Isn't Life Great?

I'm in love with the whole wide world today. I just feel great - I had a lovely email from a blogfriend which made me smile and smile, and I had a fantastic 6 km walk to Fish Hoek and back, and I saw a whale in the distance, and L'Usband took me for a lovely curry lunch at Bihari, and I finished my book, and I finished this journal page ...

I have just finished watching the BBC's Darwin's Dangerous Idea, and what used to be a pink and doodly page in my art journal evolved to the above. (Collage: image of Darwin from Scientific American, my doodles, cutouts from a plastic shopping bag. Words are from the Introduction to Darwin's The Origin of Species.)

Moleskine doodles

I have been in a doodling frame of mind recently ...

The Journal as Art

I ordered Drawing From Life - The Journal as Art (compiled by Jennifer New) a while ago and today it arrived. Featuring the journals of more than 30 creative souls, it is absolutely beautiful. I cannot stop paging through it.

Page below by Idelle Weber. I have something similar in mind for my third box insert. (See here and here for previous two inserts.)

This page by Lyle Owerko. I like the combination of black script and photographs.

And now I am off to work on my art journal! (No, actually I am off to have supper and watch a dvd. And then I will work on my art journal.)

Weekword: Charm

This week's word chosen by Linda Sue (whose brain and talent never fail to amaze and delight) reminded me of a poem:

A Charm invests a face
(Emily Dickinson)
A Charm invests a face
Imperfectly beheld.
The Lady dare not lift her Veil
For fear it be dispelled.

But peers beyond her mesh,
And wishes, and denies,
Lest Interview annul a want
That Image satisfies.

Collage with photocopy, drawing, gift wrap & tulle based on photo by John French of a hat and veil designed by Erik (1950).

Other particpants can be found here.

Have a great weekend everyone! Be charming ...

I Spy

For no particular reason I seem to be on a kind of spy-streak at the moment. I have just finished watching the BBC series (1979) of John le Carre's Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. Before that it was The State Within and before that State of Play (also BBC productions). A while ago I discovered the Ashenden short stories by Somerset Maugham, and at the moment I am reading Steve Coll's excellent Ghost Wars for which he won the Pulitzer. It gives a riveting account of the CIA's involvement in Afghanistan, and the origins of al-Qaeda. Fascinating reading. Scary for many reasons. Why would anyone choose to be a spy? I have no idea.

(Two quick doodles in my moleskine. Yes, I know my perspective is all cock-eyed and what is meant to be the pavement looks like light falling from the wrong direction and what is meant to be the light looks like weird raindrops. Let's just leave it at that.)

Doubt

Inspired by these lines from Dorothy Parker's poem (Prophetic Soul):

Because your eyes are slant and slow,
Because your hair is sweet to touch,
My heart is high again; but oh,
I doubt if this will get me much.

Weekword: Aroma

Can you smell it? Hmmmm .... heavenly!!
(object from Kassia and Figg, book from our local library)