Uncategorized

Many artists journal, daily, occasionally, have or carry a sketchbook. They say it helps them to call in their creative spirit. They say it helps them to grow as artists. It’s highly touted. I haven’t done this since I was in school because I became a “headsketcher”. I work out visual problems in my mind while I’m doing some unrelated tasks, I’m thinking it through, line by line, color by color, layout, etc. Now I do fulfill my need for moving marking tools on paper by doodling on napkins, tax returns (for some reason frowned upon), and recently, a tablet; but no real work through it record nor calling in my muse on a regular basis. However, I was faced with a dilemma. My current project is too large and has too many components. I’m writing and illustrating a book, so I couldn’t seem to stay motivated because the project is too large for headsketching. I was hitting a wall, a very large, very strong, very nasty, white brick wall. Got the image? So after pondering and questioning myself, do I really want to do this journal thing? I decided to jump in the water thinking maybe there’s something to it and what could it hurt, I was already in the weeds so… I did it and it’s wonderful!
I’m taking an online journaling class with Julie Fei-Fan Balzer because she follows the more is best notion and seems to throw control pretty much out the window but don’t let that fool you. She definitely knows what she’s doing and why. Her process allows one to throw caution and perfection to the wind and just have fun. But it is really helping to stretch which is something I think we probably all need. I’m being fed as an artist while playing, that’s a win-win. I look forward to beginning my day with this half hour and who knows, maybe I’ll keep it up forever. It really does jump start the creative process. So thanks Julie, I’m having fun while feeling more creative. It looks like I’ll get that book done after all.

Wednesday was the first day of spring…REALLY?!? It’s so cold here these eggs need coats but because my annual ritual of standing eggs during the vernal equinox worked, I know spring is here even though it doesn’t feel like it outside. Sometimes when you’re in the middle of something unpleasant or difficult, it’s hard to hang in there believing things will improve, they’ll work out, and brighter days can be ahead.
I am not a fan of winter but this year it seemed to be especially challenging. Many years ago I heard somewhere that the only day of the year that you can stand eggs is during the vernal equinox. I don’t know if this is true or not but I don’t care. Dealing with winter is a challenge for me so I needed something to make me believe that spring is here no matter what the temperature is so every year I can hardly wait to get out my eggs on March 20th. This year was super special because I was able to stand three eggs in less than six minutes, a record for me.
Lessons: keep at it no matter how bleak it looks, believe even when it seems like it will never be ok, you actually might get better at something if you keep practicing (I’ll remember that one for my piano lessons) and know that eventually…things will get better.

For many years it has been assumed that pink is for girls and blue is for boys. This wasn’t always the case. It used to be practical to dress both genders of babies in white dresses. White could be bleached, the outfits could be used for either gender allowing one to reuse all of the baby’s clothing.
In the early 1900’s pink was chosen for boys since it’s a stronger color and blue was for girls because it was more delicate. People couldn’t seem to agree on this concept and preferences went back and forth until the mid 1980’s when we finally settled on the pink=girl, blue=boy thing. Something had to be chosen for mass marketing reasons and pink was the chosen color for girls in France which often dictates fashion. So, there you have it.
If you want to know more about color trends, symbolism, and the emotional characteristics of color I will be teaching at the Pittsburgh Knit and Crochet Festival in March. Hope to see you there!
Oh, and if you want to know who’s in the photo, go to the Smithsonian magazine online

I think it’s time I introduce myself; my name is Jane. I am Donna’s inner self. We wear our outside masks to show others the person we want them to see, the person they expect. I am her strength and her sense of humor assisting and guiding her through difficult moments. I am who gives her power to wear her mask and not let others see how deeply she feels and that she isn’t always as confident as she may appear. I make space and time for her when she thinks she must take care of responsibilities. I can be very arrogant and clever, extremely confident but sometimes fearful. I don’t consider what others may think. I take time to stare into space, kick rocks, and read the same poem a hundred times no matter how much laundry she insists must be done.
Each of us has a Jane within. The trick is embracing your inner self and acknowledging that part of you, baring yourself and letting the world see who you really are. As an artist, I tend to look into people, not at them so I can try to get a glimpse of who they really are. My masks are an opportunity to bare one’s inner self to the world. See others’ masks on my website www.dbkcolorstudio.com
Jane and I are becoming very close friends.

Welcome to my studio, at least part of it. As you can see, there’s a lot going on. Slim is in progress, music is up for an upcoming silkscreen workshop eagerly waiting for its place that will be done later, dolls are hanging, and the largest project I have ever done covers the boards; more about that in a later post. It may seem like there’s a lot to look at but my muse is ecstatic, thrilled, energized. She doesn’t like a neat studio, to her, its borrrring. I threatened her with a new year’s resolution – cleaning it and making it neat. That didn’t go over well so I quickly dumped the idea. Imagine planning on going to dinner to a wonderful Italian restaurant and you’re drooling thinking about the vast array of goodies that will come to your table – hot crusty bread with a saucer of rich herbal olive oil, good wine, a lovely salad, pasta with Bolognese, tiramisu, YUM! And then… the server brings a plain bowl of spaghetti and that’s it, now there’s a bummer if ever there was one.
My muse expects my workspace to make her drool, like the Italian dinner – I’m getting hungry thinking about that dinner. Anyway, it’s been suggested to me by a few professionals that I may “suffer” from ADD. I don’t view it as “suffering”. I see it as accommodating my muse, presenting a rich meal for her to feast on. If I do that for her, she’ll give me that same satiating feeling that one gets after eating that beautiful dinner. Do you feed your muse? You should.

Shhhhh, the garden is sleeping. If you have children you know that everyone tiptoes about when your child has fallen asleep after a very active day. That’s how winter is in the garden; you must let it lie quietly. You know you can’t step in the planting areas and disturb the soil for fear of unpleasant surprises when the snow melts. You worked so hard through spring, summer and fall nurturing, playing, and guarding against dangers. You were proud of its beauty, pleased with its strength, amazed with its growth and now is the time to sit back and reflect…and quietly smile. It’s like sitting back with a nice cup of tea at the end of a beautiful day that you’ve watched your child grow, have fun, and reward you with that playful giggle that you can hear again and again. Shhhh, let the garden sleep. It’ll be time to play again soon.