Oh blog ... how I have neglected you

Oh my goodness, it has been so long.  I have been so busy creating that I have not been posting anything of what I have done over the past few weeks.  I must start putting that right, so here goes with a post to at least update my Art Journal.

There are four pages missing - that's over four weeks of not writing.  Tut tut!!!

After preparing the base I added texture paste through a piece of mesh and then melted wax crayons randomly on the page - interesting technique, but - note to self ... don't try and dry any additional layers - the heat make the crayons melt again LOL!!! 

This page came from a period of questioning myself, what I was doing,where I was going.  The text added reflects that - "In life we do things, some we wish we had never done, some we wish we could replay a million times in our heads, but they all make us who we are; and in the end they shape every detail about us.  If we were to reverse any of them we wouldn't be the person we are, so just live, make mistakes, have wonderful memories, but never ever second guess who you are, where you have been, and most importantly, where it is you're going.  Believe in yourself and your feelings.  Trust yourself to do what your heart is guiding you to do.  Your intuition is powerful.  Trust it.

Playing with new products - am loving my new Silks.  You can't see it here but there is sheet music underneath the dots.  I loved the quote that "It's not what you see, but how you see it" as what you see in this photo is only the surface - there is so much more hiding beneath.

I got a new book the other day about different surface treatments for creating art.  It is providing inspiration and ideas which I intend to trial in my journal before taking the ones I like onto canvas. 

I started this page by using textured wallpaper and then adding a resist using vaseline (petroleum jelly).  Once you paint over the page you can wipe the vaseline off with a baby wipe and it exposes the underneath colour/s.  The technique can be repeated as often as you like to add more and more layers and depth to your background.  Once I had finished adding the layers I wanted, I lightly sanded the surface to expose the paper underneath.

The quote for this should actually read "where words fail; art speaks" but I wanted the emphasis on the word "art".   The script on the right is about art and has been applied using gel medium through a The Crafters Workshop template.  I used a Donna Downey template underneath and sponged pan pastels through it. 

That's it for this post - more to come on other projects ...watch this space.

Art from the heart

Another week has gone by and I have been playing with Twinkling H2O's - wet on wet.  The background was created with pages from an old book.  I discovered that the paper is fairly absorbent and by spritzing first, brushing and blobbing on the Twinkling H2O's and then spritzing again before leaving to dry, I got a lovely mix of blended colour and then hard lines where it had dried.  I've used some texture paste through a stencil, added random drops of Adirondack 'Denim' alcohol ink, some doodles, distress inks direct from the pad and a little bit of iridescent medium all the while spritzing with more water until I got it looking sort of close to where I wanted it to be.  A wash of gesso toned the colours down and blended them further.

The quote is my own - "It's not about creating a great work of art; it's the process of drawing art from the heart".  What it basically means is that the process is more important than the product.  Since following this principle I have enjoyed creating more and actually found some satisfaction not only through the process but with the end product.   That was a bonus.  I have come to the conclusion that to approach art or creating in this manner takes the pressure off having to make art - where it has to look like something.  Goodness only knows how many times I was told I couldn't draw at school (I know, you can relate!).  Actually I can draw and I can paint but I just look at and see things differently to what the teachers expectations were and the curriculum stipulated.  So go on, have a play, and see where it takes you.  You might just be amazed.

Happy in my play

Oh to have a day when I can puddle ... and today is that day.  No appointments, nothing that I have to do, just a day to be ... so I did.

There is absolutely no rhyme or reason for what is on this page, I just wanted to play.  I have used gold paint around the edges and to create the honeycomb effect using a TCW stencil - chicken wire reversed (The Crafters Workshop).  There is a little bit of Twinkling H2O pewter in the corners and a wash of gesso over the entire page.  The words "joy" and "play" are chipboard alphas which have been painted and then done over with nail polish (gold and then black crackle).  The 'leaves' were cut from an old story book, inked around the edges and then the paint dripped down, spritzing it with water to make it splay out everywhere.

Jemima Puddleduck, that's me.

