Trees again

I am taking an online course, Unbound: Artists books with Toni Hartill, through Fibre Arts Take Two. This is my third course with them and all have been professional and interesting, and I have learnt so much from each tutor. I highly recommend them.

Toni Hartill is an artist and printmaker who also makes the most incredible artist books, often using her prints. The course, which I am about half-way through, is self-paced. It has been wonderful to take my time to absorb the things Toni is teaching me.

The module I am working through at the moment is about using the concertina format to create a range of different and interesting books.

A concertina fold is a very basic fold. You start with a strip of paper and fold it into even sections. You may remember school days folding paper to make fans. Of course the more precise the fold the better the result. Once the folds are made you can treat it like a book, with decorations on each page. Add some covers and you have a lovely structure that extends out. The Rockies book inside the box is a variation on the concertina fold. There are more lovely examples here.

Simple ideas open up to complexity.

Toni taught me a variation and I worked on an idea in which the ‘pages’ of the book extend out from the concertina folds. It has four pages that sit behind one another, each being longer than the one in front and glued onto separate folds of the concertina.

After painstakingly cutting each scene from watercolour paper I collaged the canopies with tissue paper printed on a geli plate and used watercolour to paint the undergrowth. It’s like looking through a forest.

The structure can fold flat along the concertina folds, but it really does seem to much prefer to be standing up and showing off!

After I finished cutting out the scenes and before I added the collage and paint, I paper clipped them onto the concertina structure to make sure it was going to work as I hoped. I struck me that the simple silhouettes, undecorated, had a power too, especially with a light behind to create shadows and intrigue.

Even though my hands didn’t want to (cutting through 300gsm watercolour paper is quite hard!), I knew I had to do a second one, a plain one.

I cut into the ‘undergrowth’ area to break up the solid paper, creating more trees and bushes. I also added to the length of the scenes, so the edges would not be as obvious as in the decorated forest.

I think both work well, and each is so different to the other that they work in different ways.

Why ‘again‘ in the title? If you have been reading my posts for a while ~ and many of you have, and I love that you are here ~ you may remember that I have a fascination for trees, especially those with the almost cloud shaped canopy on top of twisted trunks and branches. I have played with this shape in watercolour, oil pastels, embroidery, needle point and now paper. It is satisfying to be back exploring it again.

© Anne Lawson 2017

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I respectfully acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land on which I live and create – the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung People of the Kulin Nation, their spirits, ancestors, elders and community members past and present. The land always was, and always will be, Aboriginal land.

Les filles du Roi

This box is the last one in the series of my travels earlier this year. It requires the most back story. Say “The Rockies” and people have images of high, snow capped mountains and glaciers. Say “Ireland” and there are images of greenery and misty hills. Say “Les filles du Roi” and people look blankly.

To fill you in I have to start with my maternal grandfather. We knew he was American and had jumped ship in Australia. We knew he was involved in the logging industry here and in north America, and brought important technologies to make it easier to log the forests in the Dandenong Ranges just out of Melbourne. We knew very little of his life before he came to Australia and attempts to trace his history hit brick walls.

Then my cousin Liz, the super sleuth of the genealogy world, tracked down information that smashed down that brick wall. He had changed his name. He grew up in Vermont. His father was Irish and his mother was French Canadian. Like many French Canadians her lineage can be traced back to the 1600’s and the beginnings of European settlement in Quebec, New France as it was known then.

Quebec City held a very strategic position along the St Lawrence Seaway, and was the gateway to wealth in the form of timber and fur. As you can imagine, it was a very male dominated settlement, made up largely of soldiers, trappers, loggers and sailors. It needed more women ~ to build up the population as well as to ‘civilise’ the fledgling town.

From 1663 to 1673 King Louis XIV sponsored nearly 800 women to leave France to go to Quebec ~ les filles du Roi. Their passage was paid; they were given clothing, linen, needles, thread and pins and other things to help them become established in their new homes. When they married they were given a dowry. (Follow this link to read more about this interesting time.)

Eight of these women were my ancestors.

