In all this stillness & quiet
Last night I sat down with my art journal for the first time in about 3 months. I haven’t thought much about art journaling since the Christmas shopping rush started. I’ve been too busy packing & shipping out orders.
Now that Christmas is over, and things have abruptly quieted down, I suddenly have free time again. I almost don’t know what to do in all this stillness & quiet, but I found an hour long Youtube video about Maud Lewis I wanted to watch. My art journals kept me company as I watched.
After the first video ended, Youtube autoplayed another one titled Maud Lewis - A Twisted Legacy. How sad and twisted indeed. I don’t want to spoil anything, if you don’t know the story, but I recommend watching.
I’ve been meaning to watch the movie Maudie for years now. I remember excitedly writing about it in my old blog, but I never did get around to it. I think the only way to see it is to extra pay for it on Amazon or Youtube. There’s so much I want to see that’s free, I never think to look for it. I’m more into documentary style videos anyway, and there are a ton of them about Maud, but the movie’s on my “maybe some day” list.
Next in line to autoplay was a video titled Being an Artist by Bill Lynch Films about artist Gary Mayer. I had already seen it because I’m subbed to the channel, but I was drawing, and didn’t want to stop to find something else. I watched it again.
Once I start creating it’s next to impossible to stop. I can shut out the entire world, and hyper-focus on art for hours at a time. It’s my happy place. Time passes so quickly when I’m in my little bubble.
I don’t even like snapping photos because it’s an interruption, and feels like an inconvenience to be pulled out of my blissful trance, but I made myself take some shots in between pages.
The portrait on the right was already in my art journal. I think I might have created it using tempera kwik stix, if I remember right. It was the last page I did before taking a hiatus.
It is good to be back at it again, not only creating in my art journal, but also writing here on Substack.
This little one is now sitting in the crook of my arm, and I’m plunking down one letter at a time with my free hand. It’s a little after 5 am, pouring rain, and the wind is howling outside. The windows are shaking, and brr! It’s 27F, but “feels like” zero. I mean, it’s all normal for this time of year. The only reason it’s weird is because it was 72F yesterday, and my husband wanted to wear shorts, so it makes this sudden change feel a little insane.
It’s time to schedule this post for later today, so I can give Gus Wus some attention.
I hope you’re having a creative Sunday.
My artwork is available on Daily Paintworks, and eBay.
I also just reopened my Etsy shop after an almost 2 year hiatus, if you prefer shopping there.
You can also find me on pinksky & blsky.
I’ve also been posting notes here on Substack in between these longer posts.
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