Susanna's Sketchbook

April 5, 2012

What a beautiful week we are having here in New Jersey. Blue skies are overhead, fluffy pink-blossomed trees are in the park, even the year's first dandelions are popping up on the lawns. Not that you would get that from looking at the photo above! I took this photograph while walking through one of my favourite local parks. There's a grand old stable on the grounds along with the remains of a sheep pen and a chicken coop. In front of the chicken coop is a gnarly old tree, split in two. There's a ghostly, poetic feeling to the place.

Speaking of poetry, my friend, Elizabeth Wix, has recently released her new book, New Roof in October.  I love the way Elizabeth sees our world and then puts it into words. She's a visual writer; I never imagined "eyes on airplanes" but those words certainly formed an image in my mind after reading her poem of the book's title. Elizabeth is currently giving away two copies of New Roof in October on her blog. The draw is this Saturday so make sure you visit her today!

December 13, 2010: Make Your Own Books

It arrived! The Gaspesie, Quebec photography book that I made for my mom this Christmas. (She doesn't have a computer so I'm not too worried that she'll find out about her present. Again, Shhh!, Family!)

The big plus to making your own books is that you can do this all at home.  Just put on a few tunes, pour yourself a cup o' coffee, and click your way down memory lane. Two weeks later you'll have an actual book in your hands.

I put together the book through Blurb, an online publishing company, whose step-by-step Booksmart tutorial is easy to follow. Several different book sizes and numerous page layouts are available.

Considering that I have yet to properly calibrate my computer monitor (that's on my Christmas wishlist), I am really pleased with how the colour in the pages turned out. The only noticeable changes that I'll make next are in the colour and tone of the front and back covers which I think are due to Blurb's printer using CMYK instead of RGB. Ah well, it was a learning lesson. In the meantime, I don't think my mom will mind if the boat on the back cover is a little more cyan than it's suppose to be.

What I especially like about the book is that it's a collection of photographs and memories from a roadtrip this past Fall with my mom and older sister, L. (L. and I will be getting ours in the New Year).

August 18, 2010: Rain Dance

I brought my encaustic painting supplies out onto the balcony today. It's something I've been wanting to do for months now but then the summer got hot, hot, HOT and the thought of painting with a pot of beeswax on a hot plate melted away.

Well, this past weekend, dark grey clouds drifted in, sprinkling rain onto the parched grass in the courtyard. It was so nice my spirit did a happy little rain dance. What I really want, though, is a  thunderstorm with heavy rain, flashes of lightning and loud, clapping thunder. The kind that will have my cat scurrying into the closet and J and me searching for our flashlights. D'you hear me, Thor? I don't want a flood but a good soaking would be much appreciated.

Well, after the sprinkling rain over the weekend came the sun again and thankfully, cool breezes and I thought, just do it. Paint! So out came all the art supplies and I applied the base coats for three new encaustic paintings - whoohoo! I'm still figuring out what the images will be...and how to incorporate a few of the old chandelier crystals that my friend, Jodi, gave me. I like the idea of the glass with the glossy surface of the wax. Like rain on water.