Clare Davis Etheridge

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Art Journaling. My style

This title might make me sound all sure of my art journaling self and my style within that. I am not, but I am getting there slowly but hopefully surely. I see many artists who have such a distinct style that I can tell their work from 50 feet. It is not always the same medium or colour or subject, not by a long way, they just have a style which makes them, well, them.

I want this, and I hope that in time I will achieve the same. The thing is, I am not sure I am much of an art ‘journaler’ and sometimes I feel like a fraud. My pages can end up tortured looking because I have tried to do all the things all at once! Adding all the layers, then the magazine cuttings (I really don’t like to use magazine cuttings, there I said it), then the journaling. What in the world am I to write about? I am not spilling my inner thoughts all over a journal page, not for me thank you very much. Do I have to write anything? Is it a rule?

One thing I have decided recently is that I am not a ‘journaler’ really, I like other people’s words, but I don’t like my own as part of an art page. Ironic as I write a blog and I kept a diary/journal from the age of 13 up until about when my first child was born in 2001. I have tried the journal thing from then, but not kept it up. I have tried ‘morning pages’, endless streams of writing just for the sake of it and following prompts. Not for me, not any more. I do keep a diary for the family which is full of what we did, when we did it, how we did it and what the weather was up to at the time. I have kept these diaries since my eldest was born and I love to look back at them as a memory and a record of birthdays and events as well as the day to day paraphernalia.

Strange then, that I am so unwilling to write in an art journal.

Today my journal and I came to an amicable agreement, if I want to write something I will do that first, on the blank page, before adding anything else. Make sure I use a waterproof pen or a pencil, then carry on as if it wasn’t there at all, paint over it, paste texture and gesso, and draw over it too. Heck, maybe I will throw caution to the wind and add in a magazine cutting! I did exactly this with the cactus page at the top of this post, I wrote all over my pages then got to work. I like how it has turned out.

This way I can do the ‘journal’ part of my art journal but then concentrate on the part I love the most, the arting. Yes, I know that is not a word, but don’t you think it should be? I do.

Of course if I come over all inspired, I will add some words, but it will no longer be just because I think I should. If I find an amazing quote or have some fabulous thoughts I wish to share, then I shall. Hurrah.

No writing at all on this page (not my writing anyway), just me having a little go at some more face drawing and I added a little galaxy effect around my lady. I am still working through my altered book and enjoying the process.

Thanks as always to the Get Messy Art Journal community for encouraging and inspiring. If you are at all interested in art journaling, I recommend you pop over and see what Get Messy is all about.

Mishaps come in Threes (or Fours)!

Published by Clare at CatsEatDogs

Blimey, today started as a drag and a chore and a moan.

I intended to have a little lie in and go to the gym to run for an hour while listening to one of my favorite podcasts, most likely This American Life or Radio Lab. Not a bad start to the day.

I have decided that running inside is ok when it is humid and super hot outside. I am not a hot weather runner, no matter how much water I drink and how many hats I wear (usually one), I still end up with a head ache all day from being too hot whilst running first thing in the morning. So the treadmill it is then.

Yes treadmills are boring, but to be honest I find running so boring anyway it really doesn’t matter to me, the inside of the YMCA is no less interesting than local sidewalks, roads and houses. If I have something to listen to, I am usually ok, music for shorter jaunts and podcast or a book for longer running adventures.

Today was a longer one, so podcasts were lined up.

The ‘lie in’ plan was squashed flat when the dog decided she was going to leap up to show me her tennis ball discovery. So I thought I might as well get up and take her for a walk before the heat got too bad. Fail. At 6.30am it was hot, humid and clammy already. Yum.

Oh well, walking and stopping for many sniffs (the dog not me) is not so bad even in a developing heat advisory.

Once I got home, I got my bag ready for my run. Where was my locker padlock? I might have left it at the Y when we went swimming yesterday. I had better go ready to run in case my lock is not there and I have nowhere to stash my regular clothes. No problem, off I went.

When I arrived at the Y, there was my lock, sitting on top of the lockers where I had absentmindedly left it yesterday. Great! I tested it and yes, it was my lock (that could have been awkward). Into my locker went my stuff and I had a morning chat with some of the swimming ladies.

