"So what's the deal with art journals anyway?"

“So what’s the deal with art journals?”, I was recently asked. Before I could answer Linda said “it’s an art diary”. And my mouth fell open. Yes, simply it’s an art dairy and it’s just for me. We make cards to share and give away, to brighten someone else’s day, give comfort in times of sadness and sorrow. But my art journal is mine and mine alone. I will share it, love to in fact. What artist doesn’t want a little validation? It’s compact, no clutter and shows a progression of what I’m feeling and when. There is something so satisfying about a book of my work.

Also there are few rules. Where do I start, what do I do and I doing this right and the big one….mine doesn’t look like the art journals in “those” magazines. For years I wanted to get into art journal but the more research I did the more I was put off by these works of art I was seeing. Some weren’t my style, some were so professional I could never recreate and all seemed out of my reach. That would have been my clue to walk away but somehow I couldn’t shake the idea of having an art journal.

Then one day I realized I was over thinking it, not unusual for me! When I broke it all down to its simplest form it was a book with a little art and words. Done. And a new world opened for me. I also realized for a technique lover the art journal is a wonderful resource to practice and explore. I had been saving quotes, lyrics, words of wisdom and scriptures in a plain ruled paper journal for years, I got the word part of art journal. So now I just needed to play with color and composition, which I already did when I designed cards.

One of my rules for my journals are there is very little preplanning and if I goof up I just go with it. I try to use even my ugly pages somehow. And I’ve noticed that the longer I’ve been doing this the less “horrible” mistakes I’ve made. Lately I’ve been into paint and working on a completely painted journal. Who knows what idea will grab me next but I do know it will be fun and totally mine!

Several years I started an art journal class and many of the original group is still attending the class. I think that speaks to the love of this art form and the close friendships that have been made. We now meet two times a month on the second and forth Saturday at 3:00. Always at the same time and the class is $15.00, always. So if this idea of an art journal is been calling to your too, give the class a try.