Diary of a Frustrated Woman

I recently requested and am now reading this book from the library. I totally love the volume they got me! It has a copyright date of 1931, and still has the original checkout system in the front cover, saying it was first checked out in 1937. The book itself is held together by brown duct tape. The book is in diary form, and is a delightful escape, as well! I mention this because I recently began a new sketchbook, and, because it has larger format pages, I seem to be drifting towards making each page a bit of a journal of my days.

Unfortunately, my days have been quite frustrating. Not, as in the book, because I can’t really afford the perfect gown for a party or the hat I want to wear to compete with the other grand ladies, but because things just seem to be falling apart around me lately. I won’t even mention the country - which I do see in the news to be falling apart around us all of late. But I will mention my Fitbit, which I have come to rely on, and which Murphy, the toothsome puppy, chewed to bits, requiring me to get a new one. And I’ll mention my iPad, which I have come to rely on for many things, which also decided to die on me, losing a lot of passwords, apps, etc permanently in the process.

 

My sketchbook has become a record of my days. Although I’m trying to not dwell on negative things, sometimes the frustration just needs to have its say. Mostly, though, I’m recording things and people I see that catch my interest. And the world has turned to Spring here, so there is a lot of beauty around me, as well.

 

These are some pages from my current sketchbook. They are not ‘great art,’ but each sketch takes me back to a moment, a day. There are birds and blooming trees and adorable children and interesting people to remember. Things that keep frustration at bay - even when a 3 month old lab puppy and new technology does their best to frustrate me. And maybe someday these sketchbooks will be held together with brown duct tape, and will bring all these moments and memories to life again.

 

Sketchbook Selfies

 

I completed a sketchbook today, and began a new one. My tradition is to both end and begin a sketchbook with a self portrait. It is my way of ‘checking in’ with myself, documenting what I am doing, the materials I’m interested in or trying out, and in many ways, how I’m feeling.

The sketch above is the last page in my sketchbook. The image is a memory of a day with my son, daughter-in-law, and 2 of my grandkids. We went through a large maze together. This sketch also includes me in my favorite black jacket; the one I wore in Paris, but now seem to have lost somewhere. As with most of my sketches these days, I do not strive for realism, but to capture a feeling. I used gouache and colored pencils for this sketch. The sketchbook was put on my studio shelf, joining 34 other filled sketchbooks (not including my travel sketchbooks.)

I was happy to be done with that sketchbook, and to start a new one, which is larger and has better paper. I recently got a set of oil pastels, and was anxious to try them out, so the selfie in the new sketchbook is an experiment with them. I wanted to see if I could blend them, and if other media (colored pencils, watercolor, gouache, marker) would work with them. As my daffodils are blooming, I stuck a few in my hand. Everything I tried with the pastels did what I wanted it to do. So I’m pretty happy to add them to my media cupboard! I have also found that I do enjoy working in a larger sketchbook, so I plan to have a lot of fun experimenting in this one! 

These selfies sometimes feel a bit ‘self indulgent,’ but, as I have also done a series of self portrait tapestries, one of the sketches may inspire a small tapestry. 

Living in the Chaos!

Murphy, 11 weeks old

Yes, living with an 11 week old yellow lab is chaotic, and that’s not going to change for a good while. Living in the US with leaders who are either certifiably crazy, or afraid of the ones that are crazy, has become pretty chaotic as well. I’ve been doing my best to not add to the chaos, even if I can’t escape it completely. 

It’s well documented that creativity helps us deal with stressful situations. So I’ve been trying to create, whether or not I feel creative. I have had a linen warp on my 4-harness loom for several years, with a plan to weave some old rug yarn into rugs. I finally did that! I did 2 simple twill rugs, not using up nearly enough of my stashed rug yarn. So yesterday I pulled out a couple of large containers from my yarn closet (this is where non-tapestry yarn is stored) and put together a dozen bags of knitting wool to take to my local ARC. More will be going soon!

A few recent pages from my sketchbook

I have been taking frequent walks through the neighborhood, as well as sketching. What I see on my walks often ends up in my sketchbook. Because of the National news, which is always bad these days, I am avoiding most online news and also social media, where everyone is in a constant (and understandable) state of dismay about the National disorder.

I did recently cut off a large tapestry so my Shannock studio loom is empty. I’m not sure what will come next with my weaving, but, in the meantime, I hope to do a bit of painting. The new tapestry is below, and it is titled “Letting Go.”

‘Letting Go’ 32x32”