Upcoming Class: Creative Journaling

I’ll be teaching a new and wonderful workshop, Creative Journaling.

Creative Journaling is all about exploration and expression, without the pressure of trying to produce artwork for exhibition or publication. It’s a private place to create, fool around, delight in, explore, and develop ideas.

Who is this class for? Everyone.

You don’t need to be a practicing painter, writer, sculptor, or musician. . You may be a breadmaker or forestwalker. Whatever you choose to do, you can find ways to enhance your ways of being in the world.

This workshop will include a wide variety of expressive techniques, using words and various art methods. Some of the exercises will be:  Art Journaling, Freewriting, using a Sketchbook, Book Altering, Poetry, and Creativity Coaching. It will be an experimental journey with many ideas you can take with you.

The great thing about journaling is you NEVER have to show anyone. It’s just for you. This isn’t about making something “good.” It isn’t about pleasing anyone, including your inner critics. It’s messy, mistakes are allowed — and even encouraged — as is a friendly attitude toward our imperfection. 

Journaling can act as:

• A way of kindling and engaging the creative process and developing ideas

• A way to explore our stuck places and our fears about ourselves as people and artists

• A quiet and meditative way of spending time with ourselves

• A way of expressing ourselves with words, and beyond words

I invite you to join me for this Creative Journaling workshop on September 9th and 10th at Artist & Craftsman Supply in Seattle -- more info and to register:  Workshop Description — Jacqui Beck

Such Is Life

Who I Listen To, 19x24

The painting series, Such Is Life, I’ll be showing at Columbia City Gallery this April comes from musings that have been with me for quite a while. Unlike my Personal Prayer Flag or Palimpsest series, though, the concept is more complex.

I’ve been thinking about what it means to be a human being on this planet, specifically when it comes to relating to others. As I was painting I kept in mind the fact that we tend to connect with people similar to ourselves, and far too often implicitly fear those who are different.

This past year or so I’ve been thinking more about race. A friend of mine had a horrible experience which, I believe, was a result of the color of her skin. I began thinking, talking, and reading more about race, as well as considering my own white privilege. I’m not going to create a meaningful relationship with someone of a different race if I’m in denial of how my racial privilege affects my life and theirs.

When I did my Gender Personal project (www.genderpersonal.org), I spent over a year exploring the concept of gender identity, and an important way for me to process these new ideas has been through my art. I believe that the personal expression of art allows us to tinker with, delve into, and form connections with new concepts.

Getting Along with Strangers, 30”x30”

Another influence on this latest series has been the book Lost Connections by Johann Hari. Johann writes about the huge number of people worldwide, who suffer from anxiety and depression.

After years of research and traveling the globe, he has come to believe that this is related to our disconnection from each other, from ourselves, from meaningful work, and from the natural world. His work is all about rediscovering and rekindling those connections. No matter who we are or what our life experiences have been, we crave and need these connections to find meaning in our lives.

I’m also reading The Book of Joy by Douglas Abrams, which is a presentation of discussions between the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu. These wise men also maintain that it is connection with others that underlies a deep feeling of joy in our lives, especially when this includes compassion and support.

Such Is Life will be at Columbia City Gallery from April 3rd through May 12th, and I invite you to come by and see it. The opening reception is Saturday April 6th, 5:00 – 7:00.

Time Enough , 24x30

Here’s a list of books which inspired me as I was creating this series:

• Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression – And the Unexpected Solutions by Johann Hari

• The Book of Joy, a presentation of discussions between the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu, written by Douglas Abrams

• Things that Make White People Uncomfortable by Michael Bennett

• What Does it Mean to Be White: Developing White Racial Literacy by Robin DiAngelo

Different Ways of Seeing It All, 30x30

Not the Same, 24”x24”

For more info about the Such Is Life exhibit and Columbia City Gallery visit Jacqui’s exhibits page.

To view the Such Is Life series as a whole, click here.

“If you want to walk fast, walk alone. If you want to walk far, walk with others.”

— African proverb

My Latest Art Video!

My latest video, Using Stamping in Acrylic Painting, is the third in a series of videos about making and using stamps in acrylic painting. This video covers techniques for applying and removing paint with hand-made stamps.

Be sure to watch the other two videos, Creating Carved Stamps, and Creating Adhesive Foam Stamps.

Check it out, and let me know what you think!