Sustained Confusion

Atomic Disintegrator - more pages ;)

2012-01-07T22:52:00.000-08:00

The artwork in the upper corner was done by Stephen Miliotti....or Sac as we call him. ;)

And here is a little art by Jennifer Cabezas (upper left)...Richard Hofmeier (lower right)...and Sunny Carvalho (the rest. ;)

Katherine England drew the page above...and the page below. ;)

These are all pages from my 2011 journal.

Leather Wrist Cuffs

2012-01-03T22:02:00.000-08:00

One of my New Year's resolutions is to make more stuff. Haha...so far so good. I've been on fire. The more I make...the more I want to make. Imagination is a muscle...and the more you exercise it...the stronger it grows. I have always known this, but I have let my imagination wither a bit over the last few years during all of the recession battles. It feels good to pull it out, dust it off, and have fun with it again.

Little Red Copper Journal

2012-01-02T19:29:00.000-08:00

Here is another journal that I made this weekend. It is 3" x 4", with 8 signatures of 140# hot press water color paper. Each signature has 3 pieces of paper, or 24 pages.

This is a simple journal...but one that I definitely wouldn't mind carrying around in my pocket.

Resin and Metal Coptic Journal

2012-01-01T23:54:00.000-08:00

We started the New Year off with a creative whirlwind this weekend. It was a blast. I created two new journals, some leather wrist cuffs, and journaled a lot....and Teesha cooked some amazing food, drew some awesome pictures in her "Drawing" journal, and painted, collaged, and planned new classes. All in all, it was a really fun New Year's weekend.

Here are some pics of one of the new journals I made. It is small, 3" x 4"...with a nickle silver cover, which I transferred the image on with Lazertran, then bordered it with Cocobola wood, and then filled it with Ice Resin. It has a copper back. It has eight signatures of 140# hot press water color paper. I edged the exposed part of the signatures with some of Teesha's Japanese masking tape. This journal is bound with an exposed Coptic stitch.

LC-Wide & Ivar's Birds

2012-01-01T13:18:00.000-08:00

One of the things that I love to do, is to go to Ivars (our local..fast food...yet excellent, Fish and Chip joint) and hold out fries for the the seagulls to swoop in and grab, all the while snapping away with my camera. These shots were taken with my LC-Wide...(by absolute favorite camera EVER) using Lomography Tungsten 64 film. Ivars is on the Seattle Waterfront, a quick walk from our studio, The Artfest Annex...and is a favorite spot for our Seattle Lomo Adventure Club to lomo-walk to.

Phlufftopia

2011-11-16T22:01:00.001-08:00

I was going through some pics today from Journalfest 2011 and came across these pics of Tiphoni's booth from the vendor night. Tiphoni's art is absolutely AWESOME! Yes...she's my daughter...so you might think that I'm a bit prejudice...however...just look at these shots and tell me you don't agree with me.

More Atomic Disintegrator Journal Pages

2011-11-15T21:21:00.001-08:00

Here are some more journal pages from my Atomic Disintegrator Journal.

One of things I love to do with my Journal is collect other's doodles and drawings. The above sketch was done by the Master Jesse Reno.

Journalfest 2011 Shots

2011-11-06T22:08:00.000-08:00

Here are some shots I took at Journalfest with my LC-Wide. This is an amazing camera...honestly my favorite camera I have ever owned. Journalfest is a retreat that my wife Teesha and I have run for the last three years up at Fort Worden in Port Townsend, WA. Fort Worden is a beautiful place...and as always, we had an amazing time there. We will be back up here in January for our Play retreat...and then again for Artfest 2011. I can't wait for both!

The mornings at Fort Worden are STUNNING!

During the retreats, we take breaks here and there and go journaling in town. Here is Dave Steele and Trista Moore journaling with me upstairs at Aldrich's Market, in "uptown" at Port Townsend. If you get to town, stop in here and try out their soup. Every day, they make the most amazing assortment of homemade soups. Mmmm...delicious.

Every Saturday and Wednesday Port Townsend holds a great Farmer's Market. Here we are trying some of the great "pour over" coffee.

Dave, Trista, Matthew, and Tony...all enjoying a break from working at Journalfest.

Here is Teesha....in a double exposure with some carrots from the Market. haha

This is the beach bungalo where we hold the Beach Journaling Party every year. This was taken with the LC-Wide on a tri-pod and using a cable release. The built in meter on this camera is fantastic! Our bonfire parties here are epic. We roast hot dogs and Some-mores and journal the night away. Can't wait for the Artfest 2011 party here ;)

We always have a Saturday night Journaling party with the band Surrealized. Kimo and Rob produce the best music to draw and journal to. Our Saturday night party is a total Blast.

Surrealized.

Journalfest Pirates...WOOT!

Thanks to everyone who came to have some fun with us! Even though there are no plans for another Journalfest (quite yet)...you never know what the future holds. In the meantime...consider coming to Play or Artfest for some great fun!

Atomic Disintegrator Pgs Part 3

2011-10-15T22:03:00.000-07:00

It is almost 10PM on a Saturday night and I just finished up the days work. I have been working a lot lately. It is a matter of being so lean the last couple of years, that I feel completely lucky and blessed to actually have work now to do. I want to honor what I consider a complete gift in the form of lots of work suddenly, by doing the absolute best job I can. For anyone who doesn't know, I own a fire sprinkler contracting company. Fire Protection is something I truly do enjoy, and honestly I am quite good at it. haha...and so humble. However, I do find myself struggling as I get older to switch between Fire Protection....and my art life. When I was younger I could make that switch with ease. Now, it takes me a little bit longer to get my Left Brain to give up the reins to my Right Brain. My journal is the path I use for this transition. Without it, I would be hopelessly stuck on the Left.

Anytime I can get Bob to draw in my journal, it is a true blessing. His drawings ALWAYS bring a huge smile to my mind.

More Atomic Disintegrator Cont. 2

2011-10-14T21:45:00.000-07:00

Here are some more journal pages from my Atomic Disintegrator journal. I made this journal exactly half the size of my last journal. The Atomic Disintegrator Journal is 6" X 9"...landscape. It is the first "landscape journal that I have worked in, and I have to admit, I really liked it. For one thing, it takes up less room on the table. This is great if you do as much journaling out and about at coffee shops and bars as I do. As I said in my last post, I am presenting these pages exactly in the "raw." My pages are very messy...and completely sporadic. If they convey anything, I hope they convey the essence of having no rules whatsoever when I journal.

More Atomic Disintegrator Journal Pages

2011-10-14T00:43:00.000-07:00

Hey guess what? Things are definitely looking up. Life has been a complete roller coaster ride and one thing that has continued to be focal point of my daily life, is my journal. It provides me with a way to relax and lose myself no matter how much stress the day throws my way. Here is a link to some of the earlier pages from this journal.

