Reflections in Rock Time: The Art of Keeping a Nature Journal

Explore the artistic, scientific, and reflective pursuit of keeping a nature journal. Nothing can connect you closer with your own true nature than recording and reflecting on the miraculous world around you. Nature journaling brings a sense of wonder and deep, soulful appreciation into your daily life. It can be done in your own back yard, or out your window, as well as on travels away from home. Whether you are a beginner or advanced nature-journalist, Maria’s workshops will cultivate your observing and recording skills. You can go as deep as you are drawn into the process, studying field sciences, art techniques, or just simply feast on the wonders of the natural world.

Illustrated Garden Journals

Do you love gardening? Keeping a garden journal is a way to celebrate your garden in an artful way. Gardening is more than just digging holes, planting seeds, pulling weeds, and watering your plants–it’s about nurturing your soil and your soul. A garden journal will help you remember all that beauty and delicious bounty for years to come–it’s a visual record of gardening dates, ideas, plant and flower documentation, and personal stories. In this workshop, you will learn nature sketching & watercolor, page design, lettering, and artful journaling techniques in the classroom. With these skills, we usually tour local gardens and sketch plants plen aire with field notes. By the end of the workshop you’ll experience the joys of keeping a garden journal and discover how it can be used to plan your garden and serve as a lasting record of your gardening trials, triumphs, and treasures.

Travel Journals

“A Journal makes your trip last forever”

A travel journal holds a treasure of memories to cherish through your life–a record of the sights, sounds, tastes, and sensory impressions that can never be fully captured with photographs. It’s the place where the JOURNEY meets JOURNAL–a mirror of self discovery and a tool to awaken the mind and heart. Learn the skills and techniques for keeping an interesting and engaging record of your travels–with quick sketches, packing lists, sensory intakes, plotting maps, stories of people you meet, natural history, collage, writing reflections, and a host of other tips. This workshop can be a 1-day or weekend in length and will prepare you to make your trip last forever.

Making Your Own Journal

A Handmade Art Journal Class

Have you always loved the look of a hand-made book?

Learn to make a practical and beautiful journal for your own daily use to capture images and writings. In this one-day class you will make a simple hand-made book, with multimedia paper and a decorative cover, hand-bound with a Coptic stitch. We will then explore a variety of options to personalize the journal with cover images, colophon, and dedication page. This journal can be used for visual journaling or for any multi-media use.

Visual Journaling

Enjoy playing with your everyday life moments by chronicling them with words, sketches, watercolor, and collage. Slow down the hectic, high-tech pace of life and savor those moments with visual journaling. Splash color on a page…draw your lunch…sketch landscapes from your travels…list your groceries…write and paint your dreams. It all goes in the story of your life, the journal you keep tucked in your pocket or bag. Sometimes words are not enough to describe life’s experiences and feelings—sketches and images allow us to access and express our intuition and creativity, and journaling art is playful and full of joy.This 1-day class will acquaint you with basic techniques of sketching, pen and ink, watercolor, observation, field notes, reflective writing, using symbols and doodles, page design, and explorations into tools and art media for journaling. All skill levels are welcome.

Visual Journaling for Teens

Introductory Workshop

Capture your everyday life moments by chronicling them with words, sketches, watercolor, and collage. Doodle a border…draw your lunch…list your favorite songs and your worst fears…write and paint your dreams. It all goes in the story of your life, documented in the journal that becomes your lifelong companion. Visual journaling combines words and images, as sometimes words are not enough to describe life’s experiences and feelings—sketches and images allow you to access and express your feelings, intuition, and creativity.

This introductory workshop will acquaint you with explorations into tools and art media for keeping a visual journal.