For my Sister

A few more journal pages

I am still working on tying up some loose ends. I am just crazy about this soft green and orange together. I know I have used this color combination several times before, but i just never seem to tire of it. These are a couple of journals pages I did in the "Altered Renaissance" handmade book/journal. I think some of my best journaling work is in this book. Several of the spreads are supposed to be in the upcoming book "1,000 Artist's Journal Pages". I am not sure when it is supposed to be released, but hopefully within a few months. The book I mention in this journal page is too wonderful to cut up. I just haven't the heart to do it, even though I had every intention of doing so when I first bought it. It is really in excellent shape for it's age and appears to be complete. So, I will be getting laser prints of several pages and then I'll work with those. The journal can be viewed in it's entirety (up to this point anyways) here:

http://WWW.IngridDijkers.com/galleryaltbookspage10.html

Flotsam

I am trying to finish up some loose ends in an effort to get more organised so that I can devote all my energies to working on the Journey Vessels. As I really dislike unfinished projects I wanted to get this finished up. This journal is a handmade book that I made using an old water stained, crumpled up poster I found in my daughter's trash can from a Titanic exhibit we went to in Chicago several years ago. The book can be viewed in it's entirety here -

http://www.IngridDijkers.com/galleryaltbookspage11.html

Vessels for the Journey

I have been working on this idea on and off for awhile. It's been very difficult to focus on anything for quite awhile now with my Father having been so ill, but this morning I decided to do a little work. Didn't go all that well, but at least I made a little something. This is basically what I have in mind for the "Vessels of the Journey Collection". This is a rather poor scan of what I came up with, but it gives the basic idea. The face is made of fired clay and is hollow in the back. The inside is collaged and has charms floating loosely in it. The back is then covered with a piece of glass to encase these objects and is soldered shut. I plan to expand on this concept by adding many differently shaped vessels.

The photos open to much larger and more detailed images of the piece. The collage work on the inside includes the printing "Within the heart of the universe, lies the void of eternal space", a silver key, a star, a ring of balance, tiny gold glass spheres and very fine antique brass angel hair. The size of the face is 1 1/2" X 2". Overall size including the beading is 2" X 5 1/2". This makes for a rather large piece, but I rather like the size. I have also made clay faces about 1/2 of this size to make smaller pieces. I am planning to make a 1/2 moon (based on the poem "My Father's Moon"), the Venus of Wallendorf and a heart shape. Many more shapes come to mind, but I think I will just start with those. I have had so little motivation for the past several months, but will try very hard to get this whole concept off the ground.

And now he rests...

After a very long fight, my Father passed away last week. It all seems quite surreal and hasn't quite registered yet. In a way it's rather macabre to take and post photos of his final resting place, but somehow it's comforting to see his new serene surroundings with fountains, wonderfully gnarly old willow trees and a small grove of Oak trees shading him. I think he would have been pleased with what we choose for him.