Headphones. Where are my head phones? Not here is where. On the dining table at home is where.

There is no way on earth I can run for an hour without entertainment in my ears. So after an internal sigh and eyeball roll at myself, I went home. The air was getting hotter outside and turning into a nice thick humid consistency.

I decide to have a go at a run tomorrow and make my way home today for a coffee, toast and some sketching.

I put the washing machine on, grabbed my little sketchbook and sat in front of my little flower bed and sketched the new poppy which has unfurled its papery pink petals.

As I was sketching I had some ideas for my art journal too, so as usual art and creativity proves to be the best therapy.

So unfortunate things happen in threes don’t they? So far, I lost a lie in, lost my padlock and forgot my headphones. Done? I hope so.

Especially as I am about to go swimming and I don’t want to swallow a band aid as a grand finale!

Ok, as an update, I did go swimming and there was a band aid! It just bobbed past me though and no contact was made… Now, my goal is just to make it to bedtime with no more mishaps!

Happy Wednesday and here’s to a more successful Thursday.

Weekly Photos 24/52.

Published by Clare at CatsEatDogs

1. I planted a mixed seed pack from Seedgeeks in the Spring and they are growing very nicely. This bright red poppy is a fabulous thing!

2. I keep spotting these pretty flowers when I am out walking the dog, there is a tree full along the trail and they are all over the ground under the tree.

3. When I take the dog for a walk at 7am to try and beat the heat, I always take my mug of tea with me. On Friday when I had finished my drink, I gathered various natural bits and bobs. Flowers, leaves, seed pods, bark and a small branch of bamboo! Once I got home I laid it all out to take a photo or two and do some sketches and painting. A productive morning was had.

4-7. At the weekend we visited our friends who lives out in the sticks and I enjoyed having a poke around in their garden. The boys got to ride on the old tractor and we made a bonfire to roast hotdogs and make s’mores.

It is hot hot and hotter here in St Louis and showing no signs of clouds, rain or cool in the near future. Phew!

Happy Monday x

Get Messy Art Journal. Season of Introspection. Week 2.

Published by Clare at CatsEatDogs

This week’s art journal pages are full of ink blots (I couldn’t stop!), colour, gelli plate prints, textured gesso and a little self reflection.

I am getting along well with my altered book, I am finding it a good size and the pages hold up to lots of media without too much objection.

Each of these pages pretty much made itself, in that I had no idea what I was going to do with them until I picked up my journal and got cracking.

The bottom ‘owl’ page started as a bright inkblot I made over a week ago and didn’t know what to add at the time, so I left it. Today I added the owl, black gesso ink blots and some gold paint to mute the whole page.

The top page by contrast was never going to be an ink blot, I gessoed and added the lady, then a few days later made the black gesso ink blots. After watching a tutorial from Carla Sonheim, I made the white gesso swirls, then I drew in some ink patterns.

I vaguely followed some of the prompts from the Get Messy Art Journal creatives, and I am grateful for them. Even though I only kind of followed them, the ideas and inspiration was enough to set me off on my way.

I hope you have had a creative day in whatever you are doing!

Happy Friday x

Do one thing a day which cheers you.

Published by Clare at CatsEatDogs

I know I am going against the daily quote toting grain here, but every time I see the phrase ‘Do one thing a day which scares you’ I want to yell ‘No No No, Why on earth would you want to do that?’

Tackle the stuff you don’t want to do. Yes, do those things and do them first to get them all done and over with. Be brave when you have to. Of course, but be scared? Erm, why?

I can get very apprehensive about things which bother me and often about things which shouldn’t. I worry about getting to appointments on time, or meeting someone new or going somewhere new. I am not going to book a daily appointment or chat to a stranger every day.

I don’t think that scary things should stop you getting on with your life but there are ways of going about it and I am not at all convinced that doing one thing every day which might scare you is the most positive way to go. However, I am pretty sure that it is a positive way to head to therapy following the nervous breakdown brought on by all the stress, worry and general scary stuff…

So, I propose that we do something every day which cheers us.

Something small, something big, something for you, something for your friend.

Send a postcard for no reason at all.

Drink a good coffee, try that fancy tea.

Do a drawing on a train ticket and see how cool it looks.

Smile.

