J is for Journals

is for

Journals

Journals have long been a favorite means of recording one's thoughts, ideas, or experiences. Though I'm not one who keeps a daily journal, I often record experiences in a travel journal and enter observations or ideas into a garden journal to help transition from season to season.

Page From One Of Laurie Doctor's Journals

My recent studies with Laurie Doctor have inspired me to be more attentive to journal writing. Laurie advocates writing a line a day. She suggests that one give one's self at least 10 minutes a day to write in a personal journal. It need not be prose. She says write down random words or thoughts, sketch something that catches the eye, or even attach a snippet of something meaningful. It can be a poem you've read or a song you've heard.

Page From One Of Laurie Doctor's Journals

Another idea that Laurie shared is to use the journal space randomly. One doesn't have to fill a page before moving onto a new page. She flips back and forth between the pages of her journal. This provides interest to each page as if it is a collage of time or place or ideas. I also feel this makes the process easier and less structured. Notice in the above example, Laurie has used different writing styles, turned the page a different angle, and used colored ink at times.

Page From One Of Laurie Doctor's Journals

Here Laurie has added braille to the page along with a piece of foreign currency. She then included her own interpretation of the bill.

Page From One Of Laurie Doctor's Journals

The morning before departing, I had breakfast with Laurie at our hotel. As we sat visiting and enjoying some leisure time, Laurie made entries onto a page in her journal. She had drawn off a series of small squares and then sketched a piece of fruit from our breakfast into each box. Then she quickly tinted each with her watercolors. I noted that she added a little line about where she was and who she was with at the time. It is just such entires that she advocates. Simply record the moment.

Page From One Of Laurie Doctor's Journals

I'm not an artist or a calligrapher, but the idea is that one can use their own handwriting and do different things with it. Sketching can be simply drawing the lines of the shapes one sees. The focus is on using the page as a means to express something for yourself. It doesn't need to be shared with others. It's an echo of a memory, something that reminds us of the moment.

Page From One Of Laurie Doctor's Journals

I like the way Laurie mixed words with sketches for her thoughts on this page.

Sara Midda published IN AND OUT OF THE GARDEN IN 1981. It's a wonderful potpourri of garden lore, while SARA MIDDA'S SOUTH OF FRANCE SKETCHBOOK, 1990, is a personal journal of her year's sojourn in the south of France. Both are beautiful examples of the type of entries one might include in a daily journal. Delightful and delicious, the pages of both these books offer inspiration.

Page From One Of Laurie Doctor's Journals

Laurie makes her own journals so that the size and paper is of her choosing. Her journals are bound so that they lay flat for ease of writing or sketching. Arches paper is perfect for the pages because it takes both ink and watercolor. I noted that Laurie also mixes in a few other types of paper for variety. Some are folded to add different dimensions, and pockets or envelopes are also added. Laurie likes to either use a brad or a needle and thread to hand sew items onto a page.

I recently read Sandra Gulland's trilogy of Josephine Bonaparte. Ms. Gulland skillfully tells the story through the voice of Josephine in the writing of fictionalized journal entries. It is an enchanting means by which to reveal the life story of this intriguing lady. The series left me feeling as if Josephine were a close friend who had shared her most intimate thoughts.

Though each of these novels stand on their own, I recommend that they be read in succession as they seamlessly chronicle the life of Josephine Bonaparte. Click here to read my review on THE MANY LIVES AND SECRET SORROWS OF JOSEPHINE B. Click here for the review on TALES OF PASSION, TALES OF WOE. Click here for the review on THE GREAT LAST DANCE.

Thank you for stopping by today. For more Letter J Lessons in Mrs. Matlock's class, click here.

And a huge THANK YOU, MRS. MATLOCK for the thoughtful gift certificate. No doubt there will be new books arriving soon.

