Guest Slammer **Diana Trout**

I am really excited to share the wonderful work of Diana Trout with the Art Slam community. Seriously, this woman does it all. She has a book on one of my favorite subjects coming out soon and she teaches art classes to kids and creates the most interesting sticks. After reading her interview, I hope you are as inspired by her creative soul as I am.

Diana, I love the idea of the art classes for kids and the teen journaling. When did you start these and why?
When my kids were young, I received requests to teach children’s art classes. Since I have two room studio, I started my business right there. It was such fun to work with kids that I just kept going.

The Teen Journaling was an outgrowth of summer children’s programs at my local library. I really enjoy working with teens, although it does get a bit dizzy-making during those weeks when I go from teaching 6-10 year olds to teens to adults.

I see you have a new book coming out later this year called Journal Spilling. What is your book about?
I’m very excited about this book. Northlight was a dream to work with and I feel that the editor, photographer and the designers really caught my easy-going and encouraging style of teaching. In a nutshell, Journal Spilling embraces the idea of art journaling in a very open way; the concept of spilling words, colors, line and images as they occur, rather than going in with a plan. Techniques included working with watercolor, resists, gesso, creating eraser carvings, sewing, more and more. I tried to make art journaling more accessible for busy adults – both in terms of time and techniques. The book will released October 9, 2009.

Where do you get your inspiration for making art?
Oh boy! Inspiration comes from anywhere and everywhere. Pods, leaves, birdies, flowers, tree branches, japanese fabrics and papers.

Most recently, I’m working with imagery inspired by traditional Japanese Kokeshi dolls (they look kinda like those little Fisher Price people).

You can find Diana’s paintings in her Etsy shop.
Whose work inspires you?
My friends and my students!
Mid-century design, Klimt, Matisse, Emily Carr. Ask me next week and it may be different, though.
The wabi-sabi nature of the natural world is a constant inspiration.

What is your favorite piece of work you have created recently?
Without a doubt: My stick.

It was done during an extremely busy, stressy time; both in my business and in my personal life. It felt almost rebellious to take time to decorate a stick and I was really glad that I told the critic to take a hike. There was a lot of meaning wound up (yes pun) in the process because I was thinking about my kids. One graduated from high school this spring and the other graduated from college. Decorating my stick allowed me an area of peaceful reflection. It made me think of those childhood hours spent letting time flow along and going from one thought and action to the next. A walk around the block could take an hour and might actually be a trek through the Alaskan wilderness. This is a lesson I learned from being a mom that has served me well as an artist and a human being.