Sing along with your favorite song on the radio, yes that one which isn’t cool, but you love it anyway, play it loud!

Cook your most loved recipe.

Laugh.

Crack out the art supplies and paint, colour, write and doodle on a page with no end result in mind, just go until you are finished (this is my absolute go-to if I am feeling fed up, nothing makes me feel better than painting in my art journal).

Look through your clothes and pull out something you haven’t worn in a while and show it off.

Plant some seeds and take some time every day to see how they are growing.

Slow down.

Buy a new magazine and allow yourself some time to read it (I don’t know about you, but I am always buying magazines then never reading them).

Go bargain hunting at your local thrift shop or Goodwill.

Visit your library and grab a book to read or a CD to listen to.

Do one thing every day which cheers you. In fact do a bunch of them!

Happy Wednesday x

100 Days of Altered Cards by CatsEatDogs, Days 31-50.

Published by Clare at CatsEatDogs

I have made it to over half way in The 100 Day Project! Yay!

I am really enjoying altering my little box of vintage playing cards, little artworks with no pressure. Well apart from the ‘one a day’ pressure of course!

The first 30 cards in the project are here and here.

If you want to follow my project daily over at Instagram, my hashtag is #100daysofalteredcardsbycatseatdogs.

Happy Tuesday x

Weekly Photos 23/52

Published by Clare at CatsEatDogs

1.Wood End lighthouse in Provincetown, MA.

2. Herring Cove Beach sculpture, Provincetown, MA. Apparantly if you touch this sculpture, you will be cursed. Yikes, hands off!

3.Sunshine Beer at The Knack restaurant in Orleans, MA.

4.Horseshoe crab rescue on a morning beach walk.

5. I loved the look of this thrift shop, unfortunately they didn’t have anything I couldn’t live without.

6. Lifeguard stands at Corporation Beach, Dennis, MA.

7. The Atlantis research vessel at Woods Hole in Cape Cod.

8. Grumpy (toad) fish at Woods Hole Science Aquarium.

9. The ever growing beach shack at Chatham South beach.

10. The Chatham Inn had the DeLorean from Back to the Future for a week’s fundraiser. Pretty cool.

11. The lovely fairy castle at Cape Cod Lavender Farm.

12. Godfrey’s Windmill and the Chatham Labyrinth with perfect blue skies.

That wraps up my holiday snaps from our time in Cape Cod, now we are back in St Louis where it is a million degrees with skin bubbling sun and pea soup humidity! It is still good to be home though!

Happy Monday x

Taking stock June 2016

Published by Clare at CatsEatDogs

I am taking stock while in Cape Cod on holiday, so let’s see what is going on.

Making : Art journal pages.

Cooking : Butternut squash curry and puppodums for dinner.

Drinking : White wine.

Reading: My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrik Backman

Wanting: The sun to come out for our last day at Cape Cod.

Looking: At the salt marsh and the sea beyond it.

Playing: Mancala which we picked up from a thrift shop for 50 cents.

Deciding: Whether to take home the giant tub of rainbow sprinkles home? We have rated some but there are lots left…

Wishing: There was a magical way to travel effortlessly without the packing and flying and messing about in airports!

Enjoying: The sea breeze.

Waiting: For the rice to cook.

Liking: Cape Cod, we have had a lovely two weeks here.

Wondering: How gosh-darn hot it is in St Louis.

Loving: How cool it is here.

Pondering: The rest of the summer and how we shall fill it.

Considering: Another glass of wine.

Buying: Thrifted treasures.

Watching: Fawlty Towers. We borrowed a DVD set from the local library!

Hoping: For a smooth journey home tomorrow.

Marvelling: At the wildlife outside our door, birds, raccoons, chipmunks, coyote, seals and all of the fish in the ocean which I can’t see.

Cringing: At the lack of recycling here. I hate to put recycling in the trash. There is a bottle recycling bin at the beach which we have been filling though.

Needing: To catch up, I have not seen any news reports for two weeks. Or maybe not.

Questioning: My kids to remind them to pack everything.

Smelling: The sea.

Wearing: Skinny jeans, boots and a new hoody.

Following: Get Messy Art Journal posts, they are chock full of inspiration.

Noticing: How blue the sea is.

Knowing: I have lots to learn and absorb every day.

