Wednesday, June 6, 2012

New Mexico Journal


I've been away for so long that it feels overwhelming to catch up, so I'm going to jump right in with a recent trip and new journal love.

I made this journal to take to Mexico several years ago and never used it.  It was done in Mary Ann Moss's wonderful Remains of the Day class.



Luckily, it was a perfect fit for my trip to New Mexico.  I had enjoyed making it, but wasn't sure if I would like keeping a journal in it because I'm used to working on blank pages and these pages were already pretty full with collaged bits and trims.  But I loved working in it!

The pages added little challenges to find areas to sketch or write or collage in.


 

It pushed my sketching in new ways as I had to figure out how to fit things in.


 I didn't add as much to the pages as Mary Ann did.  I knew I wanted some blank pages for sketching such as these for sketches from the Museum of International Folk Art--one of my favorite places on the trip.



 I did put in quite a few pockets like Mary Ann does and they are now filled with gallery cards and other bits of paper.



 I enjoyed working in it so much that I came home and made another one for my upcoming trip to Los Angeles.  This one has a lot of my hand-painted fabrics on it and that gorgeous button I picked up in Taos.

 The back:


A few of the busier pages inside and many are blank with a little edge or two.



 And a few of my favorite shots from the trip:  Love the adobe architecture.  This is Mabel Luhan Dodge's house, one of the prettiest.


 The colorful shrines reminded me of Mexico.



 These wonderful masks were from a children's art center.


Lots of places to take in Folk Art.



And some quiet beauty too.


9 comments:

lynne h said...

wow, robin! what a lot of drawing and painting you've been doing! is the journal 8 1/2 x 11?

thank you for showing us... you're so talented... : )

xoxo

Jacky said...

Robin your trip looks wonderful and I think your journal was just perfect!!!! I loved the little glimpses into your holiday (and I always love knowing what people ate...I'm a bit of a foodie).

Lovely to have you back home and blogging again!

Jacky xox

Robin Olsen said...

Thanks Lynne!--my journals are 6x9" which feels like a perfect travel size to me. If they don't fit easily into my purse, I won't carry them.

Robin Olsen said...

Me too Jackie! I love hearing what people eat. If I can't be eating it myself, at least I can live vicariously. :)

MulticoloredPieces said...

Enjoyed seeing your journal--so interesting to start with pages that already have so much work/play on them.
best from Tunisia,
nadia

Ro Bruhn said...

Love your journal, the cover looks fabulous. What a great holiday destination, providing so much journal fodder.

teen bedroom designs said...

Hello
Rough Around the Edges
Thanks for this great stuff!, It's rare to see a great blog like this one today, continue it , Best Regards

MulticoloredPieces said...

Just wanted to add that I ran across your Pinterest boards and have thoroughly enjoyed them--what a marvelous collection of images.
best, nadia

Jeanne Turner McBrayer said...

I have enjoyed all your interesting posts but really love this journal! I've never been to New Mexico but love the quirky folk art.