Poetic Isolation

Showing posts with label art. Show all posts

The world just welcomed the dawn of a brand new year full of hopes and promises. Despite having experienced the aftermath of Typhoon Rai (Odette) which has ravaged most parts of our country, there are still a plethora of reasons why a new year calls for celebration regardless of how humble or grand it may be. Now, the omicron variant of the coronavirus is working its way to induce anxiety among us. Truthfully, the situation in the Philippines is still far from normal - whatever that word means. While I don't want to be indifferent from the suffering of others, as I know there are some who are struggling to secure basic necessities, I want to take the start of the year as an opportunity to talk about something that I am passionate about. This is also something that has kept me sane through the storms of life especially during the past couple of years, this is art journaling.

WHAT IS AN ART JOURNAL?

An art journal is basically just any other journal except that you can incorporate art to express yourself in it. It could be in a form of an elaborate painting, simple doodles, or photo collage. There are also no specific materials needed to create one. You may add in some stickers or create an artwork which I often do if my corporate schedule allows. Any notebook will also do so you don't have to go crazy over the ones offered by coffee shops. Personally, I choose the notebooks which I will use for my own art journal. I want them to be light so I can carry them wherever I go, and their pages should be thick enough for me to paint over them.

I started keeping an art journal during my senior year in college when I've read about its pros in a blog post written by Saab Magalona, yep, she's one of Francis M's daughters. At first, it just was something that I do as a creative outlet for myself. Gradually, it has become more than that, after almost a decade of having one, it now serves as my private Xanadu, a therapist, a canvas, but way cheaper! lol I have also learned that keeping an art journal, like practicing any other art form, has a direct impact on our holistic health.

Through creativity and imagination, we find our identity and our reservoir of healing. The more we understand the relationship between creative expression and healing, the more we will discover the healing power of the arts. - The Connection Between Art, Healing, and Public Health: A Review of Current Literature

There were times when I felt bored of keeping one but as its benefits weigh more, I have found a solution to free myself from boredom or from any creative constraints. That is through setting a monthly theme which serves as my basis for playing with the color palette and materials that I will be using. I abhor sameness so I try to think of a theme that is varied. Still, they all have to be grounded on something that interests me. It could be a poem, a song, or a certain season that makes me feel good. You'll see some of them in the photos below. (above is my December page from my 2019 journal inspired by the works of Vincent Van Gogh)

WHAT'S INSIDE MY ART JOURNAL

Although the theme for my art journal changes every month, there are elements in it that stay the same. These are as follows:

Art Journal 2021 Welcome Page

Art Journal 2019 Welcome Page

1. Welcome Page 🎨

This is like the cover page of my journal. On this page, I create an artwork that sets the tone for the year. Most of which are spontaneous or based on the Chinese zodiac. Just in case I lost my journal, I put my name and my email address on the welcome page. I write or add visuals that reflect my goals for the year on the page next to this.

2. To-Do List ⚪

These are simple lists of what I need to achieve on a certain day or in a week. Sometimes, I also do a specific list for my job. I divide my to-do list into two. A simple dash is added on basic tasks, while a hollow circle is reserved for events with specific dates. Once the event is over, let's say my appointment with my dentist, I then shade the hollow part of the circle which means the task is done.

3. To-Read Books 📖

Although I find myself often preoccupied with work or with other commitments, I still can't let go of the idea that I must read a book amidst the time of social media and Netflix!

4. Dream Diary ☁️

I often have vivid dreams where I find myself waking up and say "damn, that plot's crazy". lol Kidding aside, I do believe that dreams guide us in some mystic ways science still can't exactly point with all of the published theories to date. Anyways, I only record those that I find impactful.

5. Priorities ⭐

I do have a to-do list but I also mark certain tasks as priorities. Labeling the task as one keeps me motivated and helps me avoid being overwhelmed with tasks, especially when I have to beat a deadline.

