We started our Sunday afternoon watercolor classes, this past Sunday. I had eight beautiful and creative women trying their hand at painting with watercolors. We used contour drawing and watercolor techniques to create these pieces from my old bottle collection. Each piece was unique and a reflection of the person who created it. It is such a pleasure to share this journey with these ladies, they are each so much fun to work with. Our next class will be Sunday February 5th. If you would like to be a part of the class, email me at sharen@sharenchatterton.com

I often get asked what is Art Journaling. The answer to that is as varied as there are folks who art journal. For me I do a couple of different types of art journaling.

One type that I engage in is visual art journaling where I create visually appealing journal pages, sometimes theme based, sometimes not. I use different types of media, such as shiva oil sticks, pan pastels, acrylics, acrylic inks, different types of collage materials, and more. For me this type of journaling is more experimental, it gives me the opportunity to use and experiment with different media to create art. I utilize these journals to create pages that I may or may not use at a later date to inspire a new canvas piece.

I also create art pages for journaling. On these pages, I create backgrounds, using different techniques; then I journal over them or do paintings etc. on them. In nature art journaling, I concentrate on my surroundings, focusing on aspects in nature. It might be a texas sage plant, onions in the garden, a wren in my back yard, or something else that I am observing and painting. I do nature art journaling, visual art journaling and journaling on art pages on a regular bases. There are so many variations on art journaling, what is most important is to find something that works for you and helps you get to whatever place you want to be. It may be that you need a kick start in your creative process, a chance to experiment with new media or techniques, maybe you want to be more observant of your surroundings, maybe you need a creative outlet for stress relief. Art journaling allows you the freedom to create without worrying about doing something a right or wrong way; you just do it your way and have fun!

If you haven’t been out to the Bob Jones Nature Center and Preserve, you should really take a short trip out there. Set in the heart of Southlake it is a beautiful 76 acre example of the Cross Timbers ecosystem. There are hiking trails, birds, and wildlife to be discovered and explored. Ever couple of months we put up a new exhibit in the Nature Center building, right now it is all about hummingbirds, but soon will be replaced by creatures of the night. On Saturday, November 5th from 7pm until 10pm they will have have their major fund raiser “Naturally Sweet” this years theme is “Creatures of the Night. The event is $50.00 per person which gives you

Unlimited Dessert & Savory Samplings
Complimentary Wine
Sweet & Savory Tastings from North Tarrant County Chefs
Silent Auction and Themed Gift Baskets
Gallery Offerings from Local Artists

Not to mention you will be supporting the Bob Jones Nature Center and Preserve. I will be one of the Local Artists at the Event, buy a ticket and come on out!

Bob Jones Nature Center

I have been working quit a bit in my visual journals. I have several of them going at one time, so I just switch off, depending on which one I feel like creating in. I have an experimental journal, that I am trying new techniques, new ways to use old techniques, etc. Just experimenting, being creative, giving myself permission to just make art. I also journal some favorite quotes, songs, verses, or whatever strikes my fancy, on some of those pages. Of coarse I am still adding to my gardening art journal, and have created several new pages in that journal. I love looking at the two. They are both evolving in such different directions. I feel like these journals have helped me to loosen up in my work, become more creative and just paint because it is what I love.  If you are interested I am starting up a sketchbook crawl group, our first meeting is Saturday May 28th, 10 am until about 12pm, at Central Market in Southlake. Hope you can come out and join us.

Last weekend, I painted at the Grapevine Botanical Gardens with several other artists in honor of National Public Garden Day. The Gardens were beautiful and the weather was very nice, a little warm, but breezy. I enjoyed talking to all the folks that came out and I really enjoyed drawing and painting. I was inspired by a very interesting tree trunk, I sketched in a few more roots and made it a little more gnarled, then painted it with watercolor. Working in my experimental journal, I sketched the tree in lightly, getting things where I wanted them, then began to glaze with my watercolors. I had already created the background colors with some acrylic inks and then began to put the transparent glazes of the watercolor on top, building up the beautiful colors. I’m not sure the image does the colors justice, but the tree and background are done in a vibrant yellow oranges and very earthy browns.  Once I got home, I added the interesting handmade paper on the right side of the tree and then journaled a favorite verse of mine from a song by Joni Mitchell.

“They took all the trees and put them in a tree museum

And they charged all the people a dollar and a half just to see’em

Don’t it always seem to go, that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone

They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.”

Read more about the ribbon cutting here:

Our Everyday Earth