I have completed filling up this journal and am now onto my next one. I will be putting up pages from this journal pretty much in the raw. Keep in mind that my journals are with me at all times. I pull them out and sketch in them anywhere...any time. I also get others to sketch and doodle and write in them. Sometimes to my dismay....haha...but more often than not, to my utter joy.

More to come...

Had fun yesterday making Necklaces.

2011-05-30T20:56:00.000-07:00

I love long weekends. They seem to be about the only time I can truly just go into the studio and play. Last year Teesha and I went up to Neah Bay, WA and collected a bunch of these amazingly cool rocks off the beach. They are light and full of mysterious holes. They intrigue me. I have been scheming for a long time to make some of them into necklaces and this weekend I finally got to do it. These are available on my Etsy Store if anyone is interested.

The one above is of course not made of stone. It is made from thick black leather, with nickel silver and brass, with a smidge of copper.

This stone had an amazing hollow spot that was just calling out for this small bone skull.

Again, experimenting with riveting fun things to leather.

This piece is made from found beach metal and a piece of burnt cocobola wood.

Hand Forged Metal Journal Class at the Artfest Annex

2011-05-21T21:47:00.000-07:00

Today was great! I taught a metal journal class at the Artfest Annex with the excellent help of Dave from Gearskull Studios. We had a really great group of students, who all did amazing work.

One of my biggest regrets from the class that I taught last month down at the Urban Craft Center, was that I didn't take a single picture of anyone's work from class. I was totally bummed. The only picture that I know of from that class was this fantastic journal by Brian Kasstle. Thank you Brian for posting your journal. If anyone else from that class wants to send me pictures of your journal....I would love to see them.

I took some pictures from todays class however....and here they are:

Jeanne Mclaughlin incorporated this engraving plate into the cover of her journal. It came out AMAZING!

Here is Kathy Metz-Carson holding up her journal right before she headed out the door. She attended today with her husband, Wayne. Both were a blast to have in class.

Zannah Aensland

Melinda Hilbert

Sean Hilbert's Journal on the left, and his wife, Melinda's on the right.

The back of Sean's Journal.

James Lewis above...working on this amazing journal seen in the three pics below.

Kathy Johnson made this super cool journal seen below. Love how the buttons and beads and leather just seem to be made for each other.

Here is Susan Elliott. She came in with this amazing clasp that she wanted to incorporate into a journal...and the results were absolutely stunning! Love how this came out. Great job Susan.

Tyler Larsen

Tyler heated her copper to this beautiful color...which matches perfectly with the leather and this wonderful silver feather on the spine.

I still didn't get pictures of everyone's journals. Sorry to those that I missed. I really do love the way that each and every journal came out. They each have the unique mark of the very cool individual who made them. Thanks to everyone who made it to the class. Today was a blast!

Our Lomo Meets

2011-04-18T21:38:00.000-07:00

Janne and her friend Anita showed up at our last Lomo Meet at the Artfest Annex. It was great seeing them. Here is a link to Janne's blog post about her visit.

The Log of Personal Mythology's transformation into Dreams Underfoot

2011-03-26T18:08:00.000-07:00

I made this journal a few weeks ago, and when I first made it I deemed it my Log of Personal Mythology. After selling it, the buyer wanted the title "Dreams Underfoot" affixed to the cover, and it completely took this journal to the next level. I love the way it came out and the title is perfect for it. This journal is large. It measures 8" X 10" with 10 signatures of three pieces each of Fabriano Artistico hot press water color paper.

Here is where this journal began:

This piece of leather was so full of texture and pattern...it just cried out to be on the cover of a journal. I had wanted to make a journal using this brass latch for a long time, however, it just never felt like I had the right journal to use it with until this one. There was something about the natural edge of this leather that seemed perfect for this particular latch.

Laying up the journal and finding where the front and back covers fit the most naturally, is always a challenge.

Once I have it placed where it feels "just right", I map out the holes and start drilling.

For this journal, I wanted to keep the stitching streamlined, and decided to go with a straight pattern rather than X's.

This journal was great fun to make. I am glad that it has found a home with a creative soul out there. I hope that I get to see it again one day...filled with ink, paint, writing...whatever....just filled with life.

Book of Small Wonders 4

2011-03-25T11:00:00.000-07:00

More pages from my Book of Small Wonders:

Book of Small Wonders 3

2011-03-23T11:00:00.000-07:00

More pages from my Book of Small Wonders:

I know the one above was drawn by my daughter, Trista.

Book of Small Wonders 2

2011-03-21T11:00:00.000-07:00

Here are the pages to the Book of Small Wonders that I posted about earlier here. I will post the entire journal over the next little bit. Some of the sketches are mine...but most are from people I have met out there in my travels.

I absolutely love this drawing that someone in Japan did when we visited Design Festa. They captured Teesha and I pretty darn accurately. haha Unfortunately I am now just so worried about all of the cool people we met over there in Japan. I truly hope that they are all safe.

Come Play with us in Portugal

2011-03-19T19:20:00.000-07:00

I am SUPER DOOPER excited! Teesha and I are going to Portugal this summer (on our 29th wedding anniversary actually...wow! Anyway...if you are able to come join us for a really unique and spectacular adventure...we want you there.

We will be teaching at the amazing Art Paradise in Portugal during a 9 day excursion. What makes this totally unique is that we will be exploring this rich region with our amazing host, Margarida. She is native born Portuguese and speaks an astounding 7 languages. So, not only do we get to see this fantastic part of the world, but we get to do it with the security and comfort of having our own local Artist as our guide and host. In between excursions, we will be back playing, learning, and relaxing at the Art Paradise.

This is located in a beach resort town. Just look at these pictures....WOW! See why I'm excited?

I traveled to Spain back in 2001as part of school group with my daughter Trista, and have always wanted to visit that part of the world again. It mesmerized me. The culture, the people, the history...I LOVED it all. I vowed then that I would return one day with Teesha and experience it together. When the opportunity to teach in Portugal popped up, I jumped at it.

Here's a link to the class description. We will be packing tons of stuff into this event; Teesha's journaling techniques, drawing, collage, painting, book binding, and I will be bringing along my collection of Lomo Cameras to share with everyone and teach lots of cool effects like light-painting, cross processing, and shot manipulation for adding cool images to our journals.

I truly believe that this will be one of those very rare events that I will cherish for the rest of my life. I'm so excited to see who we get to share it with. See you there!

Journalfest 2011 Website is LIVE!

2011-03-06T09:23:00.000-08:00

Tiphoni has been putting in crazy amounts of hours to get the Journalfest 2011 Website up. All her efforts have paid off and the site is live and it looks FANTASTIC. What an incredible line up of classes. Journalfest is always fun...and this year looks to be no exception. It is such a great event for learning, socializing, and playing. I can't wait. Journalfest 2011

Last Night at First Thursday @the Annex

2011-03-04T20:32:00.000-08:00

We had open studio night at the Artfest Annex last night. It was "First Thursday" art walk down in Pioneer Square, and we a great night of journaling with friends. Here is the page that I doodled on while chatting and visiting with everyone. It was a really fun night, and reminded me how refreshing it is to just sit around and draw with like minded awesome people.