Which got me thinking about the courage it would have taken to board a boat sailing to the end of the world, to never return. Then to choose a husband ~ and they did have choice ~ and settle into a hard life establishing a farm and raising a huge number of children. They would have been strong and brave, resourceful and resilient.

I wanted to show my respect for these pioneering women. So my third box was made out of brown paper, to look like the trunk a young woman would have brought on the voyage. It was making this trunk that made me follow the idea of boxes.

The contents inside are different again. There is a bonnet like the one she would have worn, an apron, a scarf and some dressmaker pins. All hand stitched.

I had a few goes at making the bonnet, including out of paper. I even watched videos on making costumes. The most useful were the photos I took of Therese, our tour guide in Quebec. She took us on a great tour of the old city and told us how it would have been in the days of that early settlement. To be in the part, she dressed as a woman would have dressed then, including the bonnet.

It was quite amazing to walk these streets and think that a part of me has come from these remarkable women pioneers.

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I respectfully acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land on which I live and create – the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung People of the Kulin Nation, their spirits, ancestors, elders and community members past and present. The land always was, and always will be, Aboriginal land.

Ireland, another box

Last time I showed you my Rockies box. Today it’s Ireland’s turn.

I stayed with my friend Mary in County Waterford. We had a wonderful time driving along the country lanes visiting her relations, going to beautiful gardens, stately homes and castles. We walked cliff tops and visited ancient churches. And everywhere we went was a delight.

I was fascinated by a couple of things. Firstly the countryside, so different to Australia. It was compact and neat, but wooded and hedged. The country lanes ran between hedges so you drove surrounded by greenery and pops of colour from the hedgerow flowers. So many different, vibrant greens! It really is a patch-work quilt of fields and lanes and hedges.

Secondly was the most wonderful stone, ancient and lichen-encrusted. The stone was everywhere, in ruined abbeys, ancient towers, headstones so worn you can’t read the engravings. And walls! Around graveyards, house walls, quaysides, bridges, magnificent bridges, and long, long walls that fenced in vast estates and poked up through the greenery of the hedgerows.

I wanted my box to capture both of these fascinations.

As with the Rockies, the box was made with an A4 size paper printed with a photo of St Declan’s Cathedral in Ardmore. It is now a ruin but still has a strong presence. The finished box is 8 x 13 x 4 cm and sits neatly in your hand.

When you pick it up you can feel something shift inside. Maybe you are expecting another book of photos like the Rockies. Open it up and see.

Remember I said the countryside reminded me of a patchwork quilt? So, how could I not make a quilt. It is made of little squares of different greens with golden yellows to represent the ripening wheat, and a few blues for the sea. I covered areas with French knots as forests and hedges.

I wanted to carry through the idea of stone on the back. The material looks like roughly laid stones to me, and I embellished with with embroidery to create a lichen and mossy look.

I hope it surprises and delights. It folds back to fit into the box for the next person to open.

The patchwork came together quite easily as I knew what I was trying to create. And I have had all these years of watching many of you make quilts! I knew I had to make little paper squares to wrap the material squares in, and join them together. So thank you for all your tutoring over many blogs. Your fabulous quilts have inspired me.

The backing was more difficult. I tried a couple of different ways before I came up with this solution. Once I found the perfect material in my stash I knew where I was going. The process could have been frustrating, but it wasn’t. I just had to let the idea come to me in its own time.

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I respectfully acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land on which I live and create – the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung People of the Kulin Nation, their spirits, ancestors, elders and community members past and present. The land always was, and always will be, Aboriginal land.

Box #1 ~ The Rockies

I have hinted at the things I have been creating in response to my recent trip to Canada and beyond. So, today, the Rockies.

It starts with a box with a photo of a mountain scene printed on it. The scene, from one of my photos, wraps around the box as it is made from an A4 sheet of paper, and is 8 x 13 x 4 cm. It sits neatly in your hand.

Of course boxes are made to be opened. We can’t help it. We need to know what’s inside. And we can feel something shifting inside this one. It’s a hinged box, so open the lid and discover…..

A concertina book made out of a map of the Banff area in the Rockies. The map is folded to create pockets. In those pockets are cards of more scenes of the Rockies. You can take those out and have a closer look if you like. Turn them over and see that they are backed onto more parts of the map.