Thinking: Of home.

Admiring: Anyone with more patience than me.

Sorting: Packing.

Getting: Rosy cheeks from windy beach walks.

Bookmarking: All the magazines I want to read, Flow, Art Journaling, Artful Blogging.

Coveting: New flip flops.

Disliking: The fact that the dog ate my flip flops!

Opening: Lots of junk mail when we get home.

Giggling: At my boys messing about.

Feeling: Everyone curry!

Snacking: Blueberries.

Helping: Myself to blueberries.

Hearing: The ocean lapping as the tide comes in.

If you want to take some stock, here is a blank list.

Happy Friday x

Making :

Cooking :

Drinking :

Reading:

Wanting:

Looking:

Playing:

Deciding:

Wishing:

Enjoying:

Waiting:

Liking:

Wondering:

Loving:

Pondering:

Considering:

Buying:

Watching:

Hoping:

Marvelling:

Cringing:

Needing:

Questioning:

Smelling:

Wearing:

Following:

Noticing:

Knowing:

Thinking:

Admiring:

Sorting:

Getting:

Bookmarking:

Coveting:

Disliking:

Opening:

Giggling:

Feeling:

Snacking:

Helping:

Hearing:

Get Messy Art Journal and sketchbook pages.

Published by Clare at CatsEatDogs

I brought my sketchbooks on holidays and am happy that I did because I have enjoyed doodling some patterns which I am sure I will use in the future.

I often plan with all good intentions and end up doing nothing I thought I would. This time I have enjoyed having my sketchbook to stick old pages in and practice my buoy sketches.

For this season of Get Messy we are using a book as a sketchbook/art journal which is something I like to do anyway, so I am happy with that. I did have a false start though. The original book I was going to use had very thin pages and I knew I wouldn’t be sticking any together to work around this so I picked a new book.

This one is the ‘avocado’ book which I picked up from a yard sale here on the Cape. There is a picture of the front cover in my last post.

For the above page I used three different flower stamps and gave them a painted background and stalks.

This is the first page which I used the Get Messy prompt for and it is a place I have been sitting and contemplating while on holiday. The life guards are not in use yet but the stand is on the beach so I like to climb up for a sit down as I look out to sea.

Carved into this stand is the hashtag #saveyourself which I think is pertinent advice whether swimming with no life guard or life in general.

Whether in my art or in my life, I do like to get on with things myself and I am the last person who will ask for help. Maybe to the point of being stubborn. That is probably why when I read this I smiled a little wry smile as I quietly agreed with the person who carved the words.

Where they being spiritual or practical? I don’t know, but these words work either way don’t they?

I didn’t think I would manage much ‘introspection’ this Get Messy season, but would you look at that, a little introspection from me on the first go!

Happy journaling and sketching and happy Thursday x

My Thrifted Finds on Cape Cod 2016

Published by Clare at CatsEatDogs

Thrifting on Cape Cod is great because most of the various churches here have a thrift shop. These vary in size to teeny tiny to a few rooms big. They are not to be judged by the size either, one of my favourite finds is from the smallest shop I have been to.

At the weekend there are yard sales and flea markets too which in my opinion is where you get the best finds.

These are some of the thrifting treasures I have found so far.

1. A party recipe book from the 1950’s and a how to draw animal book. The recipes are classic and bizarre like ‘meat loaf’ and then over the page is ‘rice with avocado sauce’.

2. Along with th animal and party books I also found a book from 1965 on how to grow and avocado from a pit. Very specialist this one!

3. At a yard sale I picked up this coffee mug and at another yard sale I spotted the brushes. They are not Van Gogh standard but handy for glue and painting backgrounds.

4. These postcards came from an antique mall so not really thrifting I suppose but I think they are fab. I love the laughing lady, she is hilarious!

5. My favourite find so far (from the tiny church shop) is this pale pink/salmon scarf. Is is so soft and a beautiful colour, all for $3.00.

6. I have a recipe box at home so these blank recipe cards will be perfect.

7&8 These books came from a church yard sale. They are all from the 1920’s and the open diary is completely filled in from 1928. I can hardly read the writing but I think it is a lovely find.

We have a few more days left and a couple of thrift shops which I still want to visit. Fingers crossed for treasures!

Happy Wednesday x