2011-03-02T22:34:00.000-08:00

I posted my Book of Small Wonders back in 2009...but thought it was time to revisit it, since it has been filled for the last couple of years. This is my journal bag, which was made by Hippo Products, and Teesha bought for me way way back in 1995. It has held up amazingly well. This bag has been all over the world with me and there is not a single stitch even slightly loose on it.

I found this little leather ammo pouch at Shadow House Antiques in Portland, OR and it just cried out for a journal to fill it with. So...I made the Book of Small Wonders for just such a task.

This was a great drawing from a comic book artists I met at a Portland Comic Book show back in 2006. Now if only I could remember his name...

When we were in Tokyo, I was having a hard time explaining my drink to the baristas over there. I finally had one of them write it down in Japanese so that all I had to do was pull out this little journal and show them this page and I'd get a nice grande, iced, soy, matcha latte'. Yum!

I will be posting pages from this journal over the next week or two. It is filled mainly with drawings that I have collected from people I have met all over the world.

My Favorite Places to Eat Close to the Annex

2011-02-28T20:17:00.000-08:00

Here is a list of my favorite places to eat that are close to the Artfest Annex. I have them listed here in no particular order, as I actually do like them all equally. It just depends on what kind of mood I'm in. All of these places are very close and easy to walk to.

Delicatus

Delicatus is my "go to" spot for absolutely stunning sandwiches. It is right around the corner from the Annex. Literally walk to First Ave, take a right, go past the chocolate shop, and it is right there. They make DIVINE sandwiches. Here are my two faves:

Tats

For Philly Cheese-steaks, we are lucky enough to have the two best places in the state...maybe even in the country. Tats has been around a long time and they have a huge menu of amazing food. They recently moved into a much larger space and are almost always packed out at lunch time. Besides the Cheese-steaks, you can grab a pastrami, or corned beef, or any number of other spectacular creations here.

Calozzi's

So Calozzi's actually moved into Tat's old location. At first, I thought this was kind of crazy, but wow...they really know what they are doing. This is a family owned, small place, with a limited but outstanding selection. You cannot go wrong with the cheese-steak. But don't hesitate to try the roasted pork sandwich as well. It is slow roasted and packed with more flavor than I would have thought possible. One of the owner's wife, makes a chicken sandwich that I have not tried yet, but I've heard rave reviews from people that have.

Built Burger

The burgers here are amazing and eclectic. I had a version of the classic "Joe's Special" the other day, which had spinach, onions, and was topped with a fried egg. It was great. The thing that makes Built Burger different from every other burger joint I have ever seen, is the fact that no matter what kind of burger you choose, the ingredients are actually put inside of the patty itself. Everything is fresh and tasty and high quality. The fries are delicious, as well as their potato beignets.

Here is an example of one of their beef burgers:

Trailblazer Melt

Unexpected, Unreal. Lose yourself in this scrumptious blend of all natural beef, cave-aged, nutty gruyere cheese, fresh caraway seeds and caramelized onions. It'll take you back and forward at the same time.Pleasing, all your senses. 6 oz.

Here is an example of one of their chicken burgers:

Amazing Hot Wing BuiltBurger (all natural chicken)
BackStory: The Built team of mad "burger" scientists love to have fun. This one epitomizes that trait --- capture the quintessential flavor of all-american hot wings in a delicious, moist authentic chicken burger.

Built Take: Tender freshly ground all natural chicken takes on a bold, flavorful personality with the right balance of freshly diced celery, hand-crumbled danish bleu cheese and classic Buffalo-style hot wing sauce. Top it with good 'ole ranch and you have a real winner.

Why Now: Everyone needs a new app. for summer parties. Skip the bun...quarter this one up and insert picks. Folks will talk.

Profile: All Natural Chicken | Fresh celery | Hot Wing sauce | Danish Bleu cheese

Check out their website. They ship their burger patties all over the country.

Cafe Vita

This is one of my favorite places for coffee. I have many, but they really do pull a great shot. However, what puts this on my list of faves, is not only the coffee, but the Pizzeria they have nestled in here. It's absolutely AMAZING!

"Caffé Vita founder, Mike Mcconnell, brings a new traditional Neapolitan pizza establishment to Seattle, nestled in the corner of the new Pioneer Square Caffé Vita location. Within Pizzeria Napoletana you will find a hand-built volcanic brick oven, constructed by third generation Neapolitan masons, firing pizzas out every 90 seconds alongside Italian beer, wine, and small antipasti plates."

Besides great pizzas, they make this sandwich that is like a pita pocket, only made from wood fired pizza dough and stuffed with arugula, mozzarella, and prosciutto. This sandwich is delicious and satisfying without being completely overwhelming.

If you find yourself in Seattle, and are anywhere near Pioneer Square, stop in at the Artfest Annex, and also grab something to eat at one of these amazing places. You won't be disappointed.

Tiny Book of Big Ideas - The Inside, Part 4

2011-02-27T11:00:00.000-08:00

Tiny Book of Big Ideas - The Inside, Part 3

2011-02-25T11:00:00.000-08:00

Tiny Book of Big Ideas - The Inside, Part 2

2011-02-23T11:00:00.000-08:00

Tiny Book of Big Ideas - The Inside, Part 1

2011-02-21T11:00:00.000-08:00

It never seems that we travel all that much, until I started looking back through this little journal. Granted, it does span a large period of time, almost four years, and I tend to use my small journals more when I'm on trips, but I was surprised looking back through this one just how much we traveled over this period of time. I started using this one on cruise we took with our amazing daughters Tiphoni and Trista. I have to admit...I feel like the luckiest guy in the world to have such an awesome family. We all enjoy spending time together and have a blast when we are hanging out.

Haha...I remember the start of this trip...when the four of us had to cram into one room with one bed. Teesha and the girls shared the queen, while I slept on the floor. All thanks to a mix up with our reservation and the fact that it was Valentine's Day and all of Ft. Lauderdale was completely booked up for hotel rooms.

To be continued...

Tiny Book of Big Ideas

2011-02-20T14:54:00.000-08:00

I made this journal way back in '03...and used it from '04 through '07. I tend to always work in one main larger journal throughout the year, with a smaller sidekick journal that I can throw in my pocket if I don't want to carry the larger one with me. This was one of the tiny ones.

Not sure why this one took me so long to fill. I was probably working in several different small ones at the same time.

This journal is tiny. It is 1 3/4" X 2 3/4". It is coptic bound, with five signatures of 140# hot press Fabriano Artistico paper. Each signature is made of three pieces of paper, totaling 12 pages to work on.

