Fran Meneley

Hello?

Anybody out there?

I know I've been gone a terribly long time, the place has grown moss and cobwebs.

My life took over and my time wasn't my own. It was The Summer Of Healing.

So here are a few hightlights: My 15 year old son had scoliosis surgery...that's his new titanium rodded back in the upper left hand corner. It was a BIG surgery, correcting a 68 degree curvature. And he's doing great now! Nine weeks of rest, mom's attention and cooking, acupuncture and lazy (according to him incredibly boring) days and he was able to do a 9 day backpacking trip with his school. He only carried 25 pounds, but he did it. He's back to be being on the rock climbing team and running a mile in under 8 minutes. Ah youth! My 20 year old daughter was home recovering from a bout of Graves Disease which is hyper-thyroidism. That required mom's cooking, attention from mom, sleep, rest, acupuncture and a calm life - the exact opposite of what she gets in New York City. And she's doing great! In August we helped her move into her first city apartment (with 2 roommates) and she's healthy and happily back in The City and school. We completed the new house landscaping which took about 6 weeks longer than expected. I had mariachi music in the back and blaring classic rock in the front...for weeks. We rescued 6 baby bunnies from the back entrance just as the concrete guys were about to put in the back steps...and safely delivered them to the Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Sanctuary. We escaped for some mountain hiking which I was finally able to do after 15 months of dealing with hip bursitus. Whew! Oh and we just had a 100 year flood in Boulder, which gratefully did not impact us personally. Double whew!

Before I set sail on The Summer Of Healing, I traveled to Sweden at the end of May and did a workshop with Camilla Engman, that's her in upper right hand corner. What a wonderful artist and human being Camilla is. She will get her own blog next time, but you can preview her work on her website and on her blog.

I did escape for one creative day in July with The Makerie and have written about it on the Two Hands Paperie blog, here. And speaking of Two Hands Paperie...I'll be teaching my Finding Your Voice - Introduction To Visual Journaling there next Saturday, October 5th from 1 - 4...

...you can check out the class description and details here. I would love to have you join me.

Before I leave you to start working on my next Sweden post, I will leave you with one of the most inspiring Commencement speeches I have heard. It speaks to all of us who follow a creative path, in whatever capacity we do. Enjoy it and be inspired...it's worth your time. It feels good to be back.

 

Alterations

I spent the afternoon in the studio (one eye on the fires smouldering in the distance) with a couple of friends making altered postcards. It is just what I needed after yesterday's 100 plus temps, roaring winds and freakin' fires billowing smoke down into Boulder! Today was a cool drink of friendship and some much needed soul soothing. Frida altered with dreamy shoes and a wreath of roses...as the rain fell outside, cooling all living things down! Thank you, goddess!

And this little Cy Twombly postcard a dream of sailing away on a leap to another realm and a reminder to Be Brave. Keep watch. Breathe. 

Kits and Cases and Packets, oh my!

This is the last of the iPod/iPhone cases that I am stitching up for the upcoming...

...Two Potters and Friends show in a few weeks. It may seem to many that November 4 is in a land far, far, away called...fall...but I am here to tell you that is upon us!!

And all this stitching and beading takes time. Lots of it. Pleasantly passed, I may add with the help of the lovley...

...Eliott Sisters. Many an evening this autumn Evangeline and Beatice Eliott have kept me company while I stitched and threaded and beaded. If you don't know the Eliott sisters, you should. They are from the most excellent BBC series about two English sisters who begin a dressmaking business in 1920's London. This three season series (available from Netflix) follows the sisters through the creation of their own, House of Eliott, couture fashion establishiment. It has been such a treat and pleasure to have their company. Created by the very prolific and talented Jean Marsh, if you are a fan of Upstairs/Downstairs or Downton Abbey - you will love this series just as much. I adore the fashions and elegance from this era - very inspiring!

But I digress...busy as my fingers have been sewing, they've all also been busy assembling the elements of the journal kits I'll be selling at the Two Potters show...

...as well as a few stitched journals.

All of this on the heels of Journal Fest! There are still a few spots left in both of my classes and others - if you are in the Seattle area, or just dying for a last minute getaway - click over to here to check it out - October 26th to 30th, Port Townsend, Washington.

I just finished putting together my colorful and detailed class packets - it's been so much fun filling them with inspiration. All the rest of my supplies will get boxed up tomorrow and shipped this week! I'm so excited to be in one of my favorite places, teaching something I truly love.

And finally I leave you with this little poster of Adele - not that I condone smoking, and I certainly think that exercise is good for body and soul - but I find her take on things wonderfully refreshing! I love her curvy passion!

I'm also loving this break-up anthem of Adele's - Beautiful imagery - broken crockery, disintegration and a fire burning city - just what every break-up song needs!

More reportage from Journal Fest soon!

Recommendations

Happy New Year! Looking for some new inspiration? Here are a few things that I have come across that float my boat. These new journals from Strathmore are great. My students are always asking for a recommendation on what journal to bring to class. It's such a personal choice I've been reluctant to recommend any. But this one does the trick. For $7.50 you get a nice big size - 9" X 12" - with 34 pages of 90 lb. mixed-media paper. Alot like the smooth Fabriano Artistico paper I put in my custom journals. Heavy enough to take water media, but smooth for writing and drawing. An excellent choice if you are looking for a new journal. Dick Blick has them and so does Amazon, but be aware that you'll have to pay for shipping. I'm working on getting my local art supply store to carry them for my classes - see if yours will carry them as well -  and save the postage.  

