Journalfest - a day with Stephanie Lee

pictured is my mothers grandparents, her mother (little girl standing next to her dad sitting). the sweet metal pce was gifted by my table mate kecia...

delicious chain from gilding the lily

If you asked me... "what do you think of Stephanie Lee"... i would only pause to consider where to begin. The gift she gave freely... without knowing it was received on a birthday... and then when the news traveled to her that is was the girls day of celebration... how she gathered her family to "sing their family birthday song" to this girl who happened upon her table at vendor night. this is not my story, but the emotion still stirs in me to this day as a remember the girl telling her story to us... how completely touched by this kind gesture... all of us who stood witness to that evening she told us her story... will never forget how Stephanie connected with this girl and in turn connected with us all.

- So yes, take a class or three with Stephanie... the lessons you will learn and the gifts you will receive will go beyond great design, technique and skill... but trust you will get all those as well.

I loved these books from the moment i saw the first one she listed on etsy... yeah I couldn't resist... it's now part of my "Stephanie Collection"
- This class is why I signed up for Journalfest -

they feel so good in your hands... you know what i mean... yummy


bits from my gatherings in new york adorn the covers

hope you can make you way to Journalfest 2010... and spend a day with Stephanie Lee



so now I've traveled home... and have begun an online class with Misty Mawn (another wonderful story... that is mine to tell... i'll save for another post)... nice transition don't you think?... Stephanie and Misty... forrest gump would say "they go together like peas and carrots" .... yes they do...

this is my first "background" ... I'll be back with more

hope you're enjoying fall and spending a little time each day doing something

that makes you happy

Journalfest 2009

On to Journalfest. As you might imagine at this point in a long trip... you think you might just be ready to stare into space. ( why the pictures are showing up in this weird configuration... i have no idea... but i'm just going to go with it). I flew in on Tuesday night and tip toed into the hotel room while roomies slumbered. Kecia and I have shared classes before... it would be my first time to meet Jen. Great spirits these two... simply fun - energetic - and busting with talent. So we grabbed coffee in the only cafe in Seattle without espresso ran an errand and found our way to the ferry. Beautiful ride across the sound and a picturesque journey into Port Townsend. We checked into the Journalfest office and headed into town straight to the antique store - a little walk - and lunch. And here will be the only sad note to my entire trip... I knocked my camera off the chair and the sound it made when it hit the beautiful hand tinted concrete told me in an instant that the news would not be good. I tried to take some photos... but it was just a struggle... you can peek at Kecia's blog... she took tons! It's the lens, not the camera that is having issues... so I guess that is a positive. I took it into the local shop yesterday where I purchased it... they work on them right there and it was as if I was taking a sick puppy to the vet. He placed a gentle hand on my forearm and said with complete sincerity..."Keli, we will do everything we can"... I will never buy another lens cap or any camera thing from anyone else. They get it... how you get to know a tool and it works for you and you don't know how you'll get through the day without it... he knew that and was gentle with how bummed out I was... Thank you "Dark Room" in Missoula... your the best.. and I'll keep my fingers crossed.

The beautiful fountain in Port Townsend... that has drawn many a "festival virgin"...






















The door to my room. This being my first time to a "fest" I wasn't sure what to choose for housing... now that i've been there I think you have a find time regardless of where you sleep. Teesha placed me in the house and was sweet to connect me with my roomie prior to the event. We were to share a room with two twin beds. Well my cough was still awful when I arrived, so I was glad to see a couch in the living room... well luck have it.. there was a roll away on the back porch...an adorable back porch... so I just set up house there. It was perfect for me, a little cooler than upstairs - which I like - and my coughing didn't keep everyone awake. I must say if your traveling to Journalfest or Artfest alone and your worried about being matched up with unknown housemates - give it a go - I feel so lucky to have met Tanya, Jenny and Maggie. It was fun to share what we had gained in each class - to get to know them a bit and hear about their amazing lives. Good women are out there doing amazing things... and to share in each others stories - I simply love it.

























