Making Art in the Sink

At our last get-together, Cathy showed us how to make a sink journal--a technique she learned at a recent drawing workshop.

The end result is a simple, fold-out journal with a pocket flap at the bottom for holding whatever your heart desires.

We used white paper, black sumi ink, a paintbrush, and a sink.

We painted designs on the paper, one side at a time, with the ink and a large brush.

I did spirals and circles on one side and scribbles on the other.

When the ink was semi-dry, the paper was held under running water and manipulated to allow the ink to run and spread.

Then the majority of ink was washed off and the paper hung to dry.

We seamed two pieces of paper together and folded up the bottom flap.

Then we folded it into a journal.

Simple, good clean fun!

Sinks aren't just for dishes anymore.

Keep on Walking

"If we are facing in the right direction, all we have to do is keep on walking."  
-- Buddhist proverb

I didn’t intend to take such a long break from blogging—it just kind of happened. 2012 has turned into a year of transitions and I’ve been quietly enjoying the changes, living in the moment, and thinking about the future. At the start of the year, we decided it was time to make some changes. We’ve been working hard to improve our eating habits and to exercise regularly. We made this our top priority and have spent a LOT of time and energy walking towards this goal. We’ve tried out healthy new recipes, counted our calories, and logged countless hours and miles walking and hiking. We’ve thoroughly explored our neighborhood on foot. We’ve visited nearby parks and the many trails and paths they have to offer. We’ve spent more time together than we have in years. We’ve learned that we really enjoy being more active and setting and reaching goals together. Luckily, we also had a few major life events that really helped to keep us motivated and on track--our daughter graduated from college in May and our son got married in June. There’s nothing like the thought of shopping for a dress to keep a person motivated! We also planned a long overdue and much deserved vacation with friends in July.

While I haven't spent a lot of time blogging or making art this year, I have been walking in the right direction. Taking a step back from the familiar and exploring new directions has helped me to focus on where I'm going--both in life and in art. I still have a long way to go, but at least I know I'm headed in the right direction.