Because I have visited New York as a tourist, and I now live here as well, I have insider views that I could not get any other way.

When you visit, it seems there are buildings and pavement everywhere.

But when you live here, you get a behind the scenes look into the courtyards and hidden spots of verdant solitude. It is fun to know and great to see.

This is the last photo of me with longer hair. My Man took this photo, he loves to play with blur and motion. I think I look like a waif or ghost.

Glow.

And then we went and bought art yums.

I am particularly happy with the liquid frisket pen. Which can be seen in this Frisket Kit. Until this point I have used old dead brushes liberally dipped in liquid soap and cleaned often. This pen doesn't need soap and with care can draw very slight and gentle lines. I am playing with it on a journal page now. Yumsta!

And in case you missed my latest post on The Sketchbook Challenge site, I will embed it here.

And remember, you can subscribe to my youtube channel, there is a bright yellow button mid-top page.

As you might imagine, these last few weeks have been surreal. I don't know how I will proceed in talking about my medical adventures, I think it will come about of its own accord. I do, for the most part feel I am on the outside looking in, so when I saw this little tableau in the subway, I snapped a quick photo. I know that soon my treatment will begin and my two selves will merge. It has become simple. There really is just one day at a time, and to take it further, one hour and one moment at a time.

All the same, I am amazed, thankful, grateful and humbled by your outpouring of support, care and love. Thank you. I am grateful to Leslie for taking such care, for listening to my fears and needs and for composing such a loving telling of this reality. She has been a stalwart friend and helper.

And you, dear reader. I would never wish cancer, sickness or any major life challenge on anyone. Now that the world looks me in the eye and blinks deeply, I know it is my time to fight this battle. I did not think half so many people would respond. And what a sense of balance and comfort you have given me. And for all of these reasons, I thank you.

All the while and in my most crazed moment, I took a breath. I realized that there is another woman in a parallel life who does not have art as solace and guidance. Who does not feel the grace and breath of color being mixed, brush being loaded, paper colored. She cannot express her fear, rage, strength and love for all the women who have come before and will come each day again and again to this same diagnosis. But I do.

This much I know, art saves lives. It has saved me before and I ask it to save me again. So let's 'make shit' like our lives depend on it. It does.

Hi. My name is Leslie Tucker Jenison. Melly is a good friend of mine and has asked me to do a guest-spot on her blog.
I wish I could tell you that I was here to talk about something fun and happy, but that is not why I am here.
Instead, I'm going to talk about love.

Before I get to the part about love I need to tell you something that will be tough to read:
Melanie has been diagnosed with breast cancer.
She found out recently and is trying to get her mind around it.
She is in the process of being tested and working with her medical and surgical team to make a plan of treatment.

Here is what I can tell you: she will undergo chemotherapy for about 18 weeks, followed by surgery and radiation therapy.

Here is the love-part:
Melly cares so much about how her friends and students will receive this information. It is really hard for her to talk about her diagnosis right now.
She wants you to know, but she hopes you will respect the fact that, for the time-being, she just isn't up to talking about it or even
writing about it directly. She is still trying to get her footing. Short, upbeat emails or comments on the blog are okay. She is mainly trying to control the input of information, at this point.

I have a favor to ask:
Melly is going to need some new couture for her head. Who better than a crazy group of fiber artists to supply her with some groovy headgear?
If you are inclined to make something for her, she has requested that these be sent to me and I will consolidate her mail and send it on to her.
Please do the same for any cards and letters you wish to send.

Here are some suggestions for what she could use. If you have a favorite pattern for a knitted cap I would like to encourage you to go for it.
Melly has a 23-inch noggin.
Please keep in mind that whatever you make should be soft with no hard embellishments or "doodads" on it. Soft and snuggly is good!
Dharma has this circular knit scarf

I know Melly likes the 36x36 or 44x44"

Or a bandana

If there are any questions you can email me directly at either
leslie.jenison@gmail.com
through the blog http://leslietuckerjenison.blogspot.com/
or a private email on facebook

Send hats, scarves, and letters to:
Melly Testa
c/o Leslie Tucker Jenison
104 Ponca Bend
Shavano Park TX 78231-1425

If you haven't read my most recent Sketchbook Challenge post, it is right here.

