My New Painting 'Sketchbook'

I spent the better part of a night, gesso-ing the pages of handmade paper book I got from my sister for Christmas. The paper was so pretty and it was a shame to cover it, but it absorbed paint like paper toweling, and since I'm not much of a 'sketcher', I wanted to use it for quick painted pages and journaling.

The trick is to paint ahead, but leave blank spaces for words and pictures. Like this —

But sometimes only a landscape will do. The sky will work nicely for messages to myself.

I thought circles might be just thing when I didn't have too much to say or if I wanted to corral different thoughts.

Here are pages where I found sea life in the paint swirls. I don't plan what I'm going to write, I just begin and see where it takes me. I do the same with the painting. I'm trying to keep it loose and spontaneous and to remain detached from the outcome. And to experiment!

These are the opening pages to my new art journal. I decided to invoke Ganesh's energy - the Remover of Obstacles. He never lets me down no matter where the journey takes me!