The Expressive Journal - 30 day challenge

 After 'getting through' 2022, I could hardly wait to welcome 2023. However, it's typical January weather - rainy and gloomy...dreary!

It's been difficult for me to get back into any kind of painting mode so I made the decision to sign up for a class. I find that classes and workshops help me to be accountable. The Academy Art Museum is offering a class titled "The Expressive Journal - a 30 day challenge." The idea is to take an old book, open it to two pages and express myself every day with paint, ink, collage material, whatever. The class meets for an hour on zoom once a week for critique and to share what we have done. The rest of the time, it's up to me.

I have been going through LOTS of books on my shelves - cleaning out - so finding a old book or two was easy. I dug into my recycle box and began going through magazines and the other 'stuff' that I have been keeping around for years for grandchildren to do arts and crafts.

I gathered up all of my supplies and set to work. Here are the first two pages. Since I have been pouring acrylic paint I still had a lot of paint mixed up...I poured it on the pages and swished it around with a foam brush. Then poured more paint splotches and dragged a comb through all of it. I turned on my heat gun and some cells appeared, giving it some texture. I added some words...and stopped!

I was having fun so I did a second book! It was a similar process, different colors, marks and phrases.

The next day I was in a different mood. I began exploring some of my grief readings. Under this plastic netting are a few phrases that may be difficult to read: a poem -  "I write only until I cry, which is why so few poems this month have been completed. It's just that   " ; A book title  - "HEALING AFTER LOSS" and a phrase -  "THE WILL IN CRISIS"

The next two are more thoughtful phrases that I cut out.

Then I discovered some old acrylic paintings that I had stacked up on a shelf. I thought they would make great backgrounds. I glued them onto the double pages and pasted phrases on them. 

This one is a poem by Liz Newman. I discovered her online and have bought her book of poetry "I look to the Mourning Sky."

I went back to painting the pages with this one. I can't remember where this poem came from, but it spoke to me at the time. The right hand page is a hand I drew for the book (the essay called "In Touch")

This last one, that I painted this afternoon, also comes from the book and is glued to an acrylic painting from the stack of old artwork. I added a few more tears...

Merry Christmas

 When I began this blog in 2011, my goal was to post at least twice a week. Some years I have accomplished that - this year, not even close. It's been a rough year - my head, heart and art have been in a different place. (and I did get a book published!)

With all the distractions from normalcy, I did paint a card for this year. 

Here's a little history. When my first husband died almost 50 years ago, I looked for an appropriate card to send at Christmas. (That was long before I had gotten into art. My focus was raising two small children!) I finally found a card that spoke to me and got up the courage to mail it out. 

The image on the card was of an old tree stump that had been cut off and new growth was happening. 

In the past several years, I have drawn and redrawn that card and shared it with friends - as a symbol of new life. Here are a few...

Thinking about starting over again after the death of my husband this year, I came up with a new version of this old favorite. For me, it says in a simple image, who I am right now. It speaks of lives cut short, new life and hope.

Merry Christmas, everyone. 

Hopefully...I'll find renewed energy in the coming year

and get back to this blog more regularly!

Happy New Year!

Living into Darkness and Finding Light

 The book is in print! 

If you get a copy ...and read it... would you please consider leaving a review on Amazon? I am told that more reviews help others to find the book.  

I am excited to share with you the announcement of the publication of George’s essays in today’s Talbot Spy. https://talbotspy.org/coming-to-the-end-the-journey-of-george-and-jo-merrill/

 

The following is the press release which is going out. 

 

Experience the Journey of Life Before Death with a New Collection of Essays

“Living into Darkness and Finding Light”, by George Merrill available now

 

EASTON, MD (November 27, 2022) – Living into Darkness and Finding Light, a new book of essays by the late George Merrill, well-known author for the Talbot Spy, is now available.

 

Living into Darkness and Finding Light is a collection of essays written by George after he received a terminal cancer diagnosis. Each essay reflects on the last year of his life, and he invites the reader to join him on a reflective, spiritual journey through his last year of ‘living into dying.’ Share the pain, darkness, fear, curiosity, strength, and love, with George and his wife, Jo Merrill, as they navigate this journey together. With them, discover inner resources, and a sense of the divine mystery as they find the light and walk toward what is to come.

“George’s decision to write about his experience of living into his death was his gift to both of us. Our breakfast conversations had always been our ‘special time,’ but they took on a greater significance after his terminal diagnosis. Our discussions of life and death were about us at that moment,” states Jo Merrill, George’s wife. “For several months before his death, he and I talked about compiling his essays into book form and he asked that I provide sketches for each essay, It would be a final 'us’ thing.”

 

George R. Merrill was an Episcopal priest and pastoral counselor. After retiring from his professional life, he moved to Maryland’s Eastern Shore and began his writing career. A life-long searcher, he felt that the essays he wrote in the final year of his life reflected his true calling. An award-winning essayist, his writings were published in regional and national magazines, as well as in The Talbot Spy, a local online newspaper. He also published his first book, The Bay of the Mother of God, a collection of essays about the Chesapeake Bay. 