The front I made using a piece of nickel silver that I bent the sides up to form a tray like structure. I placed the small pieces of brass strip with the words, and the elephant head onto the nickel silver, then used Amazing Glaze (which is an ultra-thick embossing type powder) to form the somewhat clear "resin" look to it.

When this was first completed, the journal was completely clear and free of cracks. After so many years in my pocket, being dropped repeatedly, and being abused in my bag, the cover has sustained many cracks, chips, and blemishes. For all that, I really like the way the Amazing Glaze weathered and love the way this journal looks like an old piece of amber that I just dug out of the ground. Here it is almost eight years after its creation:

The back of the journal is made from a piece of Cocobolo. One of my favorite woods to work with. It is super hard and durable.

On my next post, I will show how the inside filled up on this one. It was small...but going through it eight years later, I am amazed at how much information it was able to record.

LTA Journal

2011-02-17T23:37:00.000-08:00

Here is a new journal I finished recently. I got this cool metal "LTA" sign from my neighbor...in fact I got two from him, so I have another LTA journal yet to make. I have no idea what this sign originally stood for...but I am having fun coming up with different combination of words that I can assign to it. I might even add a small brass plaque on the front with whatever I end up deciding it means. This journal is 6" X 9" landscape style, with eight signatures of 140# hot press Fabriano Artistico paper.

The Double Journal

2011-02-14T11:00:00.000-08:00

Here is a journal that opens both on the left and on the right. The overall dimensions are 4" x 6", with each half being a 3" x 4" journal. There are six signatures on each side, with a solid back. The cover is copper, distressed and heated, and the back is also copper with black leather. This was a fun journal to make. I have plans for making larger ones, possibly with black paper on one side for photos, and blank pages on the other for journaling.

Munro Journal

2011-02-13T10:47:00.000-08:00

I made this journal a few years ago. It is small, with a coptic stitch binding. I have used Diamond Glaze many times on projects and it dries amazingly hard. Up until this journal, I had always used it on wood, and nickel silver. However, on this journal, the Diamond Glaze reacted to the brass or copper on this journal and turned a deep blue. At first, you couldn't see through it at all, but over time, it gained a translucency and I really like the effect it produced.

A Tour of Tiphoni's Studio in Georgetown

2011-02-12T23:50:00.000-08:00

Tonight, Teesha and I went to Tiphoni's studio tour during the Georgetown Art Attack. Tiphoni's studio is full of whimsy and life, and almost everywhere I look something just cracks me up. Whether it's her amazing characters...or what they are doing...or what she calls them. She comes up with the most amazing things. Being out here reminds me how important it is that we go out and support the Artists in our community. They work really hard to make our lives better by filling our world with art. "Art Walks" are a great opportunity for this. You get to see a wide variety of work and styles, and it is a blast to socialize with so many creative souls. Find your local "Art Walk" and get on out there ;)

Tiphoni made this cool creature for her door to welcome everyone in.

She blew up her journal pages and had them posted to the wall outside her studio. They look amazing anyway...and blown up, they look Super Amazing.

These are some goodies she had for sale. Her felted creations have so much life and personality. They crack me up.

See what I mean? She is a tornado of talent.

Atomic Disintegrator: More Pages

2011-02-12T13:26:00.000-08:00

Atomic Disintegrator: More Pages

2011-02-11T13:25:00.000-08:00

Atomic Disintegrator: More Pages

2011-02-10T13:21:00.000-08:00

I was having fun carving stamps again. The wolf postage stamp and the Wolverine were a lot of fun to make.

The stamps on this page were carved about ten years ago by me. Wow...can't believe how fast time zooms by.

Atomic Disintegrator: More Pages

2011-02-09T13:13:00.000-08:00

I was journaling at Bar Ranita in Playa Del Carmen the very first night we were in Mexico and I asked the waitress (Maria, who ended up journaling with Tiphoni and me and actually getting Tiphoni to draw all over here brand new white tennis shoes) if she had a logo sticker of Bar Ranita's. She went away for a few minutes and came back with the logo obviously cut from one of the menus and stuck to the back of some clear tape. "Here, will this work?" she asked handing it to me. haha...I LOVE it.

Winter Ice Walk

2011-02-08T22:05:00.000-08:00

Back in January, for Teesha's birthday, we took a drive out near Black Diamond to Flaming Geyser State Park. It was freezing outside that day. 17 deg F or so. We drove into the park and I marveled at the group of Kayakers getting ready to enter the frigid ice lined river.

It was a beautiful day. Unfortunately the park was in serious need of some repair, as the trails were almost completely washed out.

Here are a few pics I took that day using my Lomo LCA+ and some Rollei Nightbird Rescale film. These shots are very dark...but I like them. The day was dark, and as usual with Redscale films, I needed to over expose it quite a bit. In fact, most of the roll didn't come out, and the next time I use this film I will set the camera at 200iso instead of 400. For these ones that came out, I held my finger over the light meter on the front of the camera so that the shutter would stay open longer.

The Number 20 Journal

2011-02-08T13:09:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure if I am done with this journal or not yet. I might add some stuff to it...just not sure. It is 4" X 6" and I made it fairly thin...even though it has 6 signatures of 3 each 140# hot press Fabriano Artistico water color paper. I have not actually used a journal this size yet...and when I pick this one up, it is just pulling me hard to start drawing in it.

Small Copper Journal

2011-02-07T13:07:00.000-08:00

And another 3" x 4" fairly simple journal. This one has a copper cover which I colored using a torch, and textured it with the dapping die and a small grinding bit.

The Number 8

2011-02-06T13:04:00.000-08:00

Here is another small 3" X 4" journal I recently made. I am using more of that red leather that I bought a while back and I just love it.

A small Metal Octopus Journal

2011-02-05T13:00:00.000-08:00

This journal is 3" X 4" and has a cast bronze Octopus riveted to a nickel silver cover that I textured with a small grinding bit, then colored with some turquoise Rub & Buff.

I am on a roll making this size journal right now. I have filled many of these small journals up and I love the feel of them. I am always working in two journals at one time. My large journal which goes with me almost everywhere, and one of these small ones that literally does go with me everywhere. They just fit great in the pocket...and I find that people are less intimidate to add a doodle or a drawing to a small metal book than a large intimidating one. And I do love getting random people to draw in my books.

Atomic Disintegrator: More Pages

2011-02-04T21:02:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty sure I posted earlier about this raygun being a toy I had when I was a kid. I was excited to put it on a journal...but was hesitant about using a "landscape" style journal as I had never worked in a journal of this shape and size before. I have to admit...I LOVE it. It is so nice having a journal I can pull out at a restaurant and not have it take up the entire table. Being wide, I still feel that I have lots of landscape to cover...and...best of all, it is great because it doesn't infringe onto Teesha's table territory.

Here are a few more pages:

Some Journal Pages from my Atomic Disintegrator Journal

2011-02-03T00:34:00.000-08:00

I'm going to try and post here a little more often. These are some pages from my latest journal.

