For the page on the right, I used water-soluble oil pastels, blended with a rag, to create a background. Then I experimented with drawing over the oil pastel with pencils, markers, and crayons.

I really like how the oil pastels look and they don’t bleed through. The heat-tool image transfers really only work for graphic images; even high-contrast photos didn’t work well with this method, though later on, I started experimenting with gel medium transfers.

My theme is Make Mine a Double. I plan to do spreads that are “double-takes” on my Mom, Dad, and sister. Since my Dad passed in April, I find myself recalling a lot of vignettes about all my deceased family members, and I plan to convey those vignettes through a combination of words and pictures. At first, I had planned to do more collage and layering, but the paper’s qualities would make that a frustrating challenge, so I will focus more on text and drawing, which will be its own challenge since my drawing skills are limited and my hand-writing is godawful!

The project finally ripened, so to speak. During the course, I completed this print as a study in color rhythm and registraton. I really knew nothing about embroidering, and little about sewing except for putting on buttons or hemming pants. Since then, I learned to embroider. I’ve spent countless hours soaking up books on fabric collage, scrapbooking, altered art, and image transfer. I took a workshop in fiber art. I’ve gained confidence to push back that nagging internal editor/dictator. I’m settled into my new apartment.

Now, as I proceed, I have to keep telling myself, soldier on, girl! Don’t make this into yet another overly complicated, overly thought-out project. Just go with the flow and have fun!

From the time in 5th grade, when I was moved into a lower-level reading group because I was being too troublesome [read: bored], I’ve had a basic mistrust of authority and perceived wisdom. (Oddly, I was also a very good student, unlike Keri.)

For Keri, her time at home and away from school was full of self-directed creative expression. At home, as her cartoon captures it, she was brilliant, powerful, energetic and a risk-taker. School time was like a prison to her, where she was quite, shy, unfocused, told she was unoriginal, and was taught to obey teachers. But eventually, as an adult, she was able to attend art school and find a professional niche as a creative illustrator.

For anyone seeking their creative muse or the spark to pursue your creative vision, this series is an amusing and affecting must-read.

My week lived down to expectations about the instructor, but exceeded expectations greatly as to the work I produced: a series of postcards from the mythical country of Climacterica, where all the residents are female, minds go absent, lists get lost, and intentions often go far off track.

Like most artists I know, I am REALLY hard on myself and nitpick my work to death. But I have to say, the set of postcards I created please me greatly. They hit my sweetspot of combining concept, humor, color, and writing. And several fellow students are in line to buy these once I get them reproduced.

I’m now researching the best way to reproduce the set and getting tips on selling my work from colleagues; so in a way, this could be one of the more transformative weeks at Penland for me, if it finally nudges me toward selling my work.

UPDATE October 27, 2009: My Climacterica postcards are now available for purchase, for keeping in touch with friends, giving as gifts, or framing. View the details and order at my Big Cartel storefront.