irene

 task of the day

a three step process

go to studio

move the monkey mind to another locale

start 

let me show you what is on my desk today.

there are treasures hiding in corners

   

wrapped within the tissue paper is terry garrett's journal for a round robin.

mail art from jacki long

and from john arbuckle

collage from katie kendrik and a metal stencil

envelope with pizzaz from jacki long

and copies of my journal pages for collage.

i will need to clear some space so i can get to work.

i know that doesn't happen to you :)

today i am linking for the first time with 

what's on your work desk wednesday, (woyww)

have i told you before that i love my studio? 

today, a peek into where i spend so much time.

this is what i see first thing in the morning.  and i do mean first thing.  

there was a little light when i took these photos today.   it is cozy 

to be surrounded by all of my  favorite things.

this is about as clear as my table top ever is. sometimes i think  that having it totally clear 

will allow me to to larger pieces on my table but  i work around that for now. 

there are two drawers on the table.

looking into my left drawer 

and the right drawer.  my supplies are arranged to compliment 

my layered work flow.   it took me a while to get to this.

 i had this table made when i did a lot of knits to be used for a steaming table.  

it is standing height. that's another thing i might change in the future... lowering the table.

the little closets

on my easel right now

my little cart.  it is so handy right next to the table.

i always love see artist brushes splayed from their container.

these are the drawers to the left of the table.

you can't see them in the photo.

watercolors, gouache, stamps, hand painted papers and images for collage

oil pastels, more collage papers.  And one more drawer that i throw all papers

in for potential future use.  As a mixed media artist, everything has potential.

i took these pics today because i spent a few days organizing.  

it won't  stay like this for long.  i like the unfolding that happens both in discovering 

what is being created and bringing out the supplies that help a painting come into being.    

then when the piece is completed, putting thing back feels like the completion of the process.  

day 13

29 faces

after the weekend workshop and another day

of journaling here with friends, my once

organized studio is in lovely piles.

not a surface to be seen.

i cleared enough space for my little japanese journal, 

my lovely fw acrylic inks, a few pens.  i sketched a face with my 

non dominant hand, and used the pens with a loose  sketchy hold.  

i have not used dip pens very much but i do like the splotches of ink 

that blob out at unexpected times.  kinda like those things

you blurt out (and wish you could take backat times).  

 but you make the best of it.

after all, it's all a part of you and the process of life.

and once it's out, it's out.

i liked the blobs so much that i did some intentional drips.

so here is my face of the day, a bird on it's nest and a few stars

for a long time i journaled in a coffee shop each morning.  i created an art travel kit

for supplies. after enough people have told me that they have adopted some of my ideas,

i thought i'd show you here what i take with me.

i carry everything in this eagle creek quarter cube.  it has two zippers 

which i find convenient.  i've had it for years.  it's soft, washable and durable.

btw, i also pack my clothes in eagle creek half cubes.   i am a bit of a packing 'expert' 

and often help friends to pack for trips.  i know, tmi

you get a sense of the size.

all this fit inside.  amazing.

list of contents

pink container is a qtip container from bed bath and beyond.  it has a
cardboard tray.  i put 1/2 pieces of caran d'ache in it.

tombow roller tape

mini tape

child's scissors

rubberband

plastic bag for trash

washi tape

credit card, sequence waste, coffee sleeve for texture

empty creamer for water

pencil sharpener

disposable gloves

cork backed 6" metal ruler

blender stick--can't remember the proper name 

pencils and charcoal pencils 

black china marker

few sharpies with various tips

pit pens (not shown)

stick eraser and kneaded eraser (not shown)

water brush

stabilo marks all pencil

black pentel color brush

tim holtz mighty mister

a note on the caran d'ache neo color IIs.  i use them as crayons,

to make a watercolor affect by dipping them in water and coloring

or paint with a brush.  there is so much pigment in one stick

that i bought a large set with my friend lorraine and then broke the sticks in half

for each of us.  i can carry around a lot of color in a little pack.  now people

who are pristine with their supplies cringe at the thought but i love the

used feel and look of supplies.

i hope this is helpful and

if you have travel supply suggestions i'd love to hear.