Go. See. Do.

If you've visited here before, you might already know how much I enjoy stitching paper together. It's my therapy when I'm feeling out-of-sorts, unfocused, and unmotivated. It happens, right? When it does, I feel called to my sewing machine and my big box of scrap paper. There I will sit for hours sewing bits together in a haphazard sort of way. There is no attempt at planning or perfection. I grab any color of thread and don't even care whether it matches the bobbin or not. The stitch quality doesn't matter either as long as the paper holds together.

It feels good to be doing something with no end product in mind. I view the process as a way to create when I'm not feeling creative. When the well runs dry I can fill it up with the kind of repetitive action that is important in my art making process. Stitching just does that for me, whether it's by hand or by machine.

This is an altered board book to which I have attached stitched and waxed paper and then added hand stitched text on fabric.

The message is simple: Go. See. Do.

It's how we journey through life.

I like working on board books for a couple of reasons. They hold up well under the type of collage I like to do, plus, they don't have a lot of pages. This book only has three pages! That's a plus for me since I often have a problem seeing projects through to the completion stage.

A simple book with a simple message. Go. See. Do.

xoxo

Good Journaling Weather

We're experiencing another arctic blast here in the Midwest. In other words--it's good journaling weather. It's the perfect opportunity to stay indoors and cut, paste, paint, and doodle to your heart's content.

I've been working in this particular journal for more than five years.

It was started in a journaling class and has continued from there. I took the class with two friends and since the instructor's name was Judith, we affectionately call these books our "Judith Journals."

It's primarily a cut and paste journal. I've also heard other people call them glue books.

The idea is to collect words and images that speak to you and then put them together in a layout that makes sense to you, or tells a story, or maybe is just visually pleasing in some way.

I collect my images from art magazines, mainstream magazines, old books, research journals, maps, wallpaper, calendars, and anything else that catches my eye. (I know there's a typo on this page but Howard Finster taught me not to worry about that.)

At one point during the 5+ years of working in this journal, I started to feel as though the work wasn't really original since the images were created by others. But then I realized that nobody else in the world but me would arrange these exact images in this exact way. Even if someone else had access to the same images, they would most likely use them to tell a different story in a completely different way.

Around year 3 or 4 of working in this journal, I really wanted it to be done. I wanted every page to be filled so that I could put it on the shelf and start a new journal.

But then something happened and I totally fell in love with the process of filling this book little by little and bit by bit. The journey really has become the destination and now I never want the journey to end.

I keep building on what's already there, and filling the few remaining blank pages. This is a journal that calls to me. And when it does, I usually drop everything else and focus on the book for a few days, or a week, or however long it takes to satisfy the need to cut, paste, arrange, and admire the view to this point. Then I'll put it away and work on other projects until the call comes again. Do you have a journal like this? One that you only work in when you hear the call or feel the pull? One that is more of a journey than a destination? One that you will be happy to never say is finished?

Glue It Tuesday

I unearthed a few collages while cleaning up the studio recently. I put them under some books to flatten them out and then forgot all about them.
 

They may or may not be finished, but I thought it would be fun to share them for Glue It Tuesday over at artsyville.

Paint, paper, and glue...three of my favorite art supplies! Happy Tuesday!

Glue It Tuesday

I had so much fun working on last week's collage for Glue It Tuesday at artsyville, that I dove into the scrap pile and came up with another one. This one reminds me of copper pennies.

Glue It Tuesday

I can't believe it's taken me this long to post something for Glue It Tuesday over at artsyville considering how often my fingers are covered in glue. I'm working on a project that involves punching circles out of book pages and I had to try and do something with the "leftovers." I just can't stand to see a single scrap of paper go to waste--which probably explains why collage is one of my favorite art forms. I'm pleased with how this came out so there may be a whole series of these in the works soon. I've punched a lot of circles and I have a lot of leftovers!

Happy Tuesday and happy gluing!

Quietly Creating

As I say goodbye to 2012 and wait eagerly for 2013 to commence, I am doing what I enjoy most--quietly creating. I think it's a fitting way to end one year and begin another.

I've been drinking a lot of tea, and saving the bags for future projects.

I deconstructed a number of books written in languages I cannot read, and dyed them in the kitchen using foodstuff. These were done with beets.

And these with blackberries.

I made a little tea cup and saucer to hold tiny books made from tea bags and altered book pages. These pages were dyed with onion skins.

I used the scraps left over from the tea cup and saucer to start a paper art quilt. I just love the beautiful shades of yellow made from the onion skins.

This is what I've been quietly creating as I contemplate all the wonder, joy, adventure, and creativity that I hope 2013 will bring our way. Thank you for coming along on my art adventures and for your comments, enthusiasm, and inspiration throughout the year.

Happy New Year my friends!

Work in Progress

My latest project is a small book in the early stages of altering.

The pages were painted with gesso and then sprayed with pigment ink.

The base layer is made from a collection of paper that I call "The S Files." These files consist of old newspaper clippings, memos, letters, reports, and handwritten notes.

The paper has been ripped, sewn, deconstructed, reconstructed, and coated with wax.

I love how the paper becomes translucent and text and images on the reverse side show through. Although this isn't my usual color palette, I do enjoy the muted color of old paper and working in a limited palette is a fun challenge.

I plan to add more layers and texture to the pages now that the base layer is down. I'm not entirely sure where this book is headed, but that's half the fun isn't it?

The Optimist Creed

If you are a long-time visitor to lost and found, you might recall a post I wrote about a little German book I was altering called Die schonsten Sagen des Rheins. You can read the original post here. My attempts at altering the book were disastrous and I came close to pitching it on several occasions. In spite of what I put it through, that little book hung in there and just wouldn't give up. When I was finally ready to add some text, The Optimist Creed seemed like an appropriate choice.

I actually finished altering the book a while ago, but the wonkiness of it makes it nearly impossible to photograph properly. I finally gave up and scanned it instead. I hope you enjoy viewing Die schonsten Sagen des Rheins in its entirety and reading The Optimist Creed. It's wonderful advice for everyone to live by.