Retirement: Online Art Workshops

More Journal Pages (three that I did last night):
(The above quote is Mumia Abu-Jamal: "It must come from the poor, a rebellion of the spirit that reaffirms their intristic human worth based upon who they are rather than what they possess.")



(The above quote is from John G. Burnett: "Murder is murder and somebody must answer. Somebody must explain the streams of blood that flowed." Speaking about the Trail of Tears. Both quotes were taken from Voices of a People's History by Howard Zinn)

(The above page is my "solution" for a page that was either accidentally torn out or ripped out of this journal. I created a fake hinge using clear packaging tape. So now the page opens like a secret flap. You don't really know that the other page is under there until you lift it. Voila!)


Last night, I sat down to work in my little book. I'm at "that point" right now where I'm eager to move on (I think I am about a dozen pages from finishing the book) to start another journal (yet not so eager to say goodbye to this one). I often have these "mixed feelings" when I get half way through a book. I make so darn many books that I am often ready for a new one. I've enjoyed working in this little book. It's really pushed me (I'm used to working larger lately) and I really really like the direction I've been going in lately-combining all sorts of "stuff" on the page).

So last night I sat down to work on the page that had previously had nothing but glued papers on it (see previous post). One of my favorite images to use is of this young girl. I had her cut out already (for another project) and found that I really liked her on this page. So I moved her around in various locations before I found the "a-ha" spot that I liked best. I glued her down (when I am working in my journals I often use glue sticks. The ones I'm using lately are Scotch Permanent Glue sticks-no affiliation, just thought you might like to know). I then "rubbed" it down using an old rag I have to make sure there wasn't any glue seeping out and to ensure that it was stuck. I looked at the image and realized that she does tend to blend into the page. So I pulled out my white gel pen (Sakura gelly roll Souffle pen) and outlined her shoulders and arms. I realized that if I outlined her face it would be too cartoony and too much of a detraction. Then I pulled out my rub ons (I used American Craft rub ons. I love 'em as they are like butter going on the page!) and found the little circles and squigglies fit best. I also used my Black Sakura Gelly roll Glaze pen to outline the Basic Grey papers in the background to make 'em 'pop' more. Lastly, I decided she needed a quote. One of my favorite reference books to use is Howard Zinn's Voices from a People's History. The Mumia quote jumped off the page at me.

For the next page, I used 4 pieces of paper. I had the decorative paper at the top that I had just bought and really wanted to use. It was already cut out, so I tore a piece off to use at the bottom to balance the piece (Though you can only see a wee bit of it). I also had already cut out the bird and the hands were just calling me to use them again. (The hands are another favorite image. They are the hands of a migrant farm worker.) I wanted to convey the sense of freedom in this piece, hence the hands letting the bird go. I found a simple background piece of paper and glued it under the hands. I didn't feel the need to write or add anything else to this page.

The last page-I had a skeleton image that I was itching to use but didn't know what I was going to do with it! So I cut him out. I liked him alone on this page without decorative papers behind him and just the paint seeping out, but he needed something else...hence the flowers. I cut out three different flowers, glued 'em down and outlined them with the Black Sakura Gelly Roll Glaze pen. I wanted to get rid of the Last Gasp (even though I love that company!) logo, so I found a quote from Private John G. Burnett about the Trail of Tears.


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I often listen to KPFK, Democracy Now, This American Life, This is Hell, Le Show, and various old time radio shows as I work.

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This story had me totally irate. Follow up on it from today's Democracy Now here.