Then, fold up the concertina book, pop it back into the box, close the lid and it is ready for the the next person to explore.

I love the tactile nature of these books and boxes I am making. Too often art is about “look, but certainly don’t touch”. I want my creations to be opened and explored. I want the hidden to be discovered.

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I respectfully acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land on which I live and create – the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung People of the Kulin Nation, their spirits, ancestors, elders and community members past and present. The land always was, and always will be, Aboriginal land.

Why is creating important to me?

It’s Saturday morning, a chilly morning with squally rainy and hail being blown across us. The perfect weather to sit up in bed with a cup of tea and write to you. (I hope you are keeping warm or cool, and have somewhere comfy to sit with a cup of something too.)

I mentioned that my Do Not Disturb days were successful because I have a clearer idea of how I want to create. Today I want to tease that out a little.

My desire to develop a strong creative practice has always been one of my goals. There have been all sorts of valid reasons why a practice hasn’t stuck. Last year many of those reasons had gone from my life and I could feel myself groping for what I wanted to do. I was feeling my way with things like small embroidery samples and another attempt at stitching the Maribyrnong River. There was something happening, I just needed to give myself time to work out what it was.

Then in January I read an article in Uppercase magazine by Meera Lee Partel “Finding your true north”. She asked the question that has resolved so much:

Why is creating important to me?

I realise that in the past I had been trying to solve the question “What sort of artist am I?” Am I a botanic artist? A collage artist? An embroiderer? A sketcher? But my creative soul kept wanting to not settle for one thing. Meera’s question turned my thoughts from an external gaze to an internal one.

To ask “What sort of artist am I?” is the need to find a label that explains my work to the wider world. I do botanic art. Or I collage. Or I embroider. It also fits in with the need to create a Product, which is a thought for another day.

Shifting my gaze internally made me realise that creating is important because I love to record.

I mean recording in a wider sense than writing a diary, although that is important. I think of it as taking my curiosity about my world and recording it in some way. Showing the connections that I see between things.

Which is what artists do. I am not sure where this quote came from, but it fits:

” Artists are people who notice things and find significance there, they draw connections. Artists are people who make art as a symbol, a keepsake, a mark of that experience of noticing.“

You know that I love keeping written records, of my reading, my garden, my thoughts, my travels. Art gives me another way to record, it just uses different skills and media. For instance botanic art is about recording a specific plant in visual form. My collage work, although not at all scientific like botanic art, was about recording the wetlands and rock pools.

As I see myself as an artist who notices and records, I can also see that specific media and skills become items in my toolbox. Instead of thinking “I want to do some collage but I don’t know what” I am thinking “how can I use collage in this work on the Maribyrnong?” Instead of limiting myself to one type of creating I can combine and select the best tool for the element I want to create.

That’s why I am finding artist books to be such a powerful creative expression. I have made a couple now and find them deeply satisfying, and I dip into my toolbox of skills and media to make them. They also move me away from a 2 dimensional way of expressing. I think that is another important part of all of this, but need to ponder it some more.

There is more I want to show you about these ‘books’, so watch out for the next couple of blogs. In the meantime breakfast is calling! Enjoy your weekend wherever you may be.

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I respectfully acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land on which I live and create – the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung People of the Kulin Nation, their spirits, ancestors, elders and community members past and present. The land always was, and always will be, Aboriginal land.

Do not disturb and one month’s free trial

You may have noticed that I have been posting more regularly over the past couple of weeks. Too many of my irregular posts over the past year or so have begun “I am sorry I haven’t been here, I intend to do better”. Now I am hoping that I am building a sustainable blogging habit.

Which brings me to the second part of the title ~ one month’s free trial.

Jane, who has the youtube channel Snapdragon Life, spoke about building habits. She made the point, that we have all experienced, that we start with great gusto and loose impetus. Not because we are lazy or lack discipline to keep the habit going. More often because we have chosen the wrong way to go about it. Her advice is to try the new habit for a month. That’s a doable amount of time to see if that habit is going to stick. If not, then no worries. If you really want to build the habit try a different time or frequency, or maybe think it just wasn’t for you.