6. Ideas ❗

I love jotting down my ideas into the paper as it helps me visualize them. This is really just anything that comes into my mind, my #ootd for a certain event, or a design that I can't stop thinking about.

7. New Words W

Some words fascinate me and when I do not know what they mean, I make sure to jot them down in my journal. This helps me use the words properly!

8. Something to Be Happy About

This is a form of a list but I highlight this element and always set aside a page or two where I could write what keeps me happy all through the month. This must be my favorite part of my art journal as looking into my previous notes remind me of the good things that have happened.

9. The Best of the Previous Year

This is located on the last page of the journal and something that I only fill in during New Year's Eve to welcome a brand new year. This is where I must and look back on the best things that have transpired in the year that has passed. Part of the things that I write on this page are the best places I've visited and my unforgettable experiences.

In between all these, I would scribe just about anything that comes into my mind. It could be a quote from a book I am currently reading or from a Netflix flick I've recently watched. As you've noticed, the elements have accompanying symbols. It helps me locate those sections faster as I browse into my journal. I just made them up so you can also decide on what symbol you'd like to use for each element according to your liking.

Here are some photos of my art journals from the previous years:

Ocean-Inspired Art Journal Pages

Christmas-Inspired Art Journal Page

Growth-Inspired Art Journal Page

Art Journal Pages inspired by T.S Eliot's The Waste Land

Valentine's Day-Inspired Art Journal Page

Bread and Oranges-Inspired Art Journal Page

Sailor Moon-Inspired Art Journal Page

The Beatles-Inspired Art Journal Pages

Art-Inspired Art Journal Page

The Little Prince-inspired Art Journal Page

I just bought my notebook for my 2022 art journal and still have to decide on my monthly themes for this year. I will always be grateful for the gift of calm and contentment that art journal has given me through the years, and I couldn't wait to explore life with it. Here are some photos of my previous art journals:

As you see, I didn't have my art journal for the year 2017. Not that I didn't prep for one. It's just that it was a year full of

And finally, here's my 2022 Art Journal!

I spent a good time reading its content and couldn't help but laugh and be happy with its contents. Surely, a good way to retrospect.

Have you been keeping an art journal too? I hope my humble journey will inspire you to have one soon. Jump-start your art journaling adventure. Happy 2022 to all of us!

For some makeup lovers, Halloween must be one of the best seasons. Not only because of the treats and the tricks but also because it inspires artists to get more creative. Last year's Halloween season was more fun than spooky because I got to enjoy playing around with my makeup kit. I had an ample time to paint again (see my paintings below, I also painted the cute version of Frida above :D) and it just popped up to me: why not try to recreate Frida Kahlo's look?

Frida Kahlo, if you don't have any idea who she is, is a well-known female Mexican artist who is an icon in the world of arts. She is famous for her self-portrait paintings which inspired so many lovers of arts around the globe. When I think of Frida, bright colors, and gorgeous fresh flowers that match her powerful brows blooms into my consciousness. Pretty thoughts, but it is knowing more about her struggles as a woman and an artist that draw me closer to her. Thus, she is one of the female figures that I look up to. Somehow, I feel empowered reading about her and admiring her artworks even if it's just in front of the computer screen. Perhaps someday, when the planets align, I'll be able to see them using my naked eye.

The Halloween season has long passed, it's also not Frida's day, but every day a wonderful day to think of those whom we admire and empower ourselves using art. The world is our canvas and I hope I'll be as brave, fierce, and free as Frida Kahlo.

Here are some photos that I took with my makeup look. (I also tried to dress like her! haha) I also added few of my favorite quotes by her.

“Wordless,

Infinite —

You.

You intensify

everything.

You are

fire

burning

all that

is left

of my

heart.”

“Nothing is absolute. Everything changes, everything moves, everything revolves, everything flies and goes away.”

“I used to think I was the strangest person in the world but then I thought there are so many people in the world, there must be someone just like me who feels bizarre and flawed in the same ways I do. I would imagine her, and imagine that she must be out there thinking of me, too. Well, I hope that if you are out there and read this and know that, yes, it’s true I’m here, and I’m just as strange as you.”

