Art of the outside world. Artland Magazine: 5 Artists Whose Diaries are as Inspiring as their Art, Wolfe.
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Art Journal Workshop with Chris Cruz
Shelby County Arts Council
Columbiana AL, USA
16 March 2024
Instructor website, Chris Cruz Designs
The Photos
My table at start.
My table at finish. Different table, I switched before we got going. All the tables had basically the same gear.
The Thoughts
My understanding of an art journal is of a recording of events with illustrations, such as BORDER CROSSINGS: A Journey on the Trans-Siberian Railway by Emma Fick. Or perhaps constituting only pictures. Either way, I think of a journal as a diary-like object. [Recent Reads, Mostly Memoir]
The idea here is different. Colors, textures, mixtures being recorded rather than events. This is journal as test bed. Take a watercolor paint. Use lots of water. Label the result. Now paint with the same color, with less water. Label the result. We were encourage to experiment with watercolors, and pastels, and inks, and tissue paper, and anything else on the supply table that struck our fancy. The goal was to try things and keep records, not to make designs. Then, when you were ready to paint for real, you had ideas of what colors, textures, etc. you would want to use.
Since I do not own a single tube of color in any form, nor a single paint brush, this is not likely to be a process I will use. However, I had fun learning the theory & great fun playing with all the supplies. I may have made the artistic equivalent of mud pies, but I had a good time.
Onwards!
Katherine
Virtual Brush Box 
That does sound like fun. Similar to the weaving workshop we did lo these many years ago.
Joan
🎨 📔
(art, book emojis)