My mind loves labels, so I think of it as ‘Try before you buy” or “One month’s free trial”.

That’s what I am doing with my blogging. It is Saturday morning, in bed, with my cup of tea and my laptop. No imperative to get up (although breakfast is calling!), so it’s a good time to blog. It’s my One Month’s Free Trial, which has worked for the last couple of weekends. Instead of thinking “I must write that blog…” with no firm time, I think “I will write that blog on Saturday (or Sunday) morning”. And I do. So here we are!

I have tried “Do Not Disturb Days” before. It is where I allocate a day each week to creative things. The title is a reminder to myself to not schedule coffee with friends or do the shopping or housework (that’s an easy one!) or anything that will distract me from dedicating the time to being creative.

There are various reasons why I haven’t been able to make it a regular thing. The most powerful was that I didn’t know which creative direction I was heading in. I thought I did, but I was never really sure of how to pull things together. So they petered out, and it was more fun to meet for coffee or go to a gallery.

Earlier this year I came to a strong realisation about my art practice. The result is that I am making artist books. (I thought I had blogged about it, but apparently not. I will, but not here, as it is a bit of a lengthy distraction.) I am finding this extremely satisfying, and love being in my space using a whole range of my skills to bring my thoughts to life.

My Do Not Disturb days are serious and fun days that I am determined to build into my week. And my creative joy spills into other days and evenings too. Today I have a completely free day and look forward to working on the next stage of my project.

Maybe one of these two ways of thinking about your time will resonate with you. Any other ideas you think I can use, let me know in the comments.

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I respectfully acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land on which I live and create – the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung People of the Kulin Nation, their spirits, ancestors, elders and community members past and present. The land always was, and always will be, Aboriginal land.

My travel journal

You may remember me writing about the travel journal I was going to take away with me. I chose a school exercise book and added embellishments to some pages to overcome the fear of the blank space. My intention was to make a journal with the ephemera I collected along the way.

The front cover

It worked really well, and I am very pleased with it. It is satisfyingly chunky and tactile. And even though I haven’t written about every day there are so many wonderful memories through the book.

So a couple of examples:

The blue circles, stuck on at home, helped get over the fear of the blank page. Maps, which are readily available, were a great way to explain where I went, and the scenic photos in tourist brochures are way better than any I could take.

Paper bags make great pockets for postcards and brochures. This one came from our visit to France, on the island of St Pierre off the coast of Newfoundland. The stamp was a nice touch too.

I was pleased how this collection of a ticket, wrappers, torn paper bags work together.

Lastly, this page from Montreal shows another way to include postcards. I hinged one of Maison Saint Gabriel over the information I wrote about our visit.

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I travelled through the lands of many First Nations Peoples of Canada, and I respect them for the deep love and care they have for their Country. I acknowledge their ancestors and elders past and present. As I respectfully acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land on which I live in Melbourne/Naarm – the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung People of the Kulin Nation, their spirits, ancestors, elders and community members past and present. The land always was, and always will be, Aboriginal land.

Travel tips

Well, it is more about what to take and what to leave behind. All based on my recent trip. I know many of you are great travellers, domestically and internationally, and go in all sorts of ways. Travelling in a caravan is rather like living out of a suitcase! So leave any tips for us in the comments.

Firstly, about the size of my case. I don’t know the dimensions but it is the middle size one of the three I own. There are people who are able to fit everything they need and will wear into a small carry-on case. Not me. I was going for 2 months and knew the weather would change over that time.

A couple of things to think about when selecting your case.

• The weight limits on the flights you will be taking. Long haul flights are usually generous. However domestic and some international carriers have very strict limits. I did a mixture of flights, and had to factor that into the final weight of the case. (Which was generally around 17kgs)
• One rule of travel: If you can’t carry it yourself, you don’t take it! I caught the train from London to Bournemouth, and I had forgotten how many steps there were in the London Underground. While I would have been able to (eventually) get the case up various sets of stairs, I was grateful to the young men who offered to carry it up for me!

