Journalfest Registration Is Open!

Just as the spring is unfurling it's tender green, I'm already thinking a bit about Journalfest, October 26 -30. I know it seems far, far away in a distant time zone…but it will sneak up us. I'll be teaching two classes this year at this long weekend journaling retreat. Held at the beautiful and nostalgic, Fort Worden in Port Townsend, Washington, Journalfest gives you a chance to take a wide variety of classes related to visual journaling and exploring a more artful and creative life. Go here to check it all out.

And now a little bit about the two classes I'll be teaching:

Journaling Place

This experiential workshop will take us out-of-doors, onto the beach and back again to the page. We’ll begin by making the short drive down to the Ft. Worden beach (rain or shine – be prepared to really be out doors for about an hour – be prepared for both rain and cold just in case) where we’ll create sand and found nature object sculptures…some would call them altars (check out my left hand side bar "Journaling Place" for more photos).

We’ll visit each other’s creations, photograph them (I’ll have a Polaroid camera for that), then back to our studio room for journaling our experience and capturing the nature art we created on the page. Ft. Worden is a magical place and spending time on the beach in one creative mode leads naturally to capturing the moments in our journals through a mixed media exploration with Polaroids, drawing, painting and writing. 

This class is open to all – new journalers and experienced journalers alike. A brief demonstration of teacher provided materials will be given. While our ephemeral beach art will disappear with the next shifting of the tide, our journal pages will capture the experience. Come play outside and discover the power and inspiration of place.

The pages above are from a morning I spent Journaling Place on the Fort Worden beach in January when I was in Port Townsend for the PLAY retreat. They are samples of how a beach sculpture was transferred and transformed in my journal. 

Finding Your Voice

In this introduction to visual journaling learn how to find your voice on the page. I will walk you through how to begin and continue to work in a visual journal. This class is for people who are just getting into visual journaling and want to begin to develop their own unique voice on the page or for people who are looking for a new approach. Most art supplies – a mixed media arsenal – will be provided and available to demo. There will be lots of illustrated class handouts and resources listings.

Class discussions will include: building and using your mixed media arsenal, approaches to lettering, approaches to collage, using a view finder, beginning and maintaining a journaling practice – in your home and on the go – and techniques for finding your voice. There will be plenty of time to work and experiment with materials, techniques and approaches discussed in class. You will take away a series of “Explorations” (a.k.a. homework but much more fun) to keep you going once class is over. Bring a blank journal and leave with at least three to five finished pages. You'll be well on your way to creating your own visual journal and finding your voice on the page.

Check it all out and consider coming to play with us!