the joy of art journals

iI’ve been keeping journals for many years—most of them half full, half empty. With acrylic paints now as my primary medium, they’ve become the perfect landing place for leftover paint on my palette. Ironically, these spontaneous pages often feel more interesting than the projects they came from.

My journals have also become a space to process frustration—both with myself and the world—through color, words, and images. I usually have four or five going at once. Focusing on just one has never been my style, but I’ve learned that it doesn’t really matter. The process itself is what keeps me going.

The piece in the video below was started 3 or 4 years ago. I was finishing a very tedious, satisfying and very cool color study (story to come soon) that required a lot of 1/4 inch masking tape. I couldn’t possibly throw it away, so it became part of this little book.

I do love looking back through them for ideas and a funny sense of satisfaction.

I went through a gouache phase using three colors per spread. Although my knowledge of the medium is very limited, I have to say that I love the texture of the paint and the finished look.

Two page journal spread with gouache.

You probably have a blank book (or not blank) or two hanging around. Just leave them around your work area and they will begin to transform very quickly! Have fun.

Another artists with a dynamic journal and sketchbook practice is Sarah Z. Short. She’s very inspiring in many many ways