Little Hand Made Mixed Media Coptic Stitch Journal

Recently I have really been enjoying making books and journals. I am an ardent lover of books, the way they look, the way they feel and smell, and of course what is inside them! I am not a professional book binder by any means  but it is an interest of mine and it seemed like a perfect way to make use of some of the images I have produced.

 I wanted to share this journal with you and show what it looks like inside. The pages were made  from junk mail and scrap paper and I used my hand made stamps, gel prints, drawing and collaging to create the images. The signatures are of differing sizes and the paper inside for journalling on is a mixture of watercolour paper, mixed media paper and lighter paper for writing on.

The journal is 12cm by 14.5 cm. Small enough to carry with you and use when the mood strikes! The signatures are smaller than this and vary in size. I have stitched the coptic stitch with red waxed Irish linen thread.

 The images I have produced are meant to be interacted with as you doodle or draw or write on them. This is a fun journal designed for interaction and collating your thoughts! There are 43 sides with images on including the covers and inside covers. There is also the library card and tiny book which has 16 pages of 80 gsm paper).

There are 14 page sides of mixed media paper, and 16 sides of watercolour paper (which can both be used for wet media), and 92 pages of 80gsm for writing on. This paper is quite light and will need to be written or drawn on with pencil or dry media. It is cream coloured.

Cover is collage and paint with tape on right hand side.
Image is pasted to book binding board.

Spine showing the different sizes of signatures. 

Front view showing how all signatures are not the same size. 

Inside cover, gel print and fabric, right hand page gel print and drawing.

Library card inside pocket, drawn on gel print.

Stamped flower on painted background with fabric added.
Right hand side, collage and painted flowers.
Little tiny hand made book inside pocket. 

Collage on painted backgrounds with drawing.

Collaged gel print on painted background and
collage with drawn and pencil coloured flowers on right hand side.

Collage and painted background.
Right hand side has some smudging which you can develop! 

Stamped bird on gel print background and fabric.

Painted and collaged page with gel print added and drawing.

Pencil coloured flowers on collaged background.
Flower drawn and coloured on collaged gel print background. 

Collaged tree and found text on painted background.

Drawing on painted background.

Butterfly drawn on painted distressed background.
Right hand side, boxes and flower drawn over paint.

Flower drawn on painted background with text
 and scrap paper collaged on to page.

Found image collaged onto painted background and
 drawn onto.

Found text collaged onto painted background with scrap of gelprint.
Right hand page, stamped flowers, painted and decorated
boxes drawn onto page.

Drawing on painted page.

Drawing on collaged gelprint.

Drawing on painted background with small gel print scrap
collaged onto left page.

Flowers drawn  into negative space of painted background.

Same as previous page.

Flowers drawn into negative space of painted background and fabric added along with
 found text.

Bird stamped on painted background.

Flowers drawn in pen
into negative space of painted background.

Stamped distressed flowers on painted and gel
print background. Right hand side gel scrap at bottom of page
 and circles drawn into negative space of painted background.

Distressed stamping on painted background.

Same as previous page.

White flowers drawn on painted background.

Painted background with found text.

Decorated page with paint on distressed background.

Stamped flower on collaged background.
Bird in negative space of gelprint.

Back page drawn plant and leaves with tape on painted background,
 and more tape on right hand side of page.

Showing scale beside a popular penguin.

Angel wings, dinosaur toes and a goat or two.

If you are seeking creative ideas, go out walking. Angels whisper to a man when he goes for a walk. Raymond Inmon

It is so tempting to stay inside in winter, tempted by warmth and the comfort. However I have always loved winter and the colder months so recently we went for a walk to Mount Lofty Botanic Gardens just a few kilometres away from Adelaide's CBD. I was looking for inspiration, shapes, colours, ideas which can sometimes only be found when I go searching for them.



Skies were blue and the air was crisp. The bright pops of red and rust stood out so clearly against the greys and browns of the background. 

The sunlight shining on the ground between the trees emphasised the green of the recently rained on grass. 

Some plants were familiar to me as many grow in the U.K, hydrangeas, fuschia and narcissi whilst others were Australian to the core, like the burnt gum tree. The sequoia tree was a visitor. The colours were beautiful, dusty pinks, soft greens, reds and mauves brightening the cold winter day.  

Whoever created the road had a happy accident with the tar. These shapes were irresistible to me. Can you see the dancing figures? The picture on the right has a dancing man holding a lady in a dress, but only if you look carefully. 

An angel left their wings here. I don't know if they are coming back to get them or if these ones have worn out. 

I think I may have been the only one to spot the three legged dinosaur but I can't be certain. You never know who else is out there day dreaming. 

On the way home we spotted some goats. Without exception they all turned their back on me when I tried to photograph them. Cheeky!

It is always necessary to bring back some supplies from a walk. 

In honour of W.B. Yeats #Yeats 2015

In honour of  W.B Yeats Day #Yeats2015

The silver apples of the moon,
 The golden apples of the moon

The Song of Wandering Aengus


BY WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS
I went out to the hazel wood,
Because a fire was in my head,
And cut and peeled a hazel wand,
And hooked a berry to a thread;
And when white moths were on the wing,
And moth-like stars were flickering out,
I dropped the berry in a stream
And caught a little silver trout.

When I had laid it on the floor
I went to blow the fire a-flame,
But something rustled on the floor,
And someone called me by my name:
It had become a glimmering girl
With apple blossom in her hair
Who called me by my name and ran
And faded through the brightening air.

Though I am old with wandering
Through hollow lands and hilly lands,
I will find out where she has gone,
And kiss her lips and take her hands;
And walk among long dappled grass,
And pluck till time and times are done,
The silver apples of the moon,
The golden apples of the sun.


image copyright Linda E Clarke Illustration

Fat Pants

Think that this little guy might be the start of a new way of looking at my fruit and veg. I just might not get much cooked from now on. Who could eat this guys fat pants?

Nature's Diamonds

Wabi Sabi

Recently on one of the sunny pre-spring days we have been enjoying I went for a "wabi sabi walk".  Just to explain myself in very simple terms, wabi sabi is a Japanese aesthetic which celebrates the old, the worn, the ethereal and the impermanent. It is the acceptance and enjoyment of the imperfect and the transient, and the celebration of aging and the ensuing marks of age and patina. It is finding beauty in humble everyday things or things which may even be broken or damaged. Wabi sabi reflects beauty which may not be what is the commonly accepted ideal. I have realised that this aesthetic is one which I have loved ever since I was very young but I never knew it had a name until a few years ago.

Serena Barton is an artist who incorporates wabi sabi into her work as inspiration she suggests going outside for a wabi sabi walk. The idea is to look for wabi sabi elements which you may not normally take much notice of.  I was astounded to see how much inspiration there was within a few hundred metres of my home. Texture and worn out beauty everywhere. It inspired me to paint a large abstract expressionist painting for my home. I found it liberating and so enjoyable to create texture and to allow the painting process determine the outcome. These are some of the images I collected around my streets followed by the painting I did.

 The following 2 images are part of the larger painting I mentioned which is still a work in progress. Strictly speaking the colour palette for wabi sabi should be  more earth tones but it was the aged look and texture I was focused on.