TNT Collaborative Journal #3

2010-08-22T12:00:00.000-07:00

For this journal, we went big. It is 9" X 10" with ten signatures of three pages each. As always, we used 140# hot press water color paper...Fabriano Artistico. It took me a bit to figure out how to make the clock as flat as possible...while still allowing the hands to spin.

Journal For Tiphoni

2010-08-21T21:53:00.000-07:00

I had made a journal for my daughter Tiphoni about five years ago. I made it with a thin cedar cover because she loves the smell of cedar. Unfortunately, the wood was too thin and it broke almost as soon as she started using it. I had set it aside, and actually forgot about it. The other day, I found it and replaced the fragile cedar cover with new copper ones. I decided to use the "patina" Rub & Buff on it and I really like the blue hue it has. Teesha did all the beading on this journal.

Metal Journal Workshop in Avon Lake, OH

2010-07-21T22:38:00.000-07:00

Ginny Carter Smallenburg invited Teesha and I to Ohio to teach some workshops in journaling and making journals. We traveled to Avon Lake last week and had a wonderful time teaching, catching up with old friends, and making new ones. Here are some shots from that class:

Lisa K. Gendron made this wonderful metal journal. The colors she got out of her copper covers were simply incredible.

Carina Karlsson and Shaun Sheehan

Shaun Sheehan made this ambitious Journal with a wheel that actually spins. It's VERY cool.

PJ Dutton

Nancy Fiumera

Nancy brought pre-printed pages for her Frozen Charlotte book. With pictures and a ballad, she tells the story of the Frozen Charlotte and bound it all in this cool little copper book.

Having produced three metal books already, Nancy still had time to make this piece of jewelry.

Mike Meador of Coffee Break Designs created a very holy journal. He brought a lot of fun to the class. Each day he gave everyone "Coffee Break Gifts"...which were amazing. Stencils, tiny little one inch rulers, small pencils, and many other cool things.

John Smallenburg

John and Ginny are the best Hosts ever. They really know how to turn up the hospitality. John made this incredible journal. It truly is exquisite.

Shaun Sheehan really kicked out some amazing work this weekend. Here is a small book that she made with the One Inch Brass Rulers we all received from Mike Meador as one of our Coffee Break Design's daily gifts.

She decided to turn this little masterpiece into a ring. So Cool!

Carina Karlsson made this journal with leather pocket on the back and a cover with many hidden wonders.

She also made this 4H Chick mini journal.

This class was so much fun. The creativity in this group just exploded out of the room. Thank you everyone for joining me.

Metal Journal Workshop at the Studio

2010-07-17T21:34:00.000-07:00

Here are some shots from my Metal Journal Workshop at the studio last month. It was a great group of people, and we had a lot of fun. The journals that everyone made just blew me away.

Here is Lisa Cheney-Jorgensen working away on her journal cover.

Mardie Rhodes made this amazing journal with some very cool red snake skin over a nickel silver structure.

Leslie Hale got some of the most amazing colors out of her cover using a torch...and hammering the coolest tiny little marks all over it. It came out perfect.

I unfortunately did not take enough pictures from this class and missed out on capturing shots of all the wonderful journals that were made over the two day class. What a great group of people. Thank you all for coming and working in the studio with me.

Cleveland

2010-07-15T13:20:00.000-07:00

Teesha and I are in Cleveland right now. We are here to teach a couple of classes and it feels really good to be back over here again. Haha...although the humidity is a killer right now. This is a test post to see if I can upload shots from my phone and iPad to the blog. We are off to a barbecue with friends. I will try and post more later tonight.

TNT Collaborative Journal #2

2010-07-06T08:24:00.000-07:00

Here is Journal # 2. This is a small 1 1/2" x 2" Necklace Journal made from nickel silver and white leather. It has four signatures with 140# hot press Fabriano Artistico water color paper.

TNT Collaborative Journal #1

2010-07-04T18:52:00.000-07:00

Teesha and I have been having fun working together on designing some new journals. Here are shots of the first completed one. We plan on having lots more done before Journalfest. This is made from Nickle Silver and white leather. It has been really fun working together on the same book.

It has ten signatures of 140# hot press Fabriano Artistico watercolor paper. Stay Tuned for more ;)

First Aid Journal

2010-06-19T20:35:00.000-07:00

I found this First Aid Tin at an antique mall the other day and just knew I had to make a journal out of it.

Because of the indents in the covers, I had to add create accordion signatures that pivot out from the first and last signatures. This makes for a mix of sewed-in signatures and accordion style ones.

Teesha added bits of red tape to this to tie it in with the cover. I really like the way it turned out.

The following are pics I took while making this one:

Here is the original box.

I bent a piece of nickel silver to use as a tool to take the box lid off.

Next I pried apart the sides of the box.

Leather makes such a great spine.

Once again, I use a 5/64" bit for all my sewing.

My Raygun Journal

2010-06-11T23:39:00.000-07:00

I recently completed a new journal. The cover of it features a Raygun that I had when I was a kid. The handle had gone missing over the years, so I made a new one for it. Here are some pics of the journal and some of the steps I took to make it.

I had to figure a way to attach the Raygun to the cover, so I used 1/8" thick brass and made three square pieces that I riveted on and tapped out a 6/32 thread for the screws to tighten into.

These are the wire pin rivets that I made and use to attach stuff to my journals.

I use 1/16" drill bits for the holes for these rivets.

I use a larger drill bit to debur the rivet holes.

I ended up putting three of these screw points on to hold the Raygun.

For the back I used a piece of copper matched up with a piece of nickel silver. I used rulers and a badge to bind the pieces together.

I use a 5/64" drill bit for all binding holes.

Using nails...I secure the back piece over the back leather before drilling the rest of the holes.

I usually make up paper guides to drill all of the signature holes.

Using the same template, I mark out the holes for the signatures.

Lately I have been using my 5/64" drill bit to even drill the holes in the signatures themselves.

I always bind the signatures in loosely at first.

After all the signatures are in, then I pull them tight..one at a time.

Kind of a long post....but I thought it would be fun to share pics I took while I was making it.

LCA Redscale Shots

2010-05-22T19:02:00.000-07:00

Here are some shots I took with my LCA while walking around Pioneer Square. I am using one of the old LCA since I can set the ISO down to 25 on it, which I find useful when using the Lomography Redscale Film. Redscale film is where they take normal color film and spool it in backwards, so that the opposite side of the film than normal is faced toward the lens on the inside of your camera. I really have no idea why it comes out red and yellows...but I love it. Even though the film is 100 speed, I find that if I set the camera for 25, it comes out much better than if I were to set it at 100. I love the newer LCA+'s, but this is one instances where the old LCA comes in handy since the LCA+ does not go below 100 ISO.