These journals come with several different paper choices. I test drove the one with mixed-media paper, the one with watercolor paper and the one with bristol paper and I liked the mixed media paper the best. It comes in other sizes too in case you are a wee bit intimidated by the 9" X 12" - but I say, go big or stay home. Try something new! Click here to have a look. The colorful graphic "Visual Journal" page peels away to reveal a shiny brown cover that is just waiting for some collage to make it yours. Or keep it spare and bare and leave it all on the page.

I'm really enjoying this new watercolor book. I've been wanting to experiment with something new and this book has great photographs and lots of good instruction, examples and projects. Watercolor has always been a watery mystery to me. I look at those hard, dry little cakes of color and go, huh? The beginning of the book has lots of discussion and photos of the different kinds of watercolor paints you can choose to work with and as well as techniques to get those fabulous watery, saturated color effects.

Not that the world needs another book on visual journaling, but this one is authored by two guys...less scrapbooking, more grit. I dig it. Lots of description and great photography - just a glance through was inspiring. A new perspective is always appreciated. 

 The recent Colorado cold spell, coupled with rehab from December, has had me curled up with my lap top and headphones - I have to say a completely anti-social, but absorbing way to catch a flick. So far this winter I have enjoyed these movies from Netflix Instant Play - The Extra Man, Greenfingers, Partition, Stone of Destiny, Cheri, The Year of Living Dangerously, M Butterfly, La Mission, Soul Kitchen and Sweet Land. For a fabulous, fabulous list of documentaries take a stroll over to LIsa's blog here.

What's new with you? Got any great recommendations? Let me know.

Gracious Hospitality

Thank you to everyone who stopped by the Studio Tour this weekend. It was great to see you all under Stephanie's majestic old trees. 

Her charming house and backyard art oasis...

...was the perfect place to show our art and gather.

Her back courtyard houses her studio and a lovely garden space...

...and she graciously let Diane and I open up shop for the weekend to sell our wares..

...and give away a bit of art as well as...

...show case the summer's studio work...

...and talk about learning something new.

All the while Olive stood guard with those huge loving eyes, casting her canine spell on one and all, making us all fall madly in love with her. Who could resist that face? I know I can't and I'm not even a dog person (I know, I know). Stop by Stephanie's blog to see more pictures and stories of the weekend. Thank you, thank you Stephanie for your gracious and kind heart!

Sunday at Katy's

I had a great time teaching Visual Journaling at Katy's last Sunday. I even ended up in Katy's journal! 

  

Light and sunny, we gathered around two big tables. My students experimented with...

 

...new materials and ideas for finding their voices on the page.

 

Openings and thoughts gathering...

 

...blessings shared...

 

...marking the page with notes and reminders and vibrant colors...

 

...we are always beginning. Again. I'll be teaching this Sunday and next, so be in touch if you are interested in joining us!

 

After class we ventured down the block to Stephanie's alley, where some amazing alley art has begun to emerge.

Color waves along the top of a fence...  

 

...hidden collections...

  

...of treasures saved for years. 

 

Broken shards and a discarded window transformed into a mosaic garden.

 

Discards into beauty. A treasure hunt across backyards. Click to here to read Stephanie's story about how all this came about in their wonderful art-community-neighborhood.

 

 

Finding Their Voices On The Page

Hard at work, my journaling students are practicing their "voice" lessons. We just had our second class and will have our third next week. I have to say I really like teaching. I wasn't so sure if I'd like it or if they'd like me. But all is good and I seem to be guiding and inspiring them to create and fill their journal pages with wonderous things.

We've gathered at my kitchen table - spacious and welcoming - in a light filled alcove. How many entreprenuerial endeavors begin at kitchen tables? When I was in publishing, we started what became Velo News magazine, in the guest bedroom of the editor's house! All great ideas start small - a good thing to remember.

One of the things we worked on last week was using collage to create mail art postcards. Charlotte's is looking mighty fine with the frame around the moon.

We began at the beginning by creating a "begin" page...

...I think their first pages are beautiful and unique...

I see their voices begin to echo and unfold...

..in ways surprising...

...and personal...

The guiding principal of these classes has been "finding your voice on the page" - and with that in mind I leave you with this wonderful Brenda Ueland quote - hope your voice is showing up on the page and elsewhere.

"Everyone is original, if they tell the truth, if they speak from their true self. But it must be from their true self and not from the self they think they should be. So remember these two things: you are talented and you are ORIGINAL".

Back To School

  

Sorry I've been off line for a while. It was a busy week getting everyone back to their worlds, tucked safely back into their perspective daytime realities. Whew! 

You know the saying, "when the student is ready, the teacher will appear?" Well, it turns out I'm the teacher. My friends Charlotte and Ellen have been asking me for a while now to teach visual jouraling. So tomorrow I will begin a 4 class series on visual journaling. Tomorrow is Lesson no. 1 and they are enthusiastic test subjects. Thanks girls. I've been busily gathering my books on journaling, preparing a "lesson plan" and a slideshow, making collage packets, a homework sheet and devising a "beginning" ritual. I'll keep you posted as the class progresses. I'll be doing their "homework" too, so I'll share those journal pages as I complete them.

In preparation for the class I had them watch this video which I found on one of favorite blogs, Dispatch From LA . Thank you Mary Ann, I hope you don't mind that I'm sharing it here. I think it applies to all the arts and why as creative people we hold ourselves back and stop too soon. Have a look at the truly talented Ira Glass expounding on his theory:

As a p.s. I want to thank all of you who have commented on my Blog Slurping post. The short of it is that it doesn't seem to be working all that well. I've had a lot of frustrated posters telling me their tales of woe and frustration. Thank you for letting me know. I'll give it a try in February, my blogversary month and I'll report back. It's such a great idea, I hope they get the kinks worked out.