Cath Sheard Art

Tag: art journaling

  • Going back to go forward

    I’ve talked about this before, but didn’t get any forward momentum … until now.

    My art journals were always a combination of the ‘craft’ side of art journaling that grew out of scrapbooking, and a place to learn about materials and develop ideas. For lots of reasons, they became almost solely product-based; Tim Holtz, Dyan Reaveley and Dina Wakley.

    I miss the part of art journaling that’s internally driven, and know the habit was good for my art practice. Projects such as the tiny squares help, but the scale is limiting.

    I started following Denise Love on YT recently. I like what she creates but I *love* her art practice. After a few weeks of watching, I had an aha moment (no one can accuse me of being a quick thinker!). I ordered a Color Cube from Sarah Renae Clark – I’ve been seeing a lot of artists use them and knew it would help.

    I’ve started two new art journals, both my fav small Dylusions ones, and am doing seperate but connected projects. I’ve set an additional rule that, aside from setting up the colour swatch pages, I can only use my neglected StencilGirl or other stencils. No reaching for my Dina Wakley or Dylusions ones as they’ll take me back to my usual post-scrapbook style again.

    In the first I pick a card then choose two of the colours and swatch them onto pages I’ve prepared with Dylusions stencils or Dina Wakley Stamps so there’s a framework to work in. On the right hand page I do a small piece using just those colours.

    In the second journal I choose a card, and record the six colours on the left hand side then do a small on the right.

    My aim? More practice with colour mixing, developing my mark making, exploring my interests in shapes and composition, and hopefully working looser.

  • Fav collage journal

    I love doing small collages in my art journals. As I’ve said before, it’s a great way to uncover my current interests and reinforce the things that make my art mine.

    My favourite journal for small collage is the Hahnemühle D&S sketch – it’s 14x14cm, 140gsm and there’s 160 pages. I stock up whenever they’re on sale!

    I’ve completed a journal tonight and stated another. I have a small container of hand painted papers and gelli prints, scissors and glue on a tv dinner table in the lounge. I collage while Alan and I watch TV. Below are the last few I’ve done – night shots on my phone so not 100% accurate.

  • Art, craft, and a little bit of stretch

    I’m an artist, and also a crafter – for me there’s considerable overlap between the two. What I learn from crafting informs my art, and vice versa. With both, there are times when I need to stretch myself a bit, because it’s easy to get too comfortable.

    Last week was a LOT. Monday night I was at A&E with my best friend until after 3am. Alan and I had a couple of disturbed nights for no obvious reason. Thursday and Friday I was dealing with a weather event at work, with my emergency management hat on. By the end of the week I was shattered.

    Saturday I took Tony out for brunch, and have spent the rest of the weekend puddling round, doing art and craft. I’ve been stamping out lots of Dina Wakley stamps onto tissue then cutting them out while we watch tv in the evening.

    I have been working on a collab Penny and I are doing. It’s a 9m x 19cm roll of Awagami washi paper. It’s fun to work on, and the paper is surprisingly strong, but hard to handle because of the length. It’s currently hanging over my art room door to dry,

    While Alan was away I had painted a deer standing in the bush on a 12×12 panel. Very definitely not my usual style and I said at the time I’d rather stab myself in the eye with a fork than do another one. It was a gift made with love.

    Never say never! I decided to do another deer, this time on a full size (50x75cm?) sheet of pastel paper. Why am I doing it? Because it stretches me artistically and makes me think differently. It’s good for my art practice to do something that is well outside my usual wheelhouse.

    Progress on a larger scale deer
    Working on a 9m washi roll collab with Penny
    The joy of sitting quietly cutting things out

  • Art, life, accidents

    A lot has happened in the last month. I’ve been doing more in the #100TinyTreasures series and find it fascinating seeing what shapes and marks consistently represent the hand of the artist. I’ve been working in my art journals, including the new Dina Wakley Media ledger journal – absolutely love it, but they’re sold out already.

    Sadly, the next shipment might be post-tariffs so may not be affordable. I feel bad for artists like Dina Wakley, Tim Holtz and Dyan Reaveley who have built a loyal following, through sheer hard work over many years, and will have their business impacted by the current US situation.

    I had sold three small paintings to one collector on the East Coast and she asked if I’d make something bigger. I don’t do commission work as such but was happy to make some larger works – the three green pieces below – and if one suited her, great! They are based on the land around where she lives, which includes apple orchards. We tweaked the piece on the far right by adding 3 red apple shapes to the left and she messaged me that “The painting arrived and it’s BEAUTIFUL. I absolutely love it.”

    I’ve also been getting ready for this year’s Greymouth Art in the Park. Pen Kirk and I have a stand and will be selling matted works, and greeting cards. Normally we’d teach as well, but Pen has a demanding new job and I’m not doing so well.

    A couple of weeks ago someone came through a stop sign and hit my car at speed. I had a couple of seconds to react after I saw him go, and got as far out of the way as I could. Very similar to when a drunk driver hit me in 2012. Despite this being at a stop sign in a 50km area, he was going fast enough that both cars are written off. State Insurance paid out promptly, and I have a lovely new 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander plug in hybrid.

    I also have a sore shoulder and concussion, which has turned out to be more of a problem than first suspected. I’m resting a lot, and have been working only half days. I have trouble sleeping at night, and get headaches. Still, it could have been a whole lot worse.

  • Wanderlust25 week 9

    Week 9 with Ayozie Pollendine was about used aged papers and honouring the past. I focused on Mum’s birth mother Angela – I’m fortunate to have some old photos of Angela with her family. I added a map of Ireland, and County Clare, where Angela was from.

    Mum found her half brother John when she was in her 60s and it was an absolute blessing. I’ve written a bit about it in t(e background. I know it doesn’t always turn out so well for people. We were incredibly lucky.