The following shots were taken at night. Since the old LCA does not have a cable release, I took these shots by holding the camera up against light poles, or on top of newspaper boxes, etc.. Whatever I could find to hold the camera super still until I heard the second click of the shutter closing. I love taking night shots with my LCA's.

Self Portrait Project - Lisa Renner

2010-04-05T12:00:00.000-07:00

Here are Lisa's pages:

Lisa...thanks for all the effort on these pages. They really came out spectacular.

Self Portrait Project - John Whipple

2010-04-03T12:00:00.000-07:00

Here are John's pages:

and...hahaha...you crack me up too! thanks!

Self Portrait Project - Lynn Whipple

2010-04-02T12:00:00.000-07:00

Here are Lynn Whipple's pages:

haha...you crack me up. love this!

Self Portrait Project - Claudine Hellmuth

2010-04-01T12:00:00.000-07:00

Here are Claudine's pages ;)

haha...AWESOME ;)

Self Portrait Project - Anne Bagby

2010-03-31T12:00:00.000-07:00

Here are Anne Bagby's page:

Anne...I LOVE this! It really is completely beautiful. The fact that you are doing your self portrait...in your self portrait...is pure brilliance!

Self Portrait Project - Jeane Minnix

2010-03-30T12:00:00.000-07:00

Here are Jeane's pages:

Jeane...thanks! Your pages are wonderful!

Self Portrait Project - Lesley Riley

2010-03-29T12:00:00.000-07:00

Here are Lesley Riley's pages:

Lesley....Yay! for Archie McPhees! haha. Love those shots...and you made them look 3D which is incredible.

Self Portrait Project - LK Ludwig

2010-03-28T12:00:00.001-07:00

Here are LK's amazing pages:

LK...you continually AMAZE me. ;) thanks!

Self Portrait Project - Bee Shay

2010-03-28T12:00:00.000-07:00

Here are Bee's pages:

This page unfolds into the following:

Bee...these pages blew me away. Thanks!

Self Portrait Project - Judi Riesch

2010-03-27T12:00:00.000-07:00

Here are Judi's pages:

Thanks Judi...I love these pages!

Self Portrait Project - Michelle Ward

2010-03-26T12:00:00.000-07:00

Here are Michelle's pages:

Michelle...I too absolutely love architecture. It fascinates me.

Self Portrait Project - Lynne Perrella

2010-03-25T12:00:00.000-07:00

These pictures really don't do justice to Lynne's pages. Both pages have mini journals on them that are completely filled up. Thanks Lynne...these pages are fantastic!

Self Portrait Project - Shirley Ende-Saxe

2010-03-24T12:00:00.000-07:00

Here are Shirley's amazing pages:

Self Portrait Project - Anne Grgich

2010-03-23T12:00:00.000-07:00

Anne was the fifth artist in my Self Portrait Project. Here are her pages:

Anne's work explodes with energy. Much the like artist herself ;)

Self Portrait Project - Beth Black

2010-03-22T12:00:00.000-07:00

Beth was the fourth artist to play in the my Self Portrait Project journal. Here are her pages:

Beth...I love words too ;) and yours entranced me.

Self Portrait Project - Lesley Jacobs

2010-03-21T19:44:00.000-07:00

I apologize to everyone who was part of this project that it has taken me so long to actually get the pages scanned in and put up. I received my journal back to me last year at Artfest. So...it has taken me a solid year to get this moving. Sorry about that. I love the way my book filled up, and am thrilled that I have gotten to know each artist in my book quite a bit better than I had before.

Lesley Jacobs was the third self portrait artist to work in my book. (I was first...then Teesha..now Lesley.)
Here is her front and back pages:

Wow! Lesley...this is fascinating. Sometime you will have to tell me the story of how you traded harmonicas with Bruce Springsteen. Thanks for your pages in my book. I love them.

Self Portrait Project

2010-02-09T20:51:00.000-08:00

In 2005 I was part of a journal swap of 25 artists. The theme for the swap was "Self Portrait." We each made a journal and the idea was to send it off to the next person on the list and each person would have a month to complete their part of the project before sending it on to the next artist on the list. 25 Artists, 25 months. At least that was the idea. haha...it took a lot more time than that...but the project was completely fun and I love the work that came back to me in my book. I will try and put up a few pages up here every so often so you can see the incredible work everyone did in my book.

I made a metal journal that is in the style of the Japanese fold books so it could be taken loose and pulled apart. Everyone was supposed to do a self portrait on the front of the page, and give more information about themselves on the back.

Here is the cover. It is cut metal...part of which is colored with my Copic Air Brush System. Some of you know, that I love the Copic Markers. Did you know they are permanent? They work great on metal, glass, fabric, etc..

Here is the back...which unlocks and the spine opens up, allowing the book to spread open "accordion" style. I made a series of holes on the spine lock points to allow for expansion as people added dimension to their pages of the journal.

I will work on getting more pages from this fun project up soon.

More Trapeze Party shots

2010-02-08T11:15:00.000-08:00

Here are some more shots from the party at the Trapeze School in Seattle. I took all of these with my Nikon D300 digital camera. To see more from this series...click here.

Steve Salik

2010-02-08T07:53:00.000-08:00

This sculpture was created by Steve Salik. It was inspired by Theo Ellsworth's art, and it just blew us away. Steve is a great book artist and friend. We have been lucky to have him join us for every one of our Winter Play retreats. He has a quick wit, a keen eye, and tons of super creative ideas.

Here is a link to his flickr set of photos from the last Play event we just had a couple of weeks ago. Thanks Steve for taking such great shots and for sharing them.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevesalik/sets/72157623226091831/

Seattle Trapeze School Party

2010-02-07T21:20:00.000-08:00

Last night I went to an amazing party in Seattle at a Trapeze Arts school. We were invited by the band Surrealized who played at Journalfest last year. They are incredible, and blow me away every time I hear them. And...they are the nicest guys too. There were also dj's, spinners, light painters, visual projection artists, a huge dance floor with trapeze artists performing overhead, and an amazing fashion show. My daughter Tiphoni and I had a table upstairs on the balcony overlooking the entire event. People stopped by and drew in our journals as well as one of the 1000 journals. I also showed people a bunch of lomo cameras I had brought with me. It was the most amazing party I have ever been to. We left there for home at 6am the next morning. We met some really creative people and had a blast. They didn't advertise this party as they wanted to do a test run and see how it went. It was such a success that they are already talking about planning lots more. I can't wait.

These first two pictures are of Guli who is an exchange student here from UzBekistan. She sat and drew a page in the 1000journal. I never really found out how she discovered the party...but I'm glad she was there and we totally enjoyed her company while she sat with us.

All of these shots were taken with my Diana F+ with the Instant Back and a Fisheye lens on it. That camera is so much fun.

Walking around the Dog Park.

2010-01-20T11:00:00.000-08:00

Here are some more Horizon shots which I took during my latest walk at Marymoor Dog Park (most people there call it Dog Disneyland.) This place is 93 acres of Dog fun fun!