Day 1 - Anahata Katkin - Impulse Collage

above is a small snap of my first pce... life lives behind the dots... apparently for me that is true


this was a perfect class to start out with... free, fast and completely fun. the less mind the better and that worked out well for me! Kecia and I shared a table... and what I forgot to bring she had and vice verse... that is another thing about an art retreat... don't fuss over not having everything...folks just share and trade and give

layers and layers and if you start to ponder... change the technique you are working with - that lesson alone was worth the price of admission.

I'm sure for many of you this has happened in your work before... tear text to fill in an area... and then discover what it says once it's already in place

and so often it is just the message you needed to receive... words from two sentences... cropped in a way that speaks more to you than the entire paragraph.

this next picture is out of order... but it's fine...yes? so on the last night of Journalfest they hosted an open journaling event with music and wine. Tables sprinkled with treats of art and food. Just a great atmosphere... I carted a couple of the journals I had been working in over the past three days. Tracey came to the mike to introduce the band. He explained how much he appreciated the local music and coffee houses and the energy he derived in his journals doing artwork while listening the the local sound. He encouraged us to let the music into our art... and so i did... and the doodle bug caught big with me. Theo Ellsworth sat at the table next to us... I appreciate his work so much.. and he used to live in Missoula. I was happy to bring home his prints to my son Bryce (the true artist in our house). It's my hope that someday I will share a "fest' experience with Bryce... he would love it! Ok back to the work... so I allowed a little "Theoismish" inspiration and let go...it was a little wierd how much the music influenced what i was doing... and when the music paused... so did I.

now under the flaps are sweet bits of art gifted to me... one was not for public consumption...so i just had to cover them all...

well i get to this point and realize my day 2 pictures have vanished... and no... I did not have a rum and coke before I started this... might have been a good idea... well day 2 is a class with Stephanie Lee... and I will have to assume that it deserved it's own post... and that's reasonable.


Day 3 - Alex Shur - Journaling into Painting

What an amazing class... I have always wanted to take a watercolor class and this one was just perfect for me. I wasn't looking for classic technique... rules and guidelines... class. I wanted a get right to it, see what happens... explore and don't think too much.

put down color and see

see what appears

oh... there it is ... a horse, a small woman in a door way... a chick... a duck on a body... an eagle person... vano ( yeah... I'm not the only one who looked at my page and saw Anahata's sweet man) ... and then sweet alex came by and saw the wonderful girl with the big hat and coat. " Do you see it" she asked... I didn't... but I can't tell you how thrilled I was to have her mark her vision on my page. yeepie!

little caterpillar girl guided by a winged heart

eagle boy and vano - with a fur viking hat

my galloping horse

the smallest of faces taking a peek

alex helped me see this

as time went on I began to see more whimsical figures

it was an exhale kind of day... a perfect day 3

well here is a little glimpse of the "stephane lee day 2" post to come... it will be worth a trip back

I signed up for this event having never kept or created a journal... now i won't be without one.

It is a wonderful event put on by amazingly creative and kind people.

Come if you can... to Journalfest...

next years event may fall on Halloween weekend... I cannot imagine a better group to spend the holiday with. I'll hope to see you there too!

Love, a fall in New England

Do you have someone out there... somewhere... that you just lost touch with. For no reason... no excuse... just didn't make the proper effort to stay connected? Well give yourself a gift and see if you can find them... connect, reminisce... remember. When my trip plans started falling into place I knew this was my chance to reconnect with a friend - Barb. Would her email still work... would i find her? Would she care that I'd been absent for ages? Barb met my news with the same big smile in her voice as had always greeted me at her door. Full of enthusiasm for our reunion. It was as though i had just stepped off her porch... it was wonderful!

