Journal For Life

Some notes on the history of trees.

Gerard Lange art journals, Book 14: Year in Retrospect, spread 17 (pp. 34–35), 2009–2010, 28 x 44 x 2.5 cm (11 x 17 x 1 ⅛ in.).

Genealogy is one of hobbies dating back further than my keeping of an annual art journal. This spread contains musings on Thomas Holt, my fourth-great-grandfather, who I have alone researched for nearly 20 years.

Gerard Lange art journals, Book 17: From Cork to Brooklyn, spread 2 (pp. 4–5), 2012–2013, 28 x 44 x 2.5 cm (11 x 17 x 1 ⅛ in.).

Sometimes the ephemera I use is more dimensional than flat, such as the crane scissors, bottle caps, moss, and pottery shard in this spread. Shown in the bottom-right is an image of 'Pocket Waterfalls' by Emily J. Gómez, and in the top-right is a label from the Nick Offerman edition of Lagavulin Whisky.

Gerard Lange art journals, Book 25: (Re)Writing My History: 25th Anniversary Journal, spread 20 (pp. 40–41), 2021, 28 x 44 x 5.5 cm (11 x 17 x 2 ¼ in).

"A person often meets his destiny on the road he took to avoid it," Jean de la Fontaine and Master Oogway.

Gerard Lange art journals, Book 13: A Recipe for Yorkshire Pudding, spread 18 (pp. 36–37), 2008–2009, 28 x 44 x 2.5 cm (11 x 17 x 1 ⅛ in.).

It may be cliché.

Gerard Lange art journals, Book 13: A Recipe for Yorkshire Pudding, spread 11 (pp. 22–23), 2008–2009, 28 x 44 x 2.5 cm (11 x 17 x 1 ⅛ in.).

Creature comforts: books, coffee, and a blue sofa.

Gerard Lange art journals, Book 17: From Cork to Brooklyn, spread 15 (pp. 30–31), 2012–2013, 28 x 44 x 2.5 cm (11 x 17 x 1 ⅛ in.).

I found myself in the Pisces I love.

Gerard Lange art journals, Book 12: Watching You Watching Me, spread 13 (pp. 26–27), 2007–2008, 28 x 44 x 3 cm (11 x 17 x 1 ⅛ in.).

It is fall and school is starting back, which makes me think about Foundations of Art and this lesson on line and mark making.

Gerard Lange art journals, Book 26: Foundations of Art: Lesson Plans, spread 4 (pp. 8–9), 2021–2022, 28 x 44 x 6 cm (11 x 17 x 2 ⅜ in.).

For many years, I've carried a pocket notebook in which I inscribe daily musings, documentary information, grocery lists, etc., etc. These informational notes find their way into the art journals that are most often completed back home in my studio. Fully completed notebooks are archived in handmade book boxes.

Gerard Lange art journals, Appendix J, Notebooks (book box), hosing daily and event-specific notebooks, 30.5 x 22.5 x 12.5 cm (12 x 8⅞ x 5 in.).

International Beer Day is today (2 August 2024). Reflecting back on my trip to Prague in 2019, Czech beer in Czechia is so much better than it is in other countries. You need to go there to see for yourself! Shown in the photo are bottlecaps from a few of my other favorite beers.

Gerard Lange art journals, Book 22: Prague, Praha, Prag, spread 8 (pp. 16–17), 2019, 28 x 44 x 2.5 cm (11 x 17 x 1 in.).

Tribute to William DePauw, with whom I attended Tulane University for graduate school. The two ceramic sculptures were ones he created during our time there. In the smaller journal (completed in 2003–2004) is an image of a larger sculpture by him from the same time period. Included in the larger journal is a copy of a 2-dimensional work by him also from our time in graduate school.

Book 25: (Re)Writing My History was a reflection on my first 25 years making art journals, but infusing them with images and references to my wife Amanda, an artist and art historian, thereby taking her into my past experiences as an artist.

Book 8: Hot Dog, Now This Is Living, spread 24 (pp. 48–49), 23.5 x 36 x 3 cm (9¼ x 14 x 1⅛ in.).

Book 25: (Re)Writing My History: 25th Anniversary Journal, spread 4 (pp. 8–9), 2021, 28 x 44 x 5.5 cm (11 x 17 x 2 ¼ in).

Gerard Lange art journals, Book 27: Foundations of Art: Classroom Demonstrations, spread 2 (pp. 4–5), 2022–2023, 42.5 x 71 x 6.5 cm (17 x 28 x 2½ in.).

Travel journal from 1998 that I kept while enrolled in the Cortona, Italy program through the Lamar Dodd School of Art at University of Georgia along with collected ephemera and the cigar box that housed them with the clamshell book box constructed later to make Book 2 cohesive with the other journal bindings.

Gerard Lange art journals, Book 2: Italia MCMXCVIII, book box, 24.5 x 21 x 10.5 cm (9½ x 8⅜ x 41⁄8 in.); spread 35 (pp. 70–71), 16.5 x 23.5 x 5 cm (6½ x 9¼ x 2 in.), 1998.

Anyone who knows me, knows I have a special relationship with coffee. It takes 4 espressos just to get me going in the morning. I love an independent coffee shop, but if in Boston, be sure to visit several Starbucks as well because many of them are uniquely placed in old buildings.

Gerard Lange art journals, Book 15: Wanderlust, spread 16 (pp. 32–33), 2010–2011, 28 x 44 x 5.5 cm (11 x 17 x 2¼ in.).

After college, I took filmmaking classes at IMAGE Film and Video Center, now the Atlanta Film Society, in 2000 and 2001. My goal was to gain entrance to film school graduate program.

Gerard Lange art journals, Book 4: Prodding Time's Arrow and Other Fluid Notions, spread 5 (pp. 10–11), 2000–2001, 28 x 44 x 2.5 cm (11 x 17 x 1 in.).

In this spread, from when I was taking film classes through IMAGE Film and Video Center, now the Atlanta Film Society, back in 2000 and 2001, are notes related to cinematography and screen writing.

Gerard Lange art journals, Book 4: Prodding Time's Arrow and Other Fluid Notions, spread 4 (pp. 8–9), 2000–2001, 28 x 44 x 2.5 cm (11 x 17 x 1 in.).

Hangar Flying is a play I wrote that was produced by Barton College in 2014. Writing the play was spread across several years and elements of visual brainstorming appear in several journals.

Gerard Lange art journals, Book 17: From Cork to Brooklyn, spread 16 (pp. 32–33), 2012–2013, 28 x 44 x 2.5 cm (11 x 17 x 1 ⅛ in.).