Creativity takes courage

When I was studying Art Therapy one of the phrases that struck a chord with me was "Trust the Process".  It was the title of a book by Shaun McNiff, a well known and well respected art therapist.  It takes courage to put yourself out there - art reveals your innermost thoughts and feelings and you really have to trust what is being put on the page.  As I started art journaling the significance of trusting the process became even more evident.  

When I open my journal to a new page I have no idea of where I am going to start nor what shape my art will take.  Apart from some seepage from previous pages, I really have a blank canvas.  I start with gesso - it's almost like that is getting me "in the mood" so to speak.  Then I see what jumps out at me from the supplies on my desk.  Sometimes it is paint, sometimes ink, sometimes texture - and then I just start playing.  At some point I feel like I am finished and I add the sentiment, give it a final coat of mod podge and I am done.  The sentiment sometimes comes to me as I work or once I have finished - however it happens, it is usually relevant to where I am at and what I have created - I have found that they usually go hand in hand.

When I look at what I have created I can see that there has been a process.  There are layers upon layers, sometimes ugly layers, sometimes beautiful layers, but all those layers make up the whole.  A bit like life really, isn't it.  Food for thought?

Scrapfest by the Sea Recipe Challenge

Another Scrapfest challenge.  This one is a recipe challenge - it can be a layout, a card, off the page or whatever but it must contain all of the following items -

1 piece of cardstock (any size) white 

At least 4 pieces of patterned paper (any size) text, music, floral & chevron   

 

At least 5 flowers check - double layer daisies

 

A piece of thread/string/ribbon seam binding ribbon dyed with distress inks 

Some texture paste gel medium with bubble wrap impression 

Some paint/spray paint, spray and ink 

A tag (any size) hiding under the ribbon (with a piece of the chevron paper attached) 

Something sparkly flower centres and each petal has kindy glitz (doesn't show up too well in the photo) 

And 4 photos filmstrip with photos - special effects added to change the colour

This is my interpretation -

 

Thanks for looking.

 

Afraid of failure???

As always, my art journal seems to always end up reflecting what is hiding/lurking in my sub-conscious and this one is no exception.

When I was diagnosed with Lymphoma, someone suggested I write a bucket list - things I wanted to do, things I wanted to achieve.  This was not so much of the "having to get them done before I die" mentality but really having something to look forward to and focus on living.  Some of them terrified me, like skydiving, something that fascinates me but scares me at the same time (I've always joked that this one was just pencilled in).  At the time I figured that if I was going to die then I must as well give it a go as I had nothing to lose - right?!?!   

Anyway, I have always wanted to be a model but, of course, did not have the right physique or looks for that, and definitely did not have the courage.  A couple of weeks ago I plucked up courage to answer an ad looking for 'normal' people - so I applied (what was I thinking).  I got an interview and last week got a call back for a photo shoot.  As it gets closer I have had second thoughts - is the company legit? can I afford to do this? will I be able to find the time?  All these things have been running through my mind.  As I was playing around with different techniques and paints in my journal, this quote was playing around in my head - "don't be afraid to fail; be afraid not to try".  So that is what I am going to do, I am going to try.  I have no idea where this is going to take me but I will never know if I don't try.  My photo shoot is this Friday and we will see what happens from there.

The background is a textured handmade paper from Paperzone and the stencil is from The Crafters Workshop collection - it's called Butterfly Meadow.  The pink flowers are my own creation.

Metamorphosis

Well, this page certainly went through a transformation.  This is nothing like it started out as - the base coat was blocks of colour that had been taped off.  When I took off the tape I was left with bright white strips which I tried to diffuse by spritzing with glimmermist - that just left a horrible muddy puddle.  From there it was all downhill with each 'layer' getting muddier and muddier.  I put some torn paper on and cover the entire thing with a light layer of gesso and started again.  This is what evolved and the quote is just so appropriate.  This page could have ended quite badly but by persevering with it I like what it has become.  Just like the caterpillar, each layer in it's own right was lovely - my problem was that it just didn't all come together cohesively - until it turned into the butterfly.

That's a bit like life lately - there seems to be a lot of things happening which, in their own right, are challenging, interesting, sometimes confusing, but they are still separate entities - having to wait patiently for it all to come together before I can see the big picture.

Hmmm, wonder what will come out next week ...