What goes in the suitcase? I was pleased that, with the exception of one piece, I wore everything I took. Here is a selection of thoughts on clothes, in no particular order:

• Keep clothes colour co-ordinated, so that you can mix and match.
• Think about what you are going to wear on the plane. Maybe bulky items? And make sure you take a jacket/jumper/scarf if you are doing overnight flights. It gets cold on planes.
• Create layers
• Another rule of travel: if you don’t wear it at home, you probably won’t wear it travelling.
• Think very carefully about shoes, as these are usually the most bulky items. Whatever pairs you take, make sure they are comfortable.
• Try to not pack ‘just in case’ items. That’s difficult for me. Living in Melbourne, where the weather is notoriously changeable, ‘just in case’ is a way of life!
• If you wear scarves (thinking about the rule above) take a couple. They are lightweight, stuff into a handbag, can dress up an outfit and there will be times when you need an extra layer.

I discovered packing cubes and loved them! They are lightweight, zippered fabric pouches, which come in a range of sizes and are great for organising your clothes and other items. They range in price, but I found the cheaper ones were just as good as the more expensive.

The advantages were, firstly, that I could find things in the suitcase. Before my socks and undies would have been scattered throughout, but a pod dedicated to underwear meant that I could find them easily. And I could sort clean from dirty. Secondly it made packing and unpacking so much easier as it was a matter of taking out one cube rather than many individual pieces. And they usually nestled neatly next to each other.

I roll up all my clothes, and they fitted into the cubes.

Aside from shoes the other bulky item is toiletries. I managed to have all I needed in a small zip-up bag. However I don’t wear make-up and therefore didn’t need to pack whatever items this includes.

• I decanted sunscreen/moisturiser and hair gel stuff into smaller containers. You can buy little screw top pots that are very cute, and mine didn’t leak.
• Hotels provide soaps, shampoos and conditioners. So unless you are allergic to unknown products, you don’t need to take these bulky things.
• Look out for small sample toothpastes. Your dentist maybe? They take up less space than a full size tube.
• I have discovered deodorant that comes in a tin! Again, much less bulky than roll-ons or sprays.

And lastly some random thoughts:

• Think about your medication and what you will need while you are away. While initially packets take up space at least you will have fewer packets as you go along!
• And on medication, remember to take whatever you need if you are travelling overnight and don’t have access to your case. I put mine in another little screw-top pot that slipped easily in my carry-on luggage. It was much easier to manage on the plane to wrangling blister packs.
• You will buy and collect things along the way. Clothes, presents, mementoes. They need to go somewhere! I bought a hand-knitted jumper in Ireland, which had to go in the case. I happily turfed out the jumper from home, which I had worn to death.
• My most valued piece of clothing was my puffer jacket. Warm, wind-resistant and squashed up so it didn’t take much space. Oh, and also my blue and green chiffon scarf.
• Take a small, fold up umbrella. I left mine at home and had to buy one. (And for something completely different, read about Slawa Duldig, who perfected the folding umbrella.)

I hope there is at least one idea here you can take away with you. Any other suggestions? Let me know.

I travelled through the lands of many First Nations Peoples of Canada, and I respect them for the deep love and care they have for their Country. I acknowledge their ancestors and elders past and present. As I respectfully acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land on which I live in Melbourne/Naarm – the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung People of the Kulin Nation, their spirits, ancestors, elders and community members past and present. The land always was, and always will be, Aboriginal land.

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Home again

Yes I am home from two months travelling around the world. And had the most fantastic time through Canada (from the West Coast to the East), the UK, and then Ireland. I travelled with my sister and brother-in-law through Canada, stayed with Terry’s brother in the UK and a friend in Ireland.

Of course people ask me “What was your favourite place?” or the variation “What was the highlight?”. My answer is “All of it! I loved every day”. I think that was because every place was different and each had its own charms and interest.

I will let my photos do the talking, and try hard not to overload you!

(Well, I was going to let the photos do the talking, until WordPress decided I had reached my photo limit. Now I am in the process of deleting photos and the blogs they go with. Unfortunately when you delete a post photos don’t automatically delete at the same time. That makes it a very time-consuming process.Any thoughts on how to speed this up much appreciated! So, let me give you a summary of my adventures…maybe more photos will come next post.)

