Examine

 

It's all about the heart. Examine it every day.

I have a confession to make - I find having visitors difficult, especially when they are here for a month at a time. And because I find it difficult, it highlights all those mean places in my heart. I could just ignore them and tell myself that they are justified. 

But they're not.

I am called to love people. That means having a patient, loving, gracious, forgiving heart. It means reminding myself that just because I like things done in a particular way doesn't make it the right way. It means letting go of what I want and serving others.

Some days it's hard, but being aware of those mean places allows me to confess and repent and start anew, hopefully with a softer heart and one step forward on my journey.

Stripes

 

I go through periods of time where I don't necessarily have any words for my pages. During those times I don't stop journalling, I just play with colour and pattern and don't force it. This time I grabbed a piece of foam that my husband gave me that had been used to hold a bunch of fishing line. It has a row of notches cut in each end and makes great stripes. Of course, once I'd started it was difficult to hold back, so this page has lots of different coloured stripes on it as I dragged the foam through any new bit of paint I added :) That new purple turned up as well.

Don't stop playing, even if there are no words and your pages aren't speaking to you. There is always something new to learn and enjoy. 

Purple!

Playing with a new colour.

I picked up a new tube of paint on Friday - Atelier interactive acrylic in purple (series 1). So of course I'm giving it a work out now. I love how deep it is when used straight up, a darker shade than it looks from the colour indication on the tube, and I'm happy about that. I need to experiment with it when added to white and also to blue to see what lovely shades and tones I can make. Look out for it on my upcoming pages :)

What new colour are you learning about at the moment? What would you like to try next?

Hanging on in there

 

Hanging on in there. 

I'm sure I've used those words on a page before. And that's okay. We feel things more than once. We have strings of days that seem very ordinary with not a lot to say. That's life. 

So I'm hanging on in there and waiting to see what the next step is. 

Patience - it's something we always need to work on :)

Tunnel

 

The tunnel isn't unending - it just has a curve.

Some situations seem to go on and on. It can feel as if we've been trudging along in the dark for ages and there is no end in sight. We look forward and all we can see is more darkness. It would be so easy to give up.

It's much easier to carry on when you can see a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. You can hold it in your sight and keep moving towards it. Eventually it gets bigger. 

But if the tunnel has a curve, that light can't be seen straight away. It isn't until you get near to the end that you see the light. The question is: will you continue, even if you can't yet see the light? Will you trust and hope that it is just around the bend?

Grateful

 

I'm enjoying working in my black journal again. It's amazing how different a page can feel starting with a dark background. Of course, some of my paints don't work on it as they are transparent, so there are things to take into consideration. It generally means I add white to things to make them stand out. That led to more pink on this page than I would usually use, but that's okay.

I am grateful that I have a family who understand my need to create in many different ways. They allow me my own space and plenty of time to potter about in the studio. I am a nicer person for it :)

I am grateful that I have access to materials that allow me to play and experiment and not worry too much about 'using things up'. 

I am grateful that I can use my creative gifts to support my husband in his work, and that he appreciates what I can contribute.

I am grateful that our Easter services went well. It was a lot of work, and Monday was a really lazy day for us, but the feedback has been good. 

Ink!

 

So my husband bought me a new book (I know, I got one of the great ones 😊) and I immediately set to work. This is my copper oxide ink - simple to make with copper, vinegar, and salt. Can't wait to start on the vine black once they prune the vines at the church hall...

Make new

 

Making the familiar new.

It is always difficult during the big church festivals to make what is well-known fresh. Today is Good Friday. Everyone knows the story, so how do you make it impactful? The same can be said for anything that is familiar - how do we not become blind to it?

This is what we gave people for our 'Good Friday in an envelope' service today. We engaged different senses, had readings and music, and hopefully made things fresh for people. 

Covering

 

Sometimes you have to cover most of it up and start again.

That's what happened with this page. The trick is to know when to abandon the investment and when to plough on through. How much do you cover and what is salvageable? If you keep that little bit you really love, can you work around it, or will it stall the whole page?

It's only paint and paper! Give it a go and see what happens.

Of course, there are situations where you're working with more than paint and paper. There are times when we need to abandon our previous way of thinking and 'repaint' because we have learned something new, had our blinkers removed, received enlightenment where before there was darkness. Being able to change our minds is a gift. Let's not be too stubborn to use it.

Rhythms

 

Rhythms. 

We all live with them. 

Daily, weekly, seasonal, annual. 

When our rhythms are interrupted it takes a while to get back into step. A bit like being out of our comfort zone, I suppose. 

What upsets your rhythms and how do you get back again?