Jeane´s Book: Tchotchke

Coming up with a new theme is always fun, but also challenging.  I have been hearing the word, tchotchke several times in the last month.  The first time was in the movie/documentary, "Finding Vivian Maier" and the second time in "Boyhood".  If you haven't seen "Finding Vivian Maier" yet, you must.  It is about a photographer who never exhibited her photographs, worked as a nanny, and made the guy who found her photographs a very rich man.  My theme has little to do with either movie, but worth mentioning.  Anyway as artists, you all have tchotchkes.  Have a look at the definition from urban dictionary.     
      http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Tchotchke 

I pronouce tchotchke like "choch key", which is how it was spoken in the films and very fun to say. 

I found all sorts of unused tchotchkes to decorate my cover (they now have become very useful).

Take a look around your house and see what inspires you!

Eric's Book- DEATH, and first entry

WHAT SHOULD THE THEME OF MY BOOK BE????

OMG, there's some really sweet folks with me in this rotation, I am super lucky.... 

How can I use this opportunity to tap into both their creativity and wisdom?

What burning question(s) do I have........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................?

Well, shoot, I know y'all, to varying degrees, so I will just cut to the chase here. I have 3 kids, am surrounded by youth and vitality, not just at home but also in my working-life, and I still sometimes just can't shake thinking about DEATH.

I mean, I am not all bananas or anything about it; I am not a part of any cults, nor do I spend all my time thinking about death and dying, yet still, little things send me off thinking about the fact that I will be dead. 

I know, this could be a sensitive subject for the theme of a sketchbook rotation, and by no means did I choose this theme to unwedge any of you. 

DEATH

So, this is a form that might not immediately be identified as a BOOK, however, it does fold up...

foldin' it up...

stacked!

 ... and it is made out of paper. 

I only intend that you work on the side I am showing you, and that the skull-form more or less remain intact. Feel free to take up as many "panels", or the little squares of watercolor paper, and also don't get bogged down by the squares. You can also use the Asian paper that provides the foldable material, it's also beefy enough to receive some wet-materials. 

I have no other guidelines or recommendations to participants: it's only paper. 

dead bugs on DEATH

For my first entry, I wanted to "capture" death, and the best way I could think to do this was to look around for dead bugs in my house. Believe it or not, this isn't as easy as it might seem, since again, I have 3 kids with many small fingers that manage to find ALL dead bugs to play with. I just taped them down, I hope I am not contributing to the spread of potato-bug or bee diseases across borders, leading to yet another die-off....

I AM GLAD TO WORK WITH Y'ALL ON THIS ROTATION

Petr's Book / First Entry

Under the Skin - my first entry is a very biological one, spray paint, ink pen, acrylic paints. I love diagrams and how science kind off takes a stab at simplifying complexity in order to grasp it and make it accessible. I love this diagram because while representing layers of skin it also resembles natural motives of roots, rivers, rocks. It is almost like an analogy.

My intention for this entry was to invite you to go deeper under the skin. If I continued I'd try to create a flow cutting deep through bones and muscles all the way to the depths of human heart and soul. 

Have fun.

Petr's Book

I simply must show off - this is my book for this round. 

Just picked this beauty today from bookbinders. Themed "Under the Skin" it's cover is wrapped in fur I found in my wife's parents' place. Can't wait to create my first sketch and pass it out there.