Monday, February 08, 2010

Blank Pages: Opportunity & Possibilities

I bought this little red journal (4 by 6 inches) a long time ago. For less than $3. The red covers are leather and the pages of cream paper are in signatures sewn to the cover. It's all very sweet and I imagined, when I bought it, using the journal as a "carry along" in my handbag. I even bought several more, thinking they would make excellent gifts. What can I say? I love books of bound blank pages. Any number of wonderful things could happen on those pages. Like the stuff Roz does in her books.

I'm not interested in drawing birds, dogs or zoo animals. I could become interested in drawing flowers. I did take a Botanical Drawing class at the Nature Artist's Guild at the Morton Arboretum. In the winter. We drew sticks and dead leaves. And then moved on to vegetables and fruit from the grocery. Eventually, we had budded branches as Spring appeared. I did a lovely watercolor of an acorn squash nestled in a white linen napkin. And a lovely dead leaf with holes and diseased spots. Not wet in wet like I did in college, but in layers of light glazes.

There is a possibility of taking this small journal to work when I return and drawing from all the flowers I am surrounded with in the greenhouse. Instead of eating lunch in the lunchroom and being tempted by chips, sandwiches and cookies. A calm spot in my day. An artistic moment. Right now, I have a number of plants in flower and could test the pages of this little book to see what the surface will accept. Pencil, Neocolor, paint or brush pen. And as I turn the pages, I will hear the beautiful sound Roz's journal pages make (as she turns the pages in her videos) a sound which I can't describe to you, but which is music to my ears and soul.

Emma, on PBS last night, was a delight. Really. So good. And I have Persuasion to look forward to this season. I just adore Jane Austen.

Today is the first day of our vacation. We haven't made any plans yet. I would like to visit the Art Supply (surprise!) and have lunch at Macaroni Grill. G also wants to go to the Apple store to look at computers. I don't. I will bring the camera along.

2 comments:

Deborah Boschert said...

I bet you can find lots of interesting things to look at and absorb at the Mac store -- employees with interesting facial hair and piercings, clean clear graphics, sleek architecture, etc. Surely there will be something red.

Happy Vacation!

Diane N said...

I am looking forward to both your vacation photos and seeing what you decide to put in your red journal.

Opening your blog every day to see the latest red thing in your photo is really something fun to look forward to.