I is for Ink, Inkwells, and Inspiration

is for

Ink, Inkwells, and Inspiration

Handmade book by Laurie Doctor

(click photo to enlarge)

Early Darkness

D. Patrick Miller

Think of it as ink:

An indigo dye descending

Between the leaves of the trees

and down to the grasses.

There is no dying of the light - -

just the washing of a bowl,

and overturning it for the night.

When day arrives we must write with

bottled darkness.

In the night we can dream

free messages of light.

Welcome to another lesson for Mrs. Matlock's Alphabe-Thursday class. I recently attended a workshop on The Poetry of Handwriting with Laurie Doctor. It was two days filled with both ink and inspiration. We worked with black sumi ink, walnut ink, white ink, and any other colors one brought along. Laurie, a talented painter, designer, and calligrapher lives in Kentucky. She teachers classes throughout the United States, Europe, Canada, and New Zealand.

Visit http://www.lauriedoctor.com/ to learn more about this talented lady.

Sumi ink is made from vegetable oils and soot. Traditionally it is made from grinding an ink stick, but it is also available in liquid form ready to use. Thousands of years ago Asian artisans discovered how to use this burned residue as an ink. Used for both sumi painting and calligraphy, this black ink can provide tonal variations from deep black to silvery gray.

Walnut ink as you might guess is brown. The walnut produces juglone, a toxic substance to other plants and some animals. It is the juglone that creates the dark color in the walnut hulls. This rich brown ink is wonderful for creating an earthy background on which to use the sumi ink. It is also fun to use this ink with various writing tools.

For me, one of the sad realities of the modern world of technology is that the hand written word is becoming scarce. In this day of cell phones, text messages, emails, and twits, many have abandoned the handwritten note or letter. Students today often don't receive formal handwriting lessons to learn the appropriate strokes of beautiful script. I grew up in the era of fountain pens; when one had to write out all assignments in long hand. I loved the idea of putting ink on paper. The fluid movement of the nib moving across the paper was like magic to me. The rhythm of that writing sang as if it were a sweet melody. My well used original Parker pen still sits on my desk.

I suppose it's no surprise that this love of writing with ink would naturally lead to an interest in and affection for ink wells. I'm a collector at heart and shopping antique markets is a favorite pastime. Though I didn't set out to specifically collect inkwells, the form has captured my imagination.

This crystal inkwell with a plum top sits within a pewter stand. It was made in France in recent years.

The larger of the three is this heavy crystal block with sterling lid. Though it is clearly marked, I've not been able to date this piece.

The smallest of the three is just an inch square and a little over an inch and a half tall. Both this one and the larger one were found at local antique shows years ago.

This is a vintage traveling ink well that was a purchase many years ago while roaming a London antique market.

The leather case opens to reveal a brass container in which to hold ink.

This group of Quimper ink wells gather on another tray that moves about our home. Each of these date to around 1920 - 1930.

The heart shaped one is the first piece of vintage Quimper I acquired. It was a birthday gift from a group of friends given to me in the 1980s. It was the piece that fueled my interest in the antique and vintage pieces of French faience.

A souvenir from a California vacation one summer, this little faience charmer is new production from the 1980s. It is simply marked France Decor Main.

It opens to this sweet little flower shaped stopper covering the well.

More faience ink wells can be found among books in a guest bedroom. These three were produced by Alcide Chaumeil and are known simply as CA faience because of the mark.

I first saw this square example in the collection of a fellow QCI member. I was fortunate to find one for myself a year or so later.

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It appealed to me because of the mechanics of this box. The ceramic lid pivots across to reveal the well for the ink. I suspect this is a rare form.

Another rare form is this CA figural of a Breton fisherman pulling in his catch. The coiled rope is the lid to the inkwell which I purchased in France.

A French market find, this rather large piece is unfortunately missing its lid. I found it laying in a box of assorted things at a weekend brocante. The price was too good to pass it by, so it too resides among the others, sans hat as Debbie @ Confessions of a Plate Addict says. You can read about her recent French ink well find here.

