An Unconventional Journal

Every summer, we motor our boat, Rapture, to the Portland Waterfront for a month long stay. We arrive early to get a primo spot on the public dock so we'll have the perfect vantage point for the 4th of July Waterfront Blues Festival (and the fireworks on the Willamette right off our bow). For the past couple of years, I've kept an art journal of my days living downtown for the month. This year I decided to use some flash cards with corporate lingo on them. I bought the cards at Goodwill and they are a nice roomy 5x7. Before we left our moorage on the Columbia River, I sanded and gessoed the full deck so they would be ready to use when we arrived in downtown Portland.

Jump ahead to last week when I put the final touches on a few of the last pages (yes, I've been home for over a month). Here they are - all 45 pages. They tell the story of my daily doings in paint, texture, words, drawings, and collage.

I've photographed all of the individual pages, in case you want a closer and more detailed look.

If you've been a blog or Facebook follower, you'll know that while living at the waterfront, I had several art parties where I asked my friends and artists to create a small art card to add to my metal box of art pages. Here's a link to the post I did about their created art.

Out and About in Silverton With the Salem Art Group

What a great day for a field trip with the Salem Art Group. It was a bit cool and cloudy in the morning as we all made our way to Silverton, and by the time we were finished with lunch, the clouds had burned off and it was a toasty 84 degrees. Come along for the journey - there was a nice surprise at the end. First stop was The Purl District where we got to interact with Celia, always a hoot. Can you guess what kind of shop this is?

We headed next door to Lunaria Gallery so everyone could see my Layers of Memory show.

By then it was time to eat, so off we meandered to The Gathering Spot, a great addition to Silverton for places to eat.

Of course, we had to support the local economy by doing a smidge of shopping.

A trip to Silverton isn't quite complete without a stop at Stone Buddha to say hello to Rene.

Our surprise of the day was discovering Kayla Kennington, a designer, author, and educator. Take a look at her wonderful space and the beautiful silk clothing she has created. It was a magical experience.

Over the Moon: I'm a Member of Lunaria Gallery!

Me in front of the gallery at my recent opening.

Over the moon. Those were the words used by the Membership Committee when I was notified that I had been accepted as a member of Lunaria Gallery. Lunaria is an artist's co-op and you can read their history by clicking here. Openings in the co-op are rare, coveted, and cherished. Jump ahead to this morning when I was notified that I had been accepted. The wheels are in process for me to get my space in the gallery (after my current show comes down), the scheduling of when I'll be a gallery sitter, and which committee I'll join that best suits my talents. My name badge is being made. Pinch me.

The view from the upstairs gallery.

The current show in the first floor gallery.

My Layers of Memory show on the second floor of the gallery.