I was out and about this weekend when I stopped in the park to have a good swing at the playground, there were no kids around hogging the swing set, so I took that as an opportunity. On leaving the playground, I saw a piece of paper tacked to a tree and fluttering in the wind. Normally, I would swipe it and stuff it in my backpack for use in my journal. But this was special, so I just photographed my discovery (and scrubbed the phone number in photoshop for good measure-you should support young entrepreneurs however possible, if you are local and would like her number, post a comment!). Way to go Beatrice!

I have been quiet here, I haven't had much to say and I wanted to try to combat this lapse. Here I show you the two drawers accessed from my workbench. These are all the tools I need, quick and nimble. This drawer shows all my acrylic paint. I should put labels on all the lids, and name the color in the jar, but. I am pretty organized but not that spazzed out.

Here is the top drawer. This one gets a lot of movement. All my favorite stuff is in this drawer. My pencil case, colored pencils, porcelain palette, water dropper (I don't mean to offend the religious among us-I have a loose interpretation of what might offend my higher power and using a Holy Water bottle as a tool in helping me paint is not among the top 100 offensive behaviors-on my list anyway), paint palettes, oil pastels, burnishers, folders, exacto. In other words this is a treasure trove of possibility.

Its been snowy. And I continue to see lines, as I am sure you do too.

I am gearing up, changing focus and having fun creatively over here. My waxpot has been in constant use and I have been trying out the most interesting papers for surface design techniques. Next up I will try tracing paper. I love how it crinkles.

I have been taking notes and keeping track too. A certain fabu mother and father bought me some Moleskine books for Christmas. See that burgundy book in the upper left? That is a sassy book, that is going to become fantastic. So far it has 5 pages filled with samples and notes and I love opening it and paging through it. Just because. Perhaps some photos. Maybe I will just tease, I can be that way too.

And journals galore. You can't see them all but there are three on my workbench.

And perhaps you've forgotten that you too can have a pretty pencil case, made special, for and by you! I lub mine.

The above image is soy was applied to tissue paper (a problematic if gorgeous paper to say the least). It has since been painted and I will share an image soon.

For years I used words like fiber, quilt, textile artist to describe myself.

At the same time I have studiously kept an artist's journal. Have kept a set of paints specifically to be used on paper, I have practiced my skills in using watercolor, gouache, ruling pens, pencils, pens, calligraphy, Rapidographs. I know the differences between flats, filberts, rounds, hot press, cold press and mixtures between the two.

For years journaling has been a support. Something I do in order to maintain an artist's practice. Until Inspired to Quilt was published, my journals were a private thing. I recently entered a journal into a gallery show and was accepted. This was surprising to me, not because I don't see the value of my work in journal format, I do. It surprised me because I had never really thought to enter a journal into a show before.

So I think perhaps I will stop specifying the type of artist I am and just say, I am an artist. I like to paint and now my wall art is as exciting and vibrant as my journals are, something I have been working toward for a very long time.

In the next few months I will be focusing on my journals and approach to working with paper. Perhaps a change of banner is on order? It is so timely that The Sketchbook Challenge is such a hit and I am happy to be a part of it. I do hope you won't be disappointed.

And if you are in the Asheville area? Please go check out the show and sneak a photo of yourself near my journal, k?

This week has been filled with friends, museum going, making and now, recovering and slowing down.

On the 9th floor of the Museum of Art and Design, the JSG had tea, coffee and a scoop of yums. This was the view.

While I was waiting on the platform for the train, I looked up and saw these two guys. I was a bit startled by them. Pigeons have it bad! They hang out on sidewalks and in this case steel i-beams. Their feet show the wear and tear. I like pigeons. Look at the pigeon on the right, check out the curve of its neck.