A sweet pair of bunnies were an eBay score. One holds the quills and the other the ink well. They are Desvres production.

A limited edition piece, this handsome ink stand was produced in 1990 by HB Henriot to commemorate the tricentennial of the faience of Quimper. The hand painted scene depicts the city of Quimper and the Odet River. The soft blue glaze and the fine detailed painting make this a remarkable piece.

A documentation card provided with this piece shows the other limited edition pieces that were produced for this special occasion.

And lastly are these heavy ceramic Moroccan ink pots that I purchased in the souks of Marrakech. I found the rustic character with the vibrant turquoise and amber details irresistible.

With all these ink containers about the house and my professed passion for the handwritten word, what do you suppose will be my topic of choice for next week's letter J lesson?

I'm linking this post to both Alphabe-Thursday and Three or More Tuesday.

See you in class! Just click here to skip back over to Mrs. Matlock's.

On Tuesday click here to join Tam @ The Gypsy Corner for Three or More Tuesday.

References for this post:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ink_and_wash_painting

http://home.insightbb.com/~denevell_books/making_walnut_ink.htm

CHERRIES IN WINTER

CHERRIES IN WINTER 
by Suzan Colón is available here on Amazon

CHERRIES IN WINTER: MY FAMILIES RECIPE FOR HOPE IN HARD TIMES is a delightful read. I picked up this book at the library because I'd seen it listed on another blogger's reading list. It was the title that first caught my attention. I have been craving some fresh cherries, though they are no where to be found at the moment. I'll have to wait till late spring.

I read this book on a Sunday afternoon. It is light and easy and thoughtfully written. CHERRIES IN WINTER is about finding one's inner compass during difficult times. It's about reaching back to find the stories of our families, both the struggles and the triumphant times. But it is also about learning to accept one's situation and make the best of it with a positive attitude.

The author, Suzan Colón, now a contributing writer and editor for O, the Oprah Magazine, suddenly found herself laid off during the economic downturn of 2008 from her six figure dream job at a magazine. Her husband was employed, and she was able to work as a freelance writer, but with significantly less income it was necessary for the couple to cut back on expenses. Cooking from her grandmother's recipes and eating at home was one of Ms. Colón's solutions to living on a tight budget.

The book is laced with humor, such as Suzan's Rigatoni Disoccupati, or the "Pasta of the Unemployed". Her recipe consists of 1/2 lb. pasta and a jar of prepared spaghetti sauce. The various recipes that Colón found in a file among her grandmother's things are interspersed throughout this book. As a young child, Colón spent much time with her grandparents, but it is while cooking these family recipes along side her mother, that she begins to learn the stories of the strength of her grandparents as they struggled through difficult years during the Great Depression.

My parents also struggled through the depression and the frugal times of WW II. Much like Ms. Colón's family, my parents have shared their stories of lean times and sparse means that many suffered during this period in history. I've watched my mother live her life as if she were still dealing with those difficult times. Her mother had taught her that thrift was vital in all things. She lived by the motto: "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without."

CHERRIES IN WINTER is not a recipe book, but rather a story about three generations of women who find comfort and stability through cooking and the solace that comes from eating good, simple food. It's also the story of how a positive attitude, a sense of humor, and a splurge now and then can make one feel rich, even when there is little money.

One of the clear messages of this book is that cooking and baking provide excellent therapy for dealing with stress. Toward the end of the book when struggles with infertility are revealed, Ms. Colón turns to her Nana's recipe for lemon meringue pie.

Though Suzan ends up pouring a liquid meringue down the sink, she and her husband then settle for a lemon tart. Suzan realizes that she and her husband already share a wonderfully satisfying life together, even without children. She wants for nothing and feels rich.

Imperfections happen in cooking and in our day to day life. It is best to accept things for what they are and move on in life.

My motto has always been:

"When life gives you lemons . . .

make a lemon meringue pie!"