Field Notes: January

The Weather

January started very calmly with plenty of sunny days for walking…and ended with a few small snowstorms.

As I began thinking about navigating a project like this, I looked to my surroundings during walks for colors and textural inspirations. Early January's colors reminded me of an autumn color palette. There were yellow ochres, deep browns and rusty oranges to be seen in every direction. I studied the vegetation close up for mark making ideas. The blend between color and textures made for a wonderful collection of ideas and became the basis of creating my visual vocabulary sketchbook. I began exploring markmaking and studying other artists with exuberant enthusiasm. This method of creating is very intuitive. It has opened my eyes to freer, looser work.

Results

Measurements – 6”x6” when folded and 6”x71.5” when opened

Step 1 I glued collages randomly on each page.

Step 2 I added washes of watercolor to ground those shapes.

Step 3 As the month progressed and inspiration hit, I sat and had a dialog with the sketchbook and recorded some marks.

Final Step I assessed and decided where I could possibly improve areas to “quiet” them down. I also decided to add some white areas back in with acrylic to compensate for my overzealous heavy handedness. The first column above shows the front and back covers, which represents the start (yellow ochres) and end of the month (snowy whites).

I enjoyed exploring an idea in this method of recording the elements…onto February!