Journals, hand-made and purchased, from my studio.© Quinn McDonald
Over at Altered Pages, Seth Apter had a great idea: On September 21, 2011, post your stack of journals, handmade journals, artwork–whatever you stack up in your studio. An inveterate piler, I loved this idea. Things filed neatly away disappear from my memory, but a good stack of journals and papers is a searchable treasure. Check his website today for a list of links to participating artists and their stacks.
In my stack (above, a fraction of what’s in the studio), is a copy of my book, Raw Art Journaling: Making Meaning, Making Art. I included it because it had its origins in stacks of work. And so did the name. Raw art is the work you do with your hands and heart. It might be outsider art, if you consider Jean Dubuffet’s definition of outsider art: “Dubuffet’s concept of Art Brut. . . was of works that were in their “raw” state, uncooked by cultural and artistic influences.” When we make art that delights us and helps us understand our lives, our journey, ourselves in our culture–that art is raw art. Full of raw emotion, alive with raw meaning. It is not art made to suit an audience, it is not perfection assembled from a kit. It is made with emotion, wonder and discovery.
After years of teaching collage, art journaling, card making, I had stacks of work
Same stack, different angle.
in the studio. Sifting through it, I found small treasures, pieces of experiments, scraps of memory that I could feel over again, pieces that were precious to me because they represented a flash of understanding of who I am and what I was called to do. The beginning of raw art is discovery, the middle is understanding. There is no end.
Please join me at Antigone Books, 411 N. 4th Ave. in Tucson at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, September 23rd for an informal talk, making a permission slip and book signing. Bring your colored pencils and questions about Raw Art.
–Quinn McDonald hopes to see you at Antigone books on Friday evening.
QuinnCreative 
raw, raw, raw! Sounds like a cheer- raw art from the heart. As it should be!
I hadn’t thought of it as a cheer–but it could be!
I truly enjoyed your precariously perched stack. Sorry I’m late getting here. It’s been a busy week!
I haven’t answered them all yet, either. I figure they won’t mind a late visit. I won’t!
OOH! I would love to be in Tucson for that today! I hope it goe fantastically.
Love your stacks. I love when they look so vertiginous!
Great asymetrical stack, love the balancong act.
Looks like a gravity-defying stack to me! Great work making it stable, and sharing with us how it holds the origins of your published book. Inspirational!
I didn’t notice how much of my book started in my teaching journals until I had to pack all this stuff to send to the photographer for photography. It was a real revelation.
How did you do that? Love that you enjoyed picking your stack.
Well done, keep smiling and creating
The stack is very stable. I thought it would be more interesting to show pages, things I worked on. I like it as a visual, and it makes me feel I can find what I need. Thanks for stopping by!
Great stacks! Very, very wonderful!!!
This was a great idea of Seth’s.
great photo of your stack, I will check out your book.
Love your gelatin prints, Linda–so much fun!
Love how precariously perched your great stack looks AND I could not agree more about out of sight out of mind…I like my stuff where I can see it
Stack On
oxo
Quinn,
It’s always very intriguing to get an inside view of where something significant got its start. I love how when you go through things that you’ve worked with in the past through the process toward that significant something, you see glimpses of who you are and what you are called to do. It just verifies and validates the authenticity of what you do; and that’s always a good feeling!
I have chosen your post, Paper Stacks: Origins of Raw Art Journaling, for the #JournalChat Pick of the Day for all things journaling on Twitter. I will post a link on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, my blog and website, Refresh with Dawn Herring, and in Refresh Journal: http://www.refreshwithdawnherring.blogspot.com/.
You’re welcome to join us for #JournalChat Live on Twitter on Thursdays at 4 CST/2 PST for all things journaling; this week’s topic is using our journals to emphasize our power and strengths.
Thanks again for this inside view of your Journaling life purpose.
Be refreshed,
Dawn Herring
JournalWriter Freelance
Host of #JournalChat Live and Links Edition on Twitter
Thanks Dawn.I didn’t know about the group and I’m glad you stopped by and told me. I’ll be working tomorrow at 2, but I sure would like to jump in. Thanks for letting me know where your blog is; now I want to stop by.
Interesting variety-thanks for sharing~
Thanks for leaving a comment, Donna.
I love how your stack is teetering a little….makes it very impressive 🙂
I wanted it to look like my real stacks–gone through often and well.
Looks like a to-do list in action–thanks.
Love your stacks and your post. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for commenting!
what a great selection …! I love the mix you displayed here..!Im so interested in your Raw art book…it looks wonderful..what a great add to my collection..!
I mixed them up because it’s not always the spines that are the interesting part–those stuffed pages are fun. And for a while, you can buy the book and get free shipping in the U.S. on the About My Book page of my website: http://quinncreative.com
What a fun looking, teeter-tottering stack you’ve made. I think our stacks are an interesting reflection of ourselves, and you seem to be quite comfortable balancing a lot of different things!
Great stack – you have mastered the art of balancing!!!!!
At least the art of balancing books!
wonderful!
Thanks!
PS (Here is my reply to your comment but I didn’t have your email so I’m leaving it here…
LOL! Thanks quinncreative! Don’t feel bad, AFTER I POSTED these pictures, I realized…in a way…this isn’t a stack AT ALL. HAHAHA! )
What? In order to leave a comment on your blog I had to leave my email, and it didn’t even show it to you? Huh. I’d complain if I were you. . . unless you are too busy making art!
Wow…I sure wish I Could join you at Antigone. I’ll have to look for your book on Amazon…because your definition of raw art is pretty precisely how I approach and make art. I just do it for the love and fun of doing it and when someone else loves it…it kind of blows me away! Thanks for your comment on my blog. You gave me a good laugh!
Antigone book store is a great place–but you can always join me here–plenty of parking on my blog.
great stack, and wonderful post to go with it! I always appreciate the mention of artists who have made huge contributions to our artistic progress, such as DuBuffet. lovely…
What a great stack and post Quinn. First I love the fact that the stack looks like it should topple but is actually steady and solid. I also love that you included your own book and described the origins of ‘raw’ in the post. Thanks!
Stacked up neatly, it looked pedantic. I liked the “Raw” stack more. Thanks for this great idea, Seth.