A few weeks ago Camden artist Ingrid Ellison came to 26 Split Rock Cove and inspired 10 dedicated artists and writers with her abundant skills, materials, a few tricks, and varied prompts that kept us all focused on the process of experimentation.  A visual journal is just the place for experimentation: for trying color ideas, mark making, alternative processes, new pens, inks, glues, paints, drawing shadows, adding fabrics.   I would say we threw out the Less Is More trope – thank you, Mies van der Rohe – and practiced MORE IS MORE!!!

One of the great benefits of a visual journal is being able to close it up when done and revisit it days later to add more layers, words, and new ideas.  Nothing need be final in a journal.

We generated as many reds (in my case), as could fit on a page, brainstormed in words the many ideas for crimson (in my case, again) as could be found.  We used photos and transferred them with carbon or tracing papers, found uses for bits of fabric to enlarge the imagery, created new patterns, overlaid images with stencils, found colorways, applied gold leaf, drew, painted, collaged, and wrote.  I could easily spend another workshop with Ingrid practicing more ideas and not exhaust the possibilities.

Always pushing a little more, always explaining the simplest or most complex ideas as each of us is capable of, Ingrid Ellison is an exemplary teacher!  So many fine pages of work were completed during our time together.  I believe we all left the workshop re-charged for more journaling, as well as our own art making back in our studios.