you may have heard buzz around the internet of art house coop’s sketchbook project from last fall or “liked” them on facebook, maybe. it’s this deal where the art house coop sends you a sketchbook to fill, you send it back, and then it goes on tour around the country with a group of nearly 29,000 other participants sketchbooks, in its own little art show. when i heard about this project, i liked it, i clicked “like,” and i signed right up to participate in it. that was back in september.
about a week later, a great little moleskin sketchbook arrived, and i vowed to sketch and create and keep this visual journal with me for the next few months. (i had until mid-january to complete it and send it in.) i encouraged some friends to participate, as well. i was psyched that i would be making my own art in it! finally – art time for momma! it was ripe with potential! i had to choose one of their “themes” for the book. i picked one i figured was the most general: a day in the life.
i took myself out for tea that day and began the book.
ahhh… that was nice. and then like 16 days later i made another page in the book. darn, have two weeks gone by already?” i wondered. 4 days later, another page. a month later, two more pages. i was slow to start. it was interesting to watch my own mind and my own process around taking the time to create my own art. it is logistically and emotionally challenging to invest in this sort of me-time as a mom of a young kid. but it is oh-so-important.
i was really wanting to do this in an altered book sort of style, but the really thin pages of the moleskin were a bit frustrating to work with… i think they must really have meant “sketch in this book.” i did a lot of pasting other papers into the book so i could use more wet media and saturated colors. and collage.
the holidays came and went, and my book was really quite empty. in the new year, i vowed to knock out some art work in that journal – BE CREATIVE NOW! hee hee… i laughed at the pressure of that, and relaxed a bit around it. i spent a couple weeks really just having FUN with different media.
then the me-time became we-time, as it often just does organically. i enjoy making art with my little lady, and she couldn’t resist helping with mommy’s sketchbook. so i enlisted the help of my favorite tiny artist who can crank out the creativity like no one else i know.
little ghost artist
she was honored to participate. we did a dialog drawing in the book together.
she made some pictures of her own on some of the pages. (thank you, N!)
N's mandala
the last few nights before the book was due were like a creative explosion on my dining room table. i loved it.
in the end, i submitted it in time. apparently it is being digitized by art house coop (in a way higher quality way than i’ve done here with the photos the morning before i headed to the post office in january) and will be available on their web site for viewing.
also my little book is now on a U.S. tour. i think it was in austin last weekend, and is now on its way to portland, maine. it has a tour schedule, like a little paper rockstar in a huge jam band of nearly 30K players. that’s kinda fun. i’m excited to see the exhibit when it hits san francisco in june. if the tour arrives in a city near you, i’m sure it’s a fun exhibit to attend — look my book up when you’re there!
tour image from arthousecoop.com
art house coop has some other projects currently going on that are open for participation. check it out. it’s good stuff.
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