First we landed in Victoria, on Vancouver Island. It is the capital of the Province of British Columbia, and a friendly, welcoming city. The perfect place to start the travel experience.

Fisherman’s Wharf

I loved the strength of the many totem poles, each one unique, telling the carver’s own message

This magnificent beast was at the Museum of Anthropology. A fabulous collection

The Parliament building across the harbour. “We are not going to be the 51st state” was a very common sentiment.

Then ferry to Vancouver.

It is a very beautiful city, ringed by snow capped mountains.

Even though it is a big bustling city seals were swimming just below .

More wonderful totem poles in Stanley Park.

We caught the VIArail train from Vancouver to Jasper. We slept on it overnight, as the seat folds down into a cosy bed. (Many people travel on the Rocky Mountaineer train, but instead of sleeping on the train you stay in an hotel overnight. Where’s the fun in that?)

From Jasper to Banff, through the Rockies and on either side of the road are the most majestic, awe-inspiring mountains. Snow-capped, sculpted by glaciers.

Jasper, which had been recently devastated by wild fires

The Athabasca Falls

Magnificent!

The skywalk, built over a deep valley. I found walking on it rather disturbing.

I’ve always wanted to be in a place where there were large mountains at the end of the street. Banff was it.

Lake Louise (away from all the people!). And yes, the water really is that colour.

More magnificence!

A bus took us to Calgary, a plane to Toronto and a car to Stratford, where, naturally there is a Shakespeare Festival. We went to two plays ~ “As you like it” and “Annie”, and ate lots of pies and other sweet treats.

On to Montreal, a vibrant mix of old and new. (Obviously this is where the photo limit kicked in!)

Plane to St John’s in Newfoundland, where we hired a car and drove four hours to Grand Bank. This next part needs a little more explanation….Off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, there are 2 islands, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, which are French Territories. Yes, French. When we got off the ferry we went through immigration, the town speaks French, uses Euros and has European outlets for electrical items. I sent a postcard (paid for in Euros and had a French stamp) which I presume went back to France to be sorted.

When we were there a production crew was in town, filming the next season of Saint Pierre, a cop show set on the island. There are episodes on YouTube if you fancy a look!

Back in the big smoke of St John’s we did four days of bus touring around the stunning coast. Then plane back to Montreal and car to Quebec City, which is as historically interesting as everyone says.

That’s where my sister, brother-in-law-in-law and I parted. They were heading home and I was on to the UK. I stayed in London for a few days; caught up with my favourite paintings at the National Gallery and walked for miles. Then train to Bournemouth where I was met with open arms by Terry’s brother and sister-in-law. Such a warm and welcoming stay.

The last leg was Dungarvan, County Waterford in Ireland, where I stayed with my friends. How wonderful it was to stay put for a few days, and spread myself out! Even more wonderful to go out each day and see more of this charming country.

Then the long haul home.

Perhaps the highlight was the people, the friendly welcome I felt every where. It was comforting to be in the loving arms of friends and family, but strangers were also open and friendly and usually up for a chat. With so much horror being rained down on the world it is wonderful to know that there are so many decent, generous people here too.

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I travelled through the lands of many First Nations Peoples of Canada, and I respect them for the deep love and care they have for their Country. I acknowledge their ancestors and elders past and present. As I respectfully acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land on which I live in Melbourne/Naarm – the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung People of the Kulin Nation, their spirits, ancestors, elders and community members past and present. The land always was, and always will be, Aboriginal land.

Travel journal and commonplace book

I have been absent for quite a while. Even now I am only dropping in to say ‘hello’ and fill you in on a few things.

In case you have been wondering, I am fine. Yes the past years have been difficult, but I am in a good space, enjoying my new life. I haven’t been here because I got out of the routine of blogging and following what you have been up to. As simple as that.

And I will be absent for a while longer, as I am going away soon for a couple of months. I am so excited! I may do some blog posts…..if I can start to enjoy writing them on my phone. I hope to be more regular on Instagram. That will be the best place to see what I have been up to. (Sorry if Instagram is not your thing.)