““You deserve a lover who wants you disheveled, with everything and all the reasons that wake you up in a haste and the demons that won’t let you sleep.

You deserve a lover who makes you feel safe, who can consume this world whole if he walks hand in hand with you; someone who believes that his embraces are a perfect match with your skin.

You deserve a lover who wants to dance with you, who goes to paradise every time he looks into your eyes and never gets tired of studying your expressions.

You deserve a lover who listens when you sing, who supports you when you feel shame and respects your freedom; who flies with you and isn’t afraid to fall.

You deserve a lover who takes away the lies and brings you hope, coffee, and poetry.”

Here are a couple of paintings that I did last year inspired by two of the best paintings that I admire the most. I painted these using my Koi watercolor set in a regular watercolor paper. These are also actually really small (4x6 inches) so these stay hidden in my memento box.

Water Lilies painting inspired by Claude Monet's

Inspired by Vincent van Gogh's The Starry Night

(my version of the moon looks like an egg yolk lmao)

I hope you're doing all great and always keep your eyes open; art is everywhere.

love lots,

Tin

Something wonderful always blooms in China and in the world of art. The fascinating country and art in general have the power to wave beauty in countless ways possible. Last week, I got the chance to grasp such wonder whilst checking out the Cham Lim Visual Art Exhibit at the Mountain Wing Atrium of SM Seaside in Cebu. The exhibit is in consonance to this year's Chinese New Year.

A river of awe cascaded deep within me as I look at the cornucopia of Chinese and Western paintings created by the members of the Chan Lim Family of Artists. The passionate family of artists has been engaged in the arts for almost half a century already. Though none of them have studied art formally, their artistic prowess cannot be denied as reflected on their paintings. Today, three generations of Chan Lim artists continue to practice art using a wide variety of medium, styles and techniques. The younger generation enjoys experimenting with modern digital techniques.

Much of the family's work lies in oil and watercolor. While most of their art are on canvas, they have also forayed into other media. Common subjects of Chinese paintings such as nature which are very much evident in their works.

Some of the paintings, which you can see below, have Chinese characters in them. Understandingly I don not understand them so I asked a Chinese student of mine what those characters mean. She told me that some of them are poems, while some are dates, possibly when the artist finished the painting.

Pictured above is Dr. Alex Chan Lim who demonstrated basic Chinese paintings for the members of the media.

Right after entertaining interview questions, Dr.Alex guided us for a basic Chinese painting workshop. The great Jose Garcia Villa once said that the Chinese have their own way of being Chinese. I couldn't agree more with the genius. Chinese painting is much different from Western painting as it requires more discipline, and to master it involves so much practice.

What's photographed above is my own version of bamboo using the techniques on how to create a Chinese painting. Looks easy right? But it took me more or less three hours to complete that! haha From that moment I conclude that I am definitely 100% Filipino. lol Chinese painting is not a piece of cake, but the experience given to us by the Chan Lim was more than worth it. Aside from the members of the media, students from different schools in Cebu were also given a free workshop by the Chan Lim family.

A collaborative painting done by some members of the Chan Lim family

Should you wish to see more than 200 blooming artworks of their family, head over at the Mountain Atrium at SM Seaside. The grandeur of Chan Lim's brush strokes can be witnessed 'till February 5 of this year. The family also has their own art studio in Pasig City. If you wish to buy some of their paintings, you may head over to their website at www.chanlim.com

Which one is your favorite painting from the photos above? Let me know in the comment section below. Have a happy weekend, and to my Chinese friends: Xīnnián kuàilè. Happy New Year!

love lots,

Tin

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My Art Journal Journey

Bonsai and Suiseki Art Thrives at Sanib Pwersa: Bonsai Competition and Suiseki Exhibits

On Reading You

Frida Kahlo Inspired Makeup Look

Private Apology

China Blooms in SM: Chan Lim Visual Art Exhibit