SALA exhibition

A few weeks ago I posted about having an exhibition for the South Australian Living Artists Festival which happens here in Adelaide every August. There has been some interest in 'seeing' the exhibition on the blog for those who don't live near enough to visit - i.e. most of you :) So here is what ended up going in to the City Library for the month of August, and the blurb that went with it. 

Consider the Flowers is my journey in art journalling. These pages aren't necessarily the ones I like best, but I hope they show a progression in skill and style. My passion is to encourage people to embrace creativity. An art journal is a safe and worry-free place to do that: it is purely for your own use and there is no pressure to produce a masterpiece on every page. 

January 2012

Near the beginning of my art journal journey you can see that I wasn't working with many layers. My drawing skills were very basic and I wasn't happy using my own handwriting. 

November 2013

Nearly two years on, my backgrounds are becoming more complex. I've discovered stencils and stamps. I'm still working on the writing but stencils and stamps are helping with that. 

October 2014

Around this time I discovered the Gelli-plate ® (a plate for mono-printing) which meant I could make my own decorative papers for use as collage elements. Collage meant that I could add more layers to my pages, making them more interesting to look at, giving the eye more to take in.

April 2015

I was starting to be more adventurous with my drawing. Before this time I used magazine images or photographs if I wanted something more than pattern on my page, Here I've drawn a face. The eyes are done with a rubber stamp that I carved myself, so I wasn't feeling that confident, but it was a step in the right direction. 

September 2016

This page has so many more layers and I'm happier with my own handwriting. 

December 2016

This is one of my favourite face drawings. Suddenly, with continual practice, the eyes have more life to them, the face looks more 3D. By this time, 5 years on from the first page displayed here, I'm beginning to find my own style and embrace it. 

2017

These pages are from this year showing what sort of things I put in my art journal. One shows some contemplation and the other just depicts what it was like in my head at the time. For me, art journalling is about process rather than the finished product, and that's why it's fun. 

I also displayed these canvases to show how I am now moving out of my art journal and on to canvas as I gain more confidence.

Because my journals were displayed in cabinets, the original canvas that I wanted to display - the one called Consider the Flowers - was too large, so I made the one above to fit in the space, although I prefer the original which is shown below.

Some of my art journal images are available through my Redbubble shop (find me under sojournertracy). If there are any particular images you like, I can upload them.