Category Archives: laurie blau-marshall

Buried Treasure

July 23, 2009 By in art journal, cloth paper scissors, collage, creative workshops, laurie blau-marshall, mixed media, pam carriker, seth apter, somerset studios, stampington, the stampers sampler 29 Comments


March ’08

It’s finally here! My first work published in this months Cloth, Paper, Scissors. Laurie Blau-Marshall got to see it first and called me last night. She was a sweetie and scanned it for me and my issue arrived today. What a feeling opening a favorite magazine and seeing your work in there. I hope I will be able to work with them in the future. I love their publication and inspiring articles. Thanks for all of the happy dancing with me, this is a great start to an artistic 2008. Mine are the three collages on the bottom half of the page and the letter next to it.

Joining Seth Apter’s quest for ‘Buried Treasure’ gave me the opportunity to go back to the early posts of my then fledgling blog and recapture some very special moments. The most memorable and what I consider the start of a whole new venue in my art life, was the publication of my first work. Was it only a little over a year ago? It hardly seems so as so much has happened since. With the validation that came with this first little publication, I was encouraged to submit more work and the result is over a dozen articles and publications that have followed. I was even honored with a Guest Artist feature in The Stampers Sampler. And the most amazing thing, each time I find out something is going to be published I do that same little happy dance! Each time it makes me want to do more, to strive harder, to stretch my artists soul to that next level. I did not know I could write articles for magazines, I just knew I wanted to be fearless and try. I set goals for myself and did not let myself off the hook. When one goal was met, I added another. I think when you truly want something you will go after it. You will find your way. You will do things you never thought you could do.

February ’08

I just posted a new slide-show featuring pages from my first artistic journal. I officially finished it this week. No white spots left! It was a wonderful experience for me and I have learned not to be afraid of a blank page! It was intimidating to me at first. But I jumped in and just learned along the way. Now I am so excited to start my second one! This has been an valuable tool in trying out new techniques, documenting happenings in my home life, my artistic life, and just plain fun! I take it with me on airplanes, doctors appointments and school pick ups. It isn’t perfect, but that’s one thing I learned along the way, IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE!!! I kept going back to pages and adding things which was really fun, but I am ready to move on to Book 2.

This first journal taught me so much and now I’m starting journal #13! When I submitted some pictures from the first one to Somerset, they contacted me about doing an article in the inaugural issue of Art Journaling. It was a little scary letting go of my first journal and allowing it to be used without my having control over it, but the end result was one of my favorite features and I am thrilled that they are even using more of that journal and some of a journal I did this year for the latest Art Journaling due out September ’09. Journaling is such a part of my art life, I don’t know what I did before I started. My views have totally changed about it. I am no longer striving to make ‘perfect’ pages, I am just enjoying the process of it and letting the pages unfold before me. I love it so much that I am sharing my passion in two online workshops, and still journal almost daily. If you haven’t added journaling to your art life, I would highly encourage it. I don’t look at it as yet another ‘thing’ to do, this is something I do for me. I share about it because I want people to know how truly do-able it is and how to fit it into your daily routine, making it a habit that has untold benefits.

So what are your buried treasures? Have you looked back from whence you came in awhile? How did you get to here? Art is a journey. It does not stand still, it is continually evolving and taking new directions. It is important to look back to fully appreciate the path we are on.

A Special Christmas Gift

December 16, 2008 By in friends, laurie blau-marshall, mixed media, somerset, zne 8 Comments

I went to the mailbox yesterday, fighting through the spitting snow and bitter cold, to find something that warmed my heart. My long-time, long seperated, artfully reunited, friend, Laurie Blau-Marshall sent me a little surprise with a book I purchased from her etsy shop. This is special, as it is her first published work, (Somerset Memories December 2008)and was done in honor of our friendship. I can’t tell you how wonderful it made me feel to open it. I’m honored Laurie, and though it graces my Christmas decortated fireplace mantel now, it will go into my studio to remind me of all of the wonderful things that have come out of my artful journey this past 1 1/2 years. Thank you girlfriend. May your holidays be filled with the warmth of family and friends!

Loudlife’s Haiku Challenge

November 4, 2008 By in art journal, laurie blau-marshall, pam carriker, visual journal, zne 5 Comments

Laurie Blau-Marshall, has issued a Haiku challenge on her blog. This is totally out of my comfort zone, so it is a perfect prompt for a journal page! I had finished my page last night, but it still needed ‘something’. I decided to give the Haiku a try and it was just the extra little ‘something’ I was looking for. Journals are a place for experimenting with new things, so it feels like a safe place to play with words. Go over and check out Laurie’s new Monday challenge and give it a try!

A Little Further Down The Road

July 9, 2008 By in laurie blau-marshall, madigliani, mixed media, paulette insall, portrait 9 Comments
I feel like every time I finish a piece I am further down the road to figuring out ‘my’ style. Does anyone else feel like that? Maybe it’s a painting thing, but we are all influenced by different artists work and our own work consists of those influences melded together, until our own ‘style’ emerges. Anyway, I feel like I have been walking (heck, running) down a path this past year, since I decided to make some goals for myself and now, every piece seems to be a step on that road, each finished piece leaves me itching to take another step. I was visiting my friend Laurie Blau-Marshal’s blog a little while ago, and was surprised and humbled that she mentioned me as one of her inspirations for her portraits. It made me think about people who’s work has inspired me. One comment I get about my ladies, over and over, is that they are reminiscent of Madigliani’s work. That made me realize that we visual artists are all influenced by the artists who have gone before us. We see something we like and it sticks in our mind and mixes with other work we admire. Paulette Insall had a video on her blog some months back, of her working on a portrait. I was entranced. I had never even considered doing a portrait before So I gave it a try. I was hooked. Somehow this form of art allows my heart into my work like no other.The woman, mother, feminine part of me has a venue. Nothing feels as good as painting these ladies. I don’t plan them out, they just invent themselves before my eyes. The common theme these days all revolves around being a mother, letting go, watching your peeps leave the nest, a sad but also fulfilling time. I feel like this is the first time in my life that I am creating art truly from my heart. This is my latest, the title is ‘Divine Calling’. She looks madonnaesque to me and isn’t being a mother a divine calling? I think so. One last thought to take with you today, the joy is in the journey, so enjoy each step you take.