The color is ... it just is

Part of my journey was witnessing the beautiful - thoughtful - and completely personal exchange of life promises between my nephew Walsh and his sweet bride Kim

a blushing bride she was... wearing the dress Walsh made her... yeah i was a puddle the entire ceremony...

and at moments... so were they

special words... thoughts... hopes and dreams - shared with such care

well the hands do say it all...

bliss... young and happy and so in love

it was an honor to witness such trust and genuine devotion

congratulations

Walsh & Kim

you're beautiful

the day following we headed to the shore... right in the middle of a "nor Easter"sp?

Barb was bummed the weather wasn't better so we could get out more. Glenn, her sweet husband stopped for every photo op - every great antique store (!!!) and yummy fish & chips. I loved the day of weather... the light is different and to experience it just added to my trip...

can you see the little light in the window... so sweet


and it goes without saying... you gotta have lobster... and ours were made fresh at home...

thanks Barb & Glenn... the best I ever had!

a perfect New England steeple... yes?

so this was a fabric mill... it was massive... i think of all the hands that worked a thread here.

If you and i traveled much together... you would find me dragging you into these... yes... cemetery's.... i love them. For whatever reason when I was young and traveling with my parents - a cemetery was always in the mix when we visited a new place... why, i have no idea... but it caught on with me.

this family

to live to be over a 100... in these times.

to weather all these years

swirls and glimmer

so much to explore... Barb... I'll be back!

Love, a fall in New England... love it!

so now we go WEST... to Port Townsend, Washington... and Journalfest!

Tricks & Treats

I'm taking a little break in my travel log to share the pages of my book from the halloween round robin. Dede gathered together a great group of artists to participate... we each constructed our book and then sent them on their way... two pages upon which amazing talents would be shared and gifted... months and months these books traveled from my mountains to the east, south, west . Once back in Dede's hands she chaperoned them to Somerset... were they found a home in the "Studio" Sep/Oct addition... It was a thrill to be asked... scary and intimidating at times to work in the treasure of others...

but what a treat to have the original work of such talent.

each book had it's own theme... mine... without much planning... became a book of games... halloween tricks and the art that came back.... treats!

my front and back cover included a punch game with fortunes or tasks on the front and

a punchneedle rattle i had made years ago worked out great on the back. the edge is soldered and that little project was not a treat... at all.

my pages extend with a little banner so that each artist could leave a signature...


below is the sign in page... little coffins... they all climbed in without protest.


now i'll turn each page and show you the work of these amazing women...

these pages are by Leslie Marsh... I first met Leslie through her blog and if you have not treated yourself to a visit ... go now... it's tops. I was lucky to overhear her talking in line (yeah to the bar) at art & soul in Hampton. Being the shy girl I am, I went right over and introduced myself... as "the fan" because I am. She happened to be sitting with Dede at a table and they invited me over and that is the beginning of what I know will be a life long friendship with both of these sweet girls. Leslie's work is so her own.... layers of wonder... what is around the corner for such talent is only to unfold... and i'll be there cheering her on... as i am "the fan"!

EB... a visit to her blog is a walk through the pages of her life... amazing - changing - playing. my first memory of EB... well was of her fantastic stack of little suitcases - also at art & soul hampton... and as i think about it now... i'm sure her stack inspired my need to create a stack of my own! She lives a life of art and it shows in the work she produces. I look forward to our paths crossing again someday... the witches broom in the box is yummy!

my book then left the north east and traveled south to texas... for a visit with Mendy. Mendy is the only gal in this project I haven't met face to face... but i'm hopeful we'll meet up one day. Mendy has great pictures of when she was young and shared them in her artwork along with playful bits that i just love in my book... and the sweet soldered domino she added to her banner.

then onto LA... to my dear friend Dede who put this entire project together... who was reassuring to those of use who had never done anything like this before... who gives praise and encouragement freely. If ever i feel like i'm slipping... even a little... dede lets me know i'm doin ok... she's like the guard on the edge of the road... keeps you on track and doesn't let you go over the edge and will tell it as she sees it... and i love that about her.