 

Jo Merrill is an award-winning watercolor and pastel artist. Her sketches have been published in a national journal and can be found in the book Thoughts from my Bench. She currently lives on Broad Creek in St. Michaels, MD. To see more of her work, visit her blog at jomerrillart.blogspot.com.

 

The book is available online at Amazon.com  Living into Darkness and Finding Light

 

Watercolor on Yupo paper

 I got out my watercolor paints for the first time in a long time. Time to get back to painting - playing - experimenting.

I began just dropping color across the top of the wet yupo paper. I sprayed it, held it up, and watched the paint run. More color and more spray. When I turned it upside down, I saw this.

So, what do you see? Maybe the beginning of a forest... If I drop in a little sunshine and 'find' the trees. 

Yupo paper is such fun. To find the trees, I wet a toothpick and trace the trees with it. Then gently blot the paint and it lifts off!

It seemed too RED ! I darkened the sides and defined some more of the trees. I also gently touched some of the wet paint here and there for texture. 

Getting there. Still too much red in the undergrowth so I added some 'background' and more tree definition.

"When the sun shines through the forest the trees begin to dance"

Kind of a long title but I like it!

Living into Darkness and Finding Light

Last month I wrote about the book in process...it is still making its way through the mysteries of the publishing world. (for background on the book, see prior post)

It now has title and a cover - thanks to one of my granddaughters who has art, computer, and public relations skills! The title comes from many conversations that George (my husband) and I had about living into his illness. The photograph is one of his favorites. He loved black and white photography!

This is the "About the Cover" description in the book: 

At this point about half of the essays have been reviewed and edited by the publisher. I do not have a date when I will actually hold the book in my hand. However, I am offering a few more of the images that I sketched along with the phrases from the essay.

Hopefully, in another few weeks I'll have a publish date!

Moving Forward Slowly - Book coming...

I see that my last post was April 2. I need to offer an explanation about my absence on this blog. A year ago in April 2021, my husband was diagnosed with a terminal form of cancer. We spent the following 12 months going to medical appointments  - including two hospitalizations and numerous chemo injections and blood transfusions. He died on Easter Sunday, April 17 of this year. 

It was a challenging time for us and we were so thankful for the support of our family and many friends.

During that year, George wrote about his experience of 'living into death.' (Before his diagnosis, he had been writing a weekly column for a local online newspaper.) These new essays, written following his diagnosis, elicited comments from all over the country.

For several months before his death he and I talked about compiling his essays into book form and he asked that I provide sketches for each essay, It would be a final 'us thing.'

So, as part of my personal grief work, I have finished 22 images, edited the essays, worked on a title and cover page...and the book is 'in the works.' 

Each essay will be headed by an image and a phrase that was picked out of the text. I want to share a preview of a few of the sketches before they are published.

I do not have a time frame or a publishing date, but will probably have time to post a few more images before the book is actually in print. 

I will post notice of the book!

Puzzle candle holders

In 'another life', before I began painting, I was a woodworker. I had always wanted to work with wood, but grew up at a time when girls were not allowed to take shop. Boys took shop. Girls took 'home economics.' Looking back, I have probably used the skills I learned in home ec more than most of the courses I took anywhere, but I always regretted not having the opportunity to take shop.

So, several yeas ago, when I received a flyer from a local community college offering 'Basic Woodworking - Hand and and Power Tools', I signed up! I ended up taking four semesters of night classes and loved it. I learned how to use all sorts of power tools. I made a workbench, tables, bookshelves, cabinets with panel doors, toys and puzzles for grandchildren.

I got involved with Habitat for Humanity and built lots of houses...until I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease and could no longer hold the lumber without my hands cramping. The disease crippled me for several years and I had to give up sawing, hammering...and the intoxicating smell of freshly sawn wood. 

Then I discovered watercolor painting... and found a new creative outlet which has led me to drawing, pastels, acrylics...  and the abstract painting and pouring that I have been doing recently. 

So, on to today's project...I woke up this morning with a new idea. 

I have loved the colors and shapes of the acrylic pours and was trying to think of ways to make some kind of base for the votive candles. Maybe I could combine that with some wood. I had been reluctant to get rid of my woodworking 'toys/tools'...and still had a lot of milled lumber from a cherry tree that we had to cut down years ago. 

I picked up a piece of the cherry wood, found the right size bit for my drill press, and began. I drilled holes for the glass votives and then began to randomly cut the pieces apart. One thing led to another and I had begun to make a puzzle! 

All these pieces could be used individually as candle holders, or they could be fit together in different groupings.! 

Here are some photos of the puzzle pieces with the candles. There are two sets of three...

Second set of three...

And here is a set of seven! Imagine having the candles all 

over the dining room table 

and asking our guests to put the puzzle together!

=

Since all these pictures were taken, I have put a finish on the wood and added felt to the bottom.  It's now a non-scratch surface so they can be put anywhere. 

It was a fun project!