I have kept Journals and Sketchbooks for most of my life and still have some drawings I did when I was five. Over the years a few people I have known have found this odd, most though are fascinated. some may say why 'live' in the past, why keep looking back, just move on forward, forget and don't look back. This contemporary perspective does not contribute to creativity and the more I read about the old masters of art and invention the more I understand how important extracting inspiration from the many stories of the past, accepting what we cannot change is a positive and creative way to move forward. I look a the ancient landscape, the features which have been carved by the stories of time and know that this is what makes creating art special to me. Making marks, sketching, painting and stitching help me record notes toward my studio work.
To me moving forward is about accepting my past and remembering the experiences and images and words both the good and the bad that I have recorded. To me my journals and sketchbooks are a rich source of inspiration about my history, the people I meet, the stories I listen to, the places I have travelled, the journeys taken, the events I have attended, the natural environment I never want to forget, and the cultural experiences I have had. I use photography, sketches and drawings, words and found paper, stitches and found fabric scraps, feathers, dried leaves, menus and notes, tickets and cards, all things I gather along my life's journey.
My journals and sketchbooks contain my simple scribbled drawings, scratchings, mark makings, small completed paintings, collages and complex drawings, patterns and designs, printing ideas, poetry or descriptions, stitched samplers, weavings, fabric samples the 'what if' experiments I do. They are a huge part of my creative journey and on this page I will share some of the entries that you may find interesting.
