From the Bookshelf

The latest from the wonderful Susan Branch.  A lovely little tome about her two month sojourn to England last spring. The size is akin to a nice fat travel journal and it's filled with her delightful watercolours, her signature handwritten text, receipes, photos, travel hints and copious descriptions of all the fascinating places she visited and people she met.  Those of us who follow her blog watched as the book took shape and were anxiously awaiting the day when we could have a copy in our hands. Well that day is here!  The book is now available!  And for those of you on the Central Coast an added bonus is that Susan will be attending (and signing her books) at  the Remnants of the Past Antique Show here in San Luis Obispo this coming November.  This is a gem of a book and a must have for those who love all things English.

Journal Frenzy!

 A weekend in the studio,

creating even more BIG journals!

These beauties measure 11x14"

 and are filled with a variety of scrapbook paper, 

watercolour sheets and Bristol paper.

Plenty of room for collage, sketching and painting.

Available at this year's Art Grilz in Autumn sale on Sept, 22

 here at Altered by the Sea Studio in Morro Bay!

Museum Monday - Polperro Heritage Museum of Smuggling and Fishing

 While visiting Polperro, a beautiful village on the southern coast of Cornwell, I spent a delightful afternoon at the local museum learning about the history of Polperro's fishermen and smugglers.

From the museum's website - Located in The Warren overlooking the harbour, the Polperro Heritage Museum of Smuggling and Fishing houses a remarkable collection of exhibits and 19th century photographs,

as well as many items of memorabilia dating from the 18th century 

when both smuggling and fishing thrived in Polperro.

 It vividly brings to life the story of this Cornish fishing 

village's extraordinary history and many of the

 people who featured in it. 

The museum often features various artwork from the local school  children based on fishing and historical themes.  The docents are well informed, friendly and love to talk about their village. We very much enjoyed the week we stayed in Polperro, a fishing village that now relies very heavily on tourism. This is also true of our own Morro Bay and we felt a deep kinship with this centuries old spot on the Cornish coast.

Suitcase Saturday Score - Greenwich Market, London

We took a river boat down the Thames to
 the Greenwich Market in
 London (held every Thursday morning).

 My best score here was a set of four autograph books

 dating from the '20's and '30's.

Two of these were still in good enough shape

 that I was able to use them as journals.

Writing and collageing on the blank pages.

 I love the juxtaposition of my work next to the

 pictures and sayings of so long ago.

Many beautiful sketches and tender sentiments fill the pages,

 A sketch of mine from 2009 next to an entry from 1919.

 My stamp collage faces a page from 1920.

 I love this elegant lady from the roaring '20's,

and this lock of hair left in "best regards" so long ago.

Daily Journal - In with the New!

And here's my latest daily journal.

I made this one in Mary Ann Moss's Full Tilt Boogie Class.

The cover an old celluloid photo album 

and the pages, a combination of book pages, 

scrapbook paper and 

watercolour paper with Distress Ink techniques from Tim Holtz.

Daily Journal - Out with the Old...

 Just finished my current daily journal,

it was a fun experiment!

Trying to write and collage on the muslin pages

 was a bit of a challenge.

but yielded some interesting results.

I had fun pasting in some favourite old beer labels. 

Life on the Coast

I just love all the planes and angles in this harbor shot 

from my morning walk in Morro Bay.

From the Bookshelf

This book is fun, colourful, and full of wonderful sketches and watercolours.  The author/artist has spend time in Hawaii, British Columbia, Spain, Portugal, Venice and several parts of Britain and includes work from all these venues.  Good technical advice, a section on supplies and a nice over-all layout of the sketches and finished works.  Among the things I enjoy about this book are the pictures of Polperro in Cornwall  and those in Venice - both places where I've spent time  doing my own watercolour sketches.

Spray + Stencil = Cool!

 Love these stencils from Stencil Girl!

And Liquitex Spray Paints!

Two sets of covers

for more BIG journals!

Museum Monday - Wyeth Brandywine

The Wyeth Museum in the magnificent Brandywine River valley of Pennsylvania contains not only a wonderful collection of art but has one of the most beautiful settings of any museum in America.

Best known for its collection of three generations of Wyeths - N.C., Andrew, and Jamie,the museum is also host to many other American painters.  An unspoiled rural setting, winding country roads and tree lined pastures surround the old mill that houses the museum.

Cover illustration - Treasure Island - N C Wyeth

From the museum's website - In the mid-1960s, Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania in the historic Brandywine Valley, faced possible massive industrial development.  The impact would have dramatically changed the character and future of a community that was then largely rural.  Appreciating the need for rapid action, a group of local residents bought endangered land and founded the Brandywine Conservancy in 1967.  The first conservation easements, protecting more than five and one-half miles along the Brandywine, were granted in 1969.  Today, the Conservancy holds more than 440 conservation easements and has protected more than 45,000 acres in Chester and Delaware counties, Pennsylvania, and in New Castle County, Delaware.

Winds from the Sea - Andrew Wyeth

In 1971, the Conservancy opened the Brandywine River Museum in the renovated Hoffman’s Mill, a former gristmill built in 1864 that was part of the Conservancy’s first preservation efforts.  The museum has an international reputation for its unparalleled collection and its dedication to American art with primary emphasis on the art of the Brandywine region, American illustration, still life and landscape painting, and the work of the Wyeth family. 

Jamie's Pig - Jamie Wyeth

Among the hundreds of artists represented are Howard Pyle, many students of Pyle who affected the course of American illustration, N. C. Wyeth, Andrew Wyeth, and Jamie Wyeth.  There is work by hundreds of famous illustrators.  Landscape, still life, portrait and genre painting includes work by Benjamin West, Gilbert Stuart, Asher Durand, W. T. Richards, William Harnett, John Haberle, J. D. Chalfant, Horace Pippin, and many others, while the major still life collection includes paintings by William Harnett, John Peto, George Cope, John Haberle, Horace Pippin, and many more artists.  Nearly 300 special exhibitions have been shown in the museum’s six galleries, along with constant installations of work from the collection.  A variety of educational programs is offered throughout the year.

On my visit there, the leaves were just beginning to turn and a tang of the coming autumn was in  the air.