A few weeks ago I was scheduled to teach travel journaling in a workshop so did a ton of preparation. When we started, everyone wanted the normal Pocket Sketching workshop. It took me more than the first day to get my mind back to the familiar format. Sort of like the atheist’s epitaph in the graveyard, “All Dressed Up and Nowhere To Go”.
But from the research, if you want to know a bunch about travel journaling, Google travel journaling, then click on “images for travel journaling”, (about the fourth entry down). It’s a wildly broad exposure to almost everything anyone can use.
Meanwhile, here are a few from a recent workshop…not mine. Looks like travel journaling to me. And these people have no experience!
It’s not always about you! This is stress-city. I can’t find my bag manufacturer and I’m running out. Art is a form of small business, after all.
Where to go when stressed? Try sketching your lunch or dinner as soon as it arrives and before you eat it. It smells great. You’re hungry. You paid for it. It will take only 10 to 15 minutes. The results are amazingly rewarding. Plus you get to eat! Even if the food’s not very good, the sketch probably will be. Happy de-stressing.
I’ve been jammed with 3 workshops, but have to find time (impossible when you’re in art), to share a funny. I’m no TV anchor woman!
Here are two fun pics. One is of a marvelous quilt and sewn image of me done by Carolann from my Tohono Chul workshop. She found time (and energy!) to do this at night and brought it for the third day.
The other shot is of me in my you-can’t-miss-me outfit for the third day. This lovely outfit is planned so my students can sic tourists on me and not be distracted from their work. They just say, “Find our instructor. She’s wearing this ghastly outfit with red hair, red bag, green hat and very bad taste” It works beautifully! Little hard to wear in Public and I try not to stop anywhere on the way home. Of course it reminds me of Dolly Parton saying “It takes a lot of money to look this tacky!”
You haven’t heard from me for a while. I’m in a show at the Tucson Museum of Art for 3 days. Came home, fed the Ridgebacks, the cat, and finally me. I’ve never seen Joy Behar before. Needed a ‘crash” entertainment and watched a bit of her interviewing Diane Keaton, whom I’ve always enjoyed. Just my speed tonight! It was fun and I guess I’ll keep cable. Only reason I’ve kept it for the past two years is the four major horse races. (Mike Smith brought in Drosslemeyer, a very lazy horse, to win the Breeder’s
Cup two Saturdays ago. That was a huge win, and I sketched the horses from TV while they ran. That way I can excuse sitting around watching horse races on TV!).
In getting ready for this show, I found out just how disorganized I am. Sketches tucked away all over the house…and I live here alone. (Can’t I just do what the coyotes do when the den is a mess and move somewhere else? They have a problem with puppy poop, ticks and fleas, so I guess I’m still in the stay-in-this-house group.)
I’m tucking in a few pictures from a recent class. Remember these people are rank beginners when they start. I’m always amazed and delighted with what they do in 3 days. Several former students stopped by toda
y and told me they are still sketching constantly and still excited: WHAT A REWARD TO ME!!!
My best, Kath
These are from a 3 person workshop I did in my home studio. Everyone got tons of attention because the group was so small. Usually I’m really concerned because such a small group may not “catch on”. These people did, and they were immediately turning out really good work.
We had a ton of fun and for once I got a chance to enjoy being with my people. When I’m teaching a larger class the dynamics are totally different. Everyone learns a lot and does marvelously, but I don’t get to enjoy them as individuals because I’m so involved with helping everyone. This was a lot of fun on a personal level for me, as well as ‘getting off’ on their learning new skills.
Sandi took the pictures with her iphone and I was impressed with it’s apparent simplicity…more my style than my Droid2. On the other hand, nothing is as bad as the camera FugiFinePics which will erase your entire card and you don’t know about it until after it’s happened and you read the entire manuel, which I did after losing over 800 pictures, including my youngest grand kid building her first snow man with me.
This morning it was very cold, rainy-less-than-sleet as I was carrying my stuff in for a workshop at Tohono Chul, a lovely botanical park here in Tucson. Our local coyotes were probably breakfasting on duck, as the ducks aren’t very observant in bad weather and the coyotes can sneak up. I lost another umbrella. I can never remember to gather them up after the sun comes out and I left it in the park.
Julia Child was absolutely right. Eat everything and drink everything with gusto and delight. We have no idea how much longer our timeline will be. And you don’t want to die thinking you ‘put it off till tomorrow’ and never got there.
I am incredibly lucky to meet wonderful people through my workshops and I am trying to somehow fit time into getting to know them a bit better. I just spent an hour talking with Marisa who is here from Spain and will be joining me for a workshop in December. That hour on the phone is leaving me smiling with the joy. I know someone better who takes delight in the day, the food, friends….you now, the stuff of deep personal value. What a rewarding profession is teaching in art. Wow!
Of course, there should be pictures. (Why would you look at an artist’s blog?) So here are a couple of Pocket Sketches from Cheyenne, Wyoming Frontier Days (one of the biggest rodeos in the West). The Indian story teller was a wonderful traditional yarn spinner who caught you in her magic. The antelope was probably just as important in the antelope world, come to think of it.
Tomorrow night will be work from this workshop at Tohono Chul Park in Tucson.
Kath
Posted in Art, Sketching
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Tagged art, sketching
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Just a quick note. I’m at Ghost Ranch in New Mexico on the way to teach in Durango, CO. It’s as beautiful as ever. The last time I stayed here was probably in 1952 when I was asked to paint for their first pictorial calendar. The rates then were $33.00 per day including 3 meals. Now it’s $90.00 per day, same accomodations, with breakfast free and lunch $10.00 and dinner $20.00. The cooking hasn’t changed. I liken it to “early Boy Scout”, but you don’t wait, they make it and clean up afterwards and the scenery is fantastic as before. I did two quick sketches out a back door. They aren’t good, but I can paint from them when I get home. And I’ll check on both teaching here and mentoring a painting get together or a painting-a-day workshop in the future. This is a very special corner of New Mexico. Georgia O’Keefe painted from a cottage here and the movie City Slickers was filmed here. I saved the calf’s life, but that’s another story.
Kath
