Greetings, It's been forever since I posted. I've had one of those times where crap just kept piling up. When I thought it couldn't get any crappier, it did! A friend of mine once described life as three-legged stool that you sit on. When one of the legs is a little off, you can still cope and even feel positive about. When two of the legs are off, it's difficult to cope much less be positive. And if all three legs are off, holy shit. This lino cut I made sums it up this way...
I won't enumerate the levels of crap, but what's helped me at least feel on even keel is making these little books. I took a class with Elaine Chu over the summer and learned a bookmaking technique that I really enjoy. It's a satisfying process because I get to do the whole thing. No kits involved. I make the covers inside and out; I cut the paper for the inside; sew the binding. What's not to love. The first three are made out of water color paper that I painted and stamped on.
The next two are paper cloth which is so much fun and joy to make. It's super messy which is a great way to cure down some blues. These particular covers were made out of paper towels that had been used to clean up after other projects. I then cut four of these down to the size I wanted. For the outside and inside cover, I painted the wrong sides with gesso. Once that was dry, I glued all four sheets together. Then, you have to wait for that to dry. In the end, you have something that you can sew with, you can draw on it (no erasing though), and you can add to it any way you fancy. The first of these, I opened up so you can see the front and back covers.
The second of these was inspired by a paper doll project that I thought I was going to do at summer camp this year. That didn't happen, but yet the idea remained.
The lesson today is if you're feeling like crap - don't matter where the crap is coming from - go out and make something. Do whatever you know how to do and then learn something new. There's a better day coming.