I was able to see her page in my book in the magazine...before i got to see it in my hands. The picture was wonderful... but i couldn't wait to see it. I love all the elements she used... it's good.

this is the last page i did in my book... and thanks to dede's installation it made it in there... it was what i wanted to do in the beginning but ran out of time. i had a little stitched page... but knew this little theater was what i really wanted in the book. I made it from a photograph of an art pce my daughter Lauren had done in school years before... i layered the pictures and added some elements... i liked that it came out as i hoped it would... because that doesn't always happen

the size of this book is an element all it's own

I want to thank all these women... leslie, eb, mendy and dede - for trusting my hand in your books and for gifting me with the art from your hand. this book will live in my family for generations and you are now a part of my history and i love that.

it's a big grand book

it's a treasure... full of tricks and treats

happy halloween

Makings of an amazing trip

pages and papers and book covers... stitches and twine.... leather, metal, rhinestones...a little usuahg...sp? shells and bottles and solder and stone. leslie was a great guide through book making and it was perfect timing as i needed "journals" to bring with me to journalfest. the large journal above is huge and i just loved working in it later in my travels... another post. we copied to our best... the wonderful work of Karen Cole... a dear friend of Leslie's... and amazing artist on our covers... it was so fun to use some of the treasures we had found in NYC!

dede showed me how to soldered treasures onto bottles... ok with a little help of E6000 on my part. i'm certain i have written somewhere here on my blog... that creative bliss is spending time with artful folks... it is... for me the best of times... creating together and treasure hunting! oh my did i find some amazing things. now the following pictures are a mix of my Philadelphia, NYC, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Maine finds... yeah the girl covered a little territory this trip!

ledger books - marbled pages and covers - music sheets - and letters of lives long past

silver stamp case - silver pencil case - and a yummy wood spencerian metal pen nip case!!! yummy!

and all these little ancestors... the sign said "buy an ancestor" so i did

wonderful metal findings and a great box for all my pens

and my wonderful "porch" find... worked great as a shipping box... i can't resist old paint and such a great blue - it just had to come home with me - agree?

oh and the ribbon to tie it all up with... tinsel trading in nyc... trading ooh's and ahh's with the costume designer for the NYC Opera was a bit of a kick as well...

so where next? north... we will head north... see you soon.

if you can... gather up your art friends and meet up somewhere... and soak up all you can!

it's hard to express what a difference these two ladies have made in my life... truly.

the makings of an amazing trip can to lead to the makings of an amazing life.

girls about town

that was us... leslie, dede and i. we spent a couple days in Manhattan during our trip to leslie's house... filling our bags with treasures. but most of all i treasure the time we spent together... talking, supporting, encouraging... simply "getting" each other.
days spent creating in the "house of leslie" - let me tell you - a complete dream
every supply imaginable and endless inspiration...

we shared with each other our passions... i am proud to say

miss dede is a hooker (rug hooking) now.... and a very good one!

the lady of the studio watched over us...

i can't wait to host these girls in my neck of the woods

and once again we will be

girls about town

next stop....Portland Maine and Dover New Hampshire...and my finds!

all clowning around aside....

i met up with an old friend a bit ago and she said to me, " so keli tell us all about your perfect life". well it isn't. i don't bring it up here... for a few reason's... the biggest of those being... i come here for a little break and i think you do too. but is that authentic?

my "stuff" isn't life and death, i try not to invest emotion into it... because it doesn't deserve that. i save that energy for the "stuff" that calls for it - these things don't. but if i don't share them with you... what message am i sending... without meaning to?

i feel a bit like this bull rider... you climb on... completely aware that you can end up flat on your ass... but you still choose to ride... to reach that bell... 8 seconds... not so much to invest

the last few years have been like an outstretched rodeo... with similar outcomes to the picture above... not great not perfect... but no one has been injured... bruises sure... but they fade with time. and cows do fly...

you just need to remember to move out of the way... before they land....

so... all clowning around aside... it's far from perfect... but it's in my nature to climb back on...just is....