Maruman X - Journey

These are the ten pages I filled in Margaret's Maruman entitled 'Journey', as part of our recent sketchbook exchange.

This book has finished it's own personal journey between four artists and is now home resting in Margaret's safe hands.

CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE

Journey and MarumanX

This is a sneak peek of my 10 page entry into Margaret's Maruman 'Journey'. I sent it off yesterday morning to it's final destination with Margaret in Arizona.
You can see more peeks on the MarumanX blog HERE

That was my final entry in the Maruman project, all four books are now being added to for the last time if they aren't already on their way home. It has been an amazing experience and I can't wait to hold my own book 'A Taste of Home' in my hands and see all the fabulous artworks in reality.

Maruman X

Here is one of the entries I made in Nina Johansson's book 'Multitudes' for the Maruman X sketchbook exchange. You can see the rest of my entries on my Flickr account HERE.

Please pop over to the maruman X blog, if you have time, to view recent posts of Margaret's work in Jennifer's book 'Transitions' and Nina's work in my book 'A taste of home'.

Maruman X - Transitions

Jennifer's book has now arrived at Margaret's home in Arizona after leaving the Fens. You can see my entries into this book entitled 'Transitions' both on my Flickr account and over at the MarumanX blog.
I am now in possession of Nina's book 'Multitudes', trying hard to think what subjects to focus on for my pages.

Column Week 22

This is my newspaper column, in print today in the Cambs Times and Wisbech Standard:



I am currently taking part in an international sketchbook exchange with three other artists whose blogs I visit frequently and work I admire; Margaret Storer-Roche based in Arizona, Jennifer Lawson from Maine and Nina Johansson from Sweden. We have chosen the Maruman watercolour sketchbook for this project, the book pages are folded rather than cut so you can open the whole book accordion style to reveal a huge length of continuous art works.

We have each given our book a title or theme and filled ten pages with our own interpretation of the theme before sending onto the next artist to do the same. I have called my book ‘A Taste of Home’ and filled my pages with sketches from around my home and garden and a self portrait in purple and blue hues.
Eventually we shall each end up with our own books again but filled to the brim of delicious sketches and works to keep forever.

I am very excited to be taking part, although it is very nerve wracking waiting to hear if you book arrived safely through the post.

You can see how the Maruman exchange is going at: http://marumanx.blogspot.com/
If you would like to see my daily journal entries they can be found on my blog : http://artbyanita.blogspot.com. Wednesday Night Art Workshops. Benwick Road Recreation Centre, Doddington. Contact Anita: 07790554201

Karma?

Here is another practice layout in my small watercolour moleskine ready for the FOOD theme throughout July.
I ordered a new pocket watercolour moleskine from eBay for the project which I'm happy to say arrived yesterday. I opened it this morning, popped my details in the front page and flicked through the pages to see how many spreads would go in and...The pages fell out!
Most of the middle section has completely fallen away from the little perforations, leaving me just one day to find a replacement and a Moleskine I cannot use!
Arggh!
Not a great start to the day!
I have emailed the seller and await a reply.

Then I popped over to the MarumanX blog to see that Margaret had received my Maruman safely and has posted photos and scans of my images. The relief of knowing it arrived in one piece was wonderful! I'm very jealous that my little book is making such a fantastic journey through artist's homes that I admire but most honoured to be sharing this experience with them.

My MarumanX images on Flickr

Maruman X

On Sunday I found time to finish the 10 pages in my Maruman sketchbook entitled 'A Taste Of Home' for the MarumanX project I am taking part in with the wonderful artists, Margaret Storer-Roche, Nina Johansson and Jennifer Lawson.

I also found time for this quick sketch from the studio looking into my dining room.

On Monday I posted my maruman off to Margaret with an excited yet nervous feeling in my tummy.

That evening, while relaxing on the sofa, I caught sight of the decorative egg Harry purchased from a gift shop on a recent day out and decided to sketch it. This is what evolved:

I'm sure there is some Margaret Storer-Roche influence in there somewhere!

You can view some teasers from my Maruman HERE.

Maruman X

Woohoo, we're off!

I am delighted to be taking part in a sketchbook exchange with Nina Johansson, Margaret Storer-Roche and Jennifer Lawson.
We all decided to order a folding watercolour Maruman sketchbook for the exchange and have been waiting patiently for them to arrive.

Now I finally have my Maruman I've been staring at it with a blank expression wondering what to put in it...That's been harder than I thought it would be.

Today I set myself the task of making a start and put my theme down in print!
With each Maruman travelling so many miles I thought it would be nice to see a little of the destinations planned for it. My theme; 'A Taste of Home' will hopefully provide me with a flavour of each stop it makes before it returns to me here in England.
I was lucky in the respect that the Maruman cover is duck egg blue, a colour that trickles through my home with it's chalky delicacy, so I decided to use up some of the fabric samples and beads from soft furnishings that help to make my home the soft, tranquil place I love for my cover treatment.

Now, cover all sorted, theme officially decided, I'd better make a start on some artwork to fill it with.

Maruman X Blog

Exciting Things

So many exciting things going on this week...First I get a beautiful package from Serena, then I organised and declared my plans for the Summer, our lamp finally refused to work and I sketched by candlelight for the evening, my square tipped waterbrush arrived from eBay, I ordered a custom journal from Kala, three of my favourite artists signed up to a new project with me and tonight I held my first workshop. Phew!

During all of this I have worked on an animal portrait, read some of Danny Gregory's Creative License and produced the blind contour drawing of a mug, completed EDM challenge #167 draw something that needs fixing and ravished a Reese's Nutrageous Bar! Mmmmm!

I am so thrilled to be participating in a new project with Nina Johansson, Jennifer Lawson and Margaret Storer-Roche. We are having a Maruman Exchange (Inspired by MoleyX) and currently await delivery of our new little folding watercolour books. None of us have laid eyes on the books before, so this is all very exciting.

Tonight's workshop was a great success, more so than I could have imagined or hoped for. The feedback was great, we worked hard, had fun and everyone felt they had learned alot. So much so that they all signed up for another one!

I absolutely loved every minute!!!

Ooooh, almost forgot!.....Check this out:

This is a freebie T-Shirt from Vistaprint.The design is not my own but chosen from a selection of designs offered FREE on their website. I immediately thought about my 'Close to Home' project when I saw this little row of houses and quickly decided it would be cool to wear when I am out and about sketching. All I had to pay was the postage!

I also watched the first episode on the first of 3 DVD's in the Power of Art set. Episode one is all about Carravagio, I did catch this one when it was on TV but enjoyed it just as much second time around.

'Drawing?...Who needed it? Carravagio never drew a thing in his life! He'd just look - eyeball - and then paint! ~ Simon Schama, The Power of Art DVD.