Going for walks.

2010-01-19T11:00:00.000-08:00

Part of my new outlook on life is to take alot of walks. My daughter, Trista, is a champion for walks, rain or shine. She wants to be out there in the woods, walking, and communing with nature. Here are some Horizon shots I took on one of our walks in the rain. This trail is about a quarter mile from our house and it is truly beautiful and mystical.

Some Journal Pages

2010-01-18T11:18:00.000-08:00

Here are some more Journal Pages from my "Written Journal":

Most of these shots were taken with my Daina F+ with the Instant-Back on it. This is Fuji Instax Mini film. This camera is incredibly fun...and so accomodating for all out play.

Here is the original for my Book of Blood pages.

I am working on this page right now while we are staying at Chito Beach for Teesha's Birthday. I'll put up the finished page when I'm done with it. The little pics I took on our hike out to Cape Flattery.

Yay! 2010

2010-01-17T18:07:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone. Sorry for being so absent since November. I'm sure that most of you know from reading Teesha's blog that I ran into some health issues right after Thanksgiving and it jerked me away from this blog and some other stuff for a while. While it was a scary thing back then, it has all worked out great. I really feel that being diagnosed with Type II Diabetes was one of the best things that could have happend to me. Aside from almost losing a foot (...which was the scariest part of this whole deal...although if it wasn't for the severity of it, it probably wouldnt have been a big enough slap to actually wake me up...) It was a great wake up call, and since November I have got my blood sugars managed and under control as well as my eating and meal prep. When it first happend, Teesha took the entire weekend and did nothing but research and study about what needed to change in our diets and daily routines...she is the most tenacious researcher I know! Anyway, thank you all for being so supportive and sending me emails and thoughts and advice. I really appreciate it. All of that advice and new knowledge has helped me develope a daily plan that includes a pretty killer eating program, excercise, and documentation routine (so I can continually modify and learn how my body reacts to different foods.) All in all, 2010 looks to be a great year and a great new beginning ...I'm really looking forward to it.

Here are some shots of my new "Book of Blood" which I made to keep track of my blood sugar levels as well as everything I eat, when I eat it, and all of the other pertinent stuff that I am monitoring now (insulin amount, weight, excercise, etc.)

I found this bag at Fossil and it is perfect for my new journal, my blood test kit, and a lomo camera or two.

I found this San Francisco Chinatown Zodiac thing someplace and I have wanted to use if for a journal cover for quite some time now.

I drew this template in my "Written" journal and then printed it as well as the different pictures onto 140# hot press Fabriano Artistico watercolor paper (the same stuff I always use in my journals)...and then bound it together. It still has room for notes, doodles, and drawings.

This is the first book that I have made with a calender printed right in it. I figured I might as well have one place for all of my appointments and such...and what better place then my Book of Blood.

There are exactly 52 of these weekly log pages in this book. So...when the end of the year comes, I better have a new one ready to go.

Lately I have been loving using this caligraphy pen with this Calli ink. There is something I just love about the scratching noise it makes and the way it splatters and spits. I do have to be careful though...as it takes a bit to dry. But...it is well worth it. Both my daughters, Tiffany and Trista, use this nib and introduced it to me. It has been laying around on my desk for the past couple of years and I finally started to use it. Now I know why they love it so much. It's super cool!

Thanks again for hanging in there with me. I hope to be posting quite a bit more often again.

Book of Inner Mythos take 2

2009-11-21T09:07:00.000-08:00

I blogged about this journal a while ago. It was okay...but there was something about it that just bugged me. I was unhappy with it and every time I saw it sitting there on my shelf, it called out to me. It knew it was unfinished as well. So, I reworked it a bit and here are the before and after shots. I'm much happier with it now...and it is happier too ;)

Before:

After:

Atomic Disintegrator Journal

2009-11-15T18:52:00.000-08:00

Over the years, I have made many journals using polymer clay and wire mesh for covers. It's a really fun technique and the possiblities for what you can do with it are endless. I will be teaching polymer clay journals, and other things, at our Winter Play retreat coming up in January. We still have some spots if anyone wants to come and play.

The structure of this retreat is my favorite of all the retreats we hold. Basically, each attendee gets an entire table that they set up for the whole weekend. Nick-nacks, toys, doo-dads, and all manner of inspiration inhabit our work spaces. It truly is great to be able to set up your space...and not have to worry about moving or packing up your stuff until the end of the retreat.

Throughout the weekend Teesha and I demostrate many different things. Teesha demos her journaling techniques, painting, lettering, journal construction, etc. And I demo polymer clay journals, copic air brush, stamp carving, writing, doodling, etc.. It's very free form, so if you don't feel like watching a particular demo, you can skip it...or get a repeat later on. We have many return attendees who spend most of the weekend just playing in their journals, or focus on making journals, and sometimes skip many of the demos altogether. It's relaxing...yet full of creative energy at the same time. If you can swing it...come Play with us this winter ;)

Seattle Lomography Adventure Club meet up ;)

2009-11-14T11:47:00.000-08:00

These shots were taken with my Diana F+ using the Fuji Instax Mini back and the "Fisheye" lens. For the light swirls, I used the B (bulb) setting on the camera which allows the shutter to be held open as long as I am holding down the shutter release...then I moved the camera around in a circular motion over a candle to create the light swirl...then (without advancing the film) I took a shot of someone, again holding down the shutter release while on the B setting. A key element to these shots, is that when I take the shot of the subject, I use the Diana F+'s flash, freehand...holding it at arms length and triggering it with it manually with my other hand. I have found that for these kinds of shots, where I am getting really close to my subject because of the Fisheye Lens, if I use the Flash while attached to the camera it is too close to the subject and washes it out. This is a fun technique for shooting with the B setting, but only works in dark places, like the restaurant we were in.

For the "split image" shots, I had forgotten my Diana F+ Splitzer...so I just taped over half the lens,,,took one half of a persons face....swapped the tape to the other side of the lens...and took the other half of the picture with someone else's face.

I took these shots at Rain Sushi in the Wallingford neighborhood of Seattle. We had a Seattle Lomography Adventure Club (SLAC) meet here on 11/11/09...and it was tons of fun ;)

If you are interested in joining in on the next SLAC meeting, email me and I will add you to the group email list for upcoming events. tracyvmoore@gmail.com

Tape Art Video

2009-11-08T11:49:00.000-08:00

I just found this video and I think it is FANTASTIC.

Teesha's Lettering Video Part 2

2009-11-06T22:43:00.000-08:00

And here is part two of Teesha's lettering video. We have a part 3 done as well...but my camera work is sooooo bad in it i think we might just reshoot it and then put it up. I'm going to check it out tomorrow when I'm not so tire and then make the decision.

