Introduction

The more I draw and paint, the more I value what I call private art—daily creative exercises in my artistic journal. They are an account of ideas, questions, dreams, explorations and experiments of the hand and the heart. They are a witness to an awakening to the full spectrum of ordinary life. They mirror the gentle stirrings of the eye, mind and soul. And, they are done with no thought of public viewing.

I believe there are two purposes for keeping an artistic journal. First, you want to record personal sensations, whether at home or away. And, secondly, you will accumulate a cache of remembrances to develop further, if you choose. The important thing is to do at least one page each day. Write all over the page, or not at all. Use color, or shades of gray. Use pencil, pen, collage or watercolor. Make quick notations or fully developed paintings.

Many years ago, my son’s four-year-old playmate asked me what I had done that day. I told her that I painted a flower. “Oh,” she said, “wasn’t it pretty enough already?” Her fresh and natural response delighted me. She had the enviable gift of still being startled by life. One of the joys of being an artist is an excuse to look at life closely, and to nurture a sophisticated innocence. The replenishing solitude of my journaling practice revives my own four-year-old beginner’s eyes.

Try a different Art Escapes project every day. This is an idea book of creative exercises organized to make it easy to have success making art—wherever and whenever. The only rule for the artistic journalist is that there are no rules. Results are not important, creativity and innovation are. Cultivate a curiosity of the ordinary and a passion for everyday life. Give wings to your playful creativity with Art Escapes in your own artistic journal!

The palest ink is better than the best memory.

Confucius