Where am I going? Canada, the UK (to visit Terry’s brother and sister-in-law) and then Ireland. My smile is so big that you can probably see it from where you are!

There has been lots to prepare, of course. Fortunately others have done the bulk of the travel bookings. I just pay my money! I still have to book a flight from Ireland to Heathrow to catch my flight home. While there are lots of loose ends to tie up here, I feel that things are under control.

What I want to talk to you about today is my travel journal.

As you know I love to record things. In the past I have always kept a written detailed day-by-day travel journal. This time I am moving away from that. I have been watching Youtube videos of art journalling and they have inspired me to move more to that way of recording. My intention is to keep the ephemera that comes my way ~ tickets, maps, napkins, brochures, business cards, post cards etc etc ~ and use them to build up the picture of the trip. I hope to include some sketches and written notes.

So what sort of note book to take? I looked at quite a few, and thought about making my own. In the end I decided on an ordinary school exercise book. It looks pretty durable, has 64 pages, is a good size and, most importantly is light and not bulky.

Blank pages can be intimidating, so I had great fun over the last few months embellishing the pages. Let me show you some.

These are the front and back covers. The rusty red paper was from a gelli printing session a few years back. The back cover has a page torn from a children’s book on countries of the world. The Canadian pages were very useful. Below that is a cut out from wrapping paper that had the most wonderful old fashioned travel signs, labels and stamps. Peeking through is the conversion table and times tables from the original cover. Doesn’t that bring back memories?

I made more use of the Canadian pages from the kids’ book. By tearing off the corner of the page (and using the torn off bit in other places, like the back cover) I was able to make a pocket, that will be great to house things I may not want to glue in. Then a cut off corner of an envelope makes another little tuck spot. The bear and the leaf came from a sticker book of plants and animals of the world.

This might be my favourite page. I folded a couple of pages vertically and glued the edges to make two pockets. I had a newspaper article about travelling in the Canadian Rockies with this as a feature photo. I cut it into thirds and glued the pieces onto the front of the pockets.

I have doodled, stencilled and printed on pages. The blue circles were cut from the sticky paper around the stickers.

Lastly, a real treasure. I found an old map of Alberta that my parents used in the 80’s when they travelled through the area. (Yes, we are the sort of family that keeps old maps, as well as so many other things!) It is creased and worn and even shows the route they took. It is stuck into the journal so that map will be coming along with me.

I don’t think I will be using this during the day. I see myself cutting, tearing and gluing in the evenings, in those quiet times in hotel rooms. So that means I will need a notebook/sketch book to have with me as I mooch around places, collecting information and ephemera. I have just come across the term “commonplace books” and I think that concept will be right for me.

I am still coming to understand what it is, but basically a commonplace book seems like a more organised notebook. (Have you heard of them? Let me know in a comment.) While the concept has been around for as long as people have been writing things down, I am not sure if they have always been called commonplace books ~ or if it is something we have recently made up and given an Instagram hashtag.

Anyway, the basic ideas seems to be as a place to record things that interest you, fascinate you. People use them for quotes, often organising them into subjects, things to follow up, books to read and so on. The more organised create indexes. It is an idea that intrigues me, and I think I know how I will use it on the trip.

I will take a notebook out and about with me with the headings:

• Things I see
• Things I hear
• Things I am thinking

Those three headings seem to cover everything that will come my way ~ quirky sights and sounds, information, prices, names, quick sketches and so on.

Which leads to the question I still have to answer ~ will my commonplace book also work as a sketch book? Or do I want something that I can tear the pages out of to stick into the journal. Oh, the decisions that weigh on my mind!!

So…. I will chat to you when I get back, and maybe during the trip. In the meantime jump to Instagram. I am annelawson54 or maybe Anne Lawson Art (I get muddled with these things!). Any suggestions about travelling would be most welcome, especially useful tips to deal with long haul flights. It has been about 15 years since I did one. Again, let me know in the comments.

Big hugs to you all.

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I respectfully acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land on which I live – the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung People of the Kulin Nation, their spirits, ancestors, elders and community members past and present. The land always was, and always will be, Aboriginal land.