Teesha's Lettering video #2

Teesha's Lettering Video Part 1

2009-11-06T22:08:00.000-08:00

We are back at it. Trying to improve these videos. Thanks to a couple of people's comments I figured out how to rotate the videos so you can see them the right side up. I'm still working on how to move the camera smoothly and keep my shadows off the page. oh well...at least we are getting them done...and we are having fun making them. I get mezmerized by Teesha when she is working on her pages so the time just flies by. I'll post the links here as I get them done.

Teesha Moore Journaling: Lettering Part 1

Halloween on Silva Street

2009-11-03T23:32:00.000-08:00

On Halloween, Teesha and I went up to North Bend to explore the Silva Cemetery. Our friend Emily who manages our favorite Tully's Coffee in Issaquah, worked for months with her brother Eddy to create this fantastic Halloween wonderland at their house on Silva Ave. They use all "found" stuff for these amazing works of art. Eddy uses old motors and parts from washing machines and other appliances to make the skeletons, ghosts, rabid dogs, and other creatures move.

Here are a few shots I took with my LCA.

Teesha' Videos - The White Page Journal

2009-11-01T16:51:00.000-08:00

Teesha's 16 Pg Journal Video part 2

2009-11-01T14:42:00.000-08:00

Teesha's 16 Pg Journal Video part 1

2009-11-01T14:38:00.000-08:00

I know most of you have probably already seen this on Teesha's Blog. But I am trying to learn how to do all this fun video stuff and I thought I would post the links here too. Teesha and I have been having lots of fun making videos and I am really enjoying the process of learning this new medium (new to me anyway.)

Our Halloween Party

2009-10-30T19:46:00.000-07:00

We had a cheese & wine tasting Halloween party. We really don't know that much about wine...but we are liking it more and more and are learning as we go. That is one of the things I love about Whole Foods. They have a fantastic cheese departments. I love the fact that we can sample any cheese before buying it. I also met an old friend there that is in charge of the wine department. He helped us select some fun wines for our party.

Our two reds were: The Ghost of 413 and Ash Hollow's Headless Red both wines were Washington wines and they were excellent.

Our whites were in bottles shaped like cats. One was a black cat and one was a red cat. They were so tasty. They were both 2007 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer Rieslings.Here's the cheese plate we each had:

The pages above were scanned from a journal that Teesha keeps a lot of notes in. (She is ALWAYS writing notes...haha...even in her sleep it seems.) On the left page is the list of cheese that she wrote up for our party. I think the little smiley faces denote her favorites.

From left to right: Matthew, Tiphoni, Trista, and Dave.
All these shots (except for Teesha's page and the cat bottle) were taken with my LCA.

I absolutely love get-togethers like this. We have so much fun. Lots of laughter and joy, and looking back at these photos leaves me craving the next party.

Fuji Instax 200 Instant Film Camera

2009-10-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

Here is the Fuji Instax 200 camera. It uses Fuji Instax Wide film and takes amazing pictures. If you are looking for a fun camera that takes crisp wide shots instantly, then this camera if for you. I bought mine for $49.95 from Glazer's Camera in Seattle. I did see them on Amazon for $43.00 or so. The film runs about $1.00 per picture...which is typical for instant film. The shot here was taken at the base of Magnolia looking over to downtown Seattle.

Woodburning Fun With Theo

2009-10-29T18:50:00.000-07:00

Sunday after Journalfest, we drove home in happy yet tired bliss. Theo was with us as his train did not leave until the following morning. Even though we were all beat, Tiphoni, Theo, Matthew, and Tony and I all played in the studio when we got home. We were in a weird sleepy creative spirit. Theo and I decided to work on a small collaborative drawing. We were sitting at my work bench and Theo drew this guy on a small piece of wood and then I wood burned it. Tiphoni and Matthew were drawing. Tony was working on photos from Journalfest. We had a blast, and although we were physically tired, our minds were in a euphoric state that lasted all night.

Journalfest

2009-10-27T20:18:00.000-07:00

We are home now after an amazing time at Journalfest. This was our first year for Journalfest, an event we have been envisioning for several years now, and it was an absolute blast. While we have seen the number of people openly confessing their use and love of visual journals grow rapidly over the years, there was still a little bit of question in our minds if the event would come off the way we had hoped. Frankly it exceeded our expectations.

One hundred and fifty like-minded journal enthusiasts gathered at Fort Worden State Park and held communion with each other over the course of several days. Our schedule follows the pattern we have established for most of our events, including our big event, ARTFEST. Registration began on Wed afternoon, followed by dinner and an opening meeting. Due to the smaller size of Journalfest, we were able to conduct our opening meeting in the Fort's old theater. I love this building for its cool old glowing marquis and for its sloping comfy seating area.

LCA Shot

Thursday was the first of three days of classes. Our attendees took classes, in book binding, metal books, writing, painting, drawings, etc.. Thursday night was our first Journal party. Truthfully, I was a little worried about this party. I personally LOVE journaling out at bars and coffee shops and using my journal to meet other creative souls. However, I didn't know for sure that others would be as into "Social Journaling" as much as I was.

I was pleasantly surprised by the turn out for the party. We had a packed house and the best part was that everyone was laughing, talking, and journaling together. It a dream come true.

I had taken a couple of Teesha's journal pages and blown them up and printed them out on my HP500 printer. I cut the faces out of these and we mounted them up for people to stick thier heads in for some photo fun. These were a blast.

LCA shot of Karen Michel and Traci Bautista

Friday was another day of awesome classes and that night we had our Artist Marketplace. Our vendor night was fairly short (2hrs), but "wow" there was some cool stuff here to pick up from our artists.

Saturday was another fun day of classes followed by our second Journaling and LCA 25th Anniversary party that night. This party was litterally CRAZY fun. We were fortunate to have the band "Surrealized" perform for us. This band consisted of two talented artists, and a collection of musical instruments and electronic gear seemingly large enough for ten. They infused the party with pure magic.

Shot by Tony Patton

Lomography had sent a bunch of stuff for this party. Shot glasses, buttons, t-shirts, film, etc which we gave away as door prizes. They also sent a very impressive journal for each of our attendees. I gave a lomo talk and had a continuous slide show projected during the party. Lomo has been a large part of my journaling over the years and I wanted to have them be a part of Journalfest. Our Saturday party was the perfect finishing touch to our weekend of fellowship and journaling bliss.

Shot by Tony Patton

For some, it is quite a trip to make it out to Port Townsend and Fort Worden. The one thing that I always hear from those that come the farthest, is that the trip is well worth it. Partly because of the sheer beauty of the area. We have had attendees from China, Germany, Australia, Japan, as well as from all over the US and Canada. I truly love the fort. The landscape is pure magic.

LCA Shot

Thanks to all of you who participated in Journalfest. I'm still grinning from ear to ear. For those of you who couldn't come play with us, maybe we will get to see you sometime at one of our other events. Now it's time for me to go make some journals.