Last spring I took a bookbinding class at The Center for Book Arts in Manhattan and Shanna was my teacher. I am happy to say she is now a friend too. Shanna is quick on her mental feet and witty too. I, on the other hand, am a bit slower and I take information in by repetition and submersion. I took the class in order to learn to make my own journals. But I make a journal perhaps every six months. Lucky for me, Shanna withstands my need for help easily. Well. Anyway. Thank goodness she is willing to lend a hand, watch and suggest, and puts up with my questions. This time I am also taking extensive notes so that I can break the handholding pattern I feel stuck in right now.

I have covered all of these books in my own cloth. I love using my own cloth for the covers. I tried to make the end sheet papers too but time fell short. Sometimes I wonder why I feel the need to make the whole darned thing...

I have also posted this video at The Sketchbook Challenge and I don't want it to go unnoticed if that blog is not on your radar.

But there were a few questions about materials over there and I wanted to talk about that here. I use M. Graham gouache, an opaque watercolor paint. This is a new choice. For years I have used a cheap, sub-student grade paint that worked just fine. Pelikan Opaque Watercolor Set

I was satisfied with the color intensity, price, rewetting ability. That paint set is great for the price. But then I decided (a wild hair caught my attention and I could not shake it), that I needed to honor my abilities and intention and that I needed to upgrade to professional grade paints. I don't regret having done it, quite the opposite.

But. That opaque set held me in its grasp for almost 10 years. I learned a lot while using it, it served me well and it was inexpensive. There is a lot to be said for that. I find that often times when I start talking technique, my student or readers will feel they need to use what I have. Like when I lecture about quilting, I will get asked, "what machine do you use?" To which I always answer, "It is the operator, not the machine".

I could also make the argument that you should make a solid commitment to your paints and prove to yourself that you are taking your art seriously by purchasing the best supplies possible right off the bat. But why? I think it is best that you TRY things out. Heck you can water acrylic paint down to the degree that I show within the video and get smashing results. In the meantime, you will see that yes, indeed, you do love painting in this manner and you should have the paints you desire.

It is difficult to be a conscious consumer, to slow ourselves down and question, if I buy this, will I use every last drop of it? As far as the M. Graham Gouache goes? I sure will-I have no doubt whatsoever. I have no intention of returning to my sub-student grade set. But I do value the time I spent with that set and think the art I made while using it is great.

The Journal Study Gals (JSG) met up for our one year anniversary Monday night. I feel blessed to have a group of gals that does what we do, namely make journals, do creative projects (like work on the strange if promising Yupo) and go to museums and galleries, never mind make each other laugh and giggle late into the night.

Here Shirley and Benedicte look their ever gorgeous selves.

While Pat discusses the itsy-bitsy-spider.

Pat has been busy revealing truths and you can see how she bubbles over some here. This bubbling results in fab prezzies for all JSG's.

Pat's verve and creative approach tickles me (yes Pat, I said verve and tickle in the same sentence). And I am giddy to receive these occasional gifts, one of which will be or is featured in Cloth, Paper, Scissors this month.

It seems like one morning Pat woke and hiccuped an excess of thermofax images. Her creative self boiled over and we are the lucky recipients.

I have been playing with Kozo Paper again this time I have fallen in love with Kin Washi, which has long shimmery bits of Kozo fiber in it. It looks like rayon, almost. More on that later.

For a very exciting Gouache Painting Tutorial keep cheking The Sketchbook Challenge blog, I think the video will be posted today or tomorrow.

Words to live by.

Happy New year everyone! Thank you for the well wishes in the last post. I was great to take time off, slow down and think. My Man and I went to our Retreat Place and did Yoga, took whirlpools, walks and ate well together.

It snowed while we were there, the goddess experienced it firsthand as she is an outdoor kind of gal.

I am grateful and happy to Love my Guy, to have the relationship that we do. I mean, how many guys like to purchase and wear matching socks!

We went to Kirtan with Bavani. First off, I have ever loved chanting as a way to access my spiritual center, but to do it in a crowd of 100+ people? With musicians? It was simply divine, a great way to welcome in the New Year.

Kids can really capture the essence of a thing, can't they?

I worked on this piece while we were away. It has turned a corner and is becoming something more-it feels like it is becoming itself without my pushing and nudging it. I like the energy, glow and color.