Custom calligraphy header that says Eyes Wide Open: A Travelling Sketchbook

becåUse tRavelling  doesn’t neceSsArily meAn leåvinG hoMe 

Eyes Wide Open came into being as this quilted piece made by Jennifer Goodenberger, an artist friend. Because she hangs in my bathroom next to the mirror, she got under my skin, in a good way.

When I look back at my first sketchbook begun during a week-long workshop with Mari Le Glatin Keis (author of The Art of Travelling with a Sketchbook), the first two days are such a struggle – I could only manage pencil drawings because I was afraid of color & I was still afraid to draw. But on Day 3, Eyes Wide Open made her appearance and the page exploded. She brought me color, a sense of style, and a joie de vivre that lightened my days and helped my spirit. She’s been with me ever since.
Sometimes we are one, and sometimes I just use her to help me see the 10,000 things. Even when I forget, that’s what Eyes Wide Open (‘EWO’ ) does. She sees. I draw. We are one. This sketchbook practice has come to be important to me, to my sanity, and to my center of balance.

If you keep an eye out, you’ll find her within many of the sketchbook’s pages, tho not every oneshe likes an occasional nap.

Fabric & sequin bead creature in shades of red
Pen & watercolor drawing of the Eyes Wide Open character + calendar that says August 20
Christi Payne Christi Payne

A Dimsy Day 

Is it glib to say this has been an overly rainy summer? We’re still not that well-versed on what a typical New England summer should be but this was not it! I know and it’s true all the world is dealing with havoc, and most of us human types, not so well. So, in light of the world falling apart, how dare I say it’s still so very lovely out here?

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