What sort of house will your heart live in?

I was reading through Ann Voskamp's blog the other day and this quote really struck me, especially as the theme at Art Journal Journey is houses and at Mix it Monthly is home.

This quote made me think about what sort of house I want my heart to live in. Will I allow my circling, negative thoughts to become a prison for it? Or will I listen to the truth and make a place of refuge?

Round robin/circle journal

A couple of weeks ago I put out a call for anyone wanting to join a circle journal/round robin. Well, I am pleased to say that there are now seven of us who are participating, from five different countries.

This is the journal I have made for the project. It is a concertina book with pockets at the base of each page. I have left the ribbons long as I anticipate that the book will gradually thicken up as each artist adds their own take on Thoughts of Home. Look out for further updates once the project gets under way at the end of the month.

Art Journal Journey - Home

Art Journal Journey's theme for this month is Home. (Click the button in the sidebar to see how everyone else has translated this theme)

For me, home is more about a feeling than an actual place.

It is the place of refuge from the world.
The place of comfort.
The place where my heart is.
The place of safety.
The place of warmth.
The place where my loved ones are.

Home is in my heart.

Fall Fearless and Fly #4

Fall Fearless and Fly Challenge #4:

Headline Prompt:  Security:  What makes you feel safe and secure?  What rattles your sense of security?  Where do you go for comfort and refuge?

Color Prompt:  Cool colors (blues, greens, violets, etc.) 

Quote Prompt: You can't make a place for yourself in the sun if you keep taking refuge under the family tree.  Helen Keller

I used the colour and headline prompts. I started with a page covered with Chinese writing which I then gessoed (with an inadvertantly blue brush - whoops! At least it fit with the colour scheme :)) and added circles which I find pleasing, comforting even, like the enveloping arms of someone you love.

Next I photoshopped a photo I took a few years ago of a tower, giving it a bluer caste. The tower represents the comfort I find in solitude. When I need to think something through, or just need some space, I come to my art room - not quite a studio yet, but I'm dreaming. It's where I run to.

I added a border to the photo and some tape.

Then the words 'security' and 'safe' and 'comfort' coloured in with Copic markers. 

Thinking about those words led me through the usual places. My home is a safe and secure place for me; a place where I can lock the world out and retreat. But like Carly at True Color I know that it is not the physical building that makes the home but the people - my husband and daughter. They are my home.
My security comes not from riches or possessions but from being loved - by my family, but ultimately by God. I added some verses from Habakkuk: Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. (Habakkuk 3:17-18) And from Psalm 46:1 about God being my refuge and strength, always present in times of trouble.
If we put our trust in riches or in other people and use them as our security, we will be let down at some time. With God as my security I know I stand on solid ground.

At this point I added more circles and some rays with water-soluble oil pastels and the word 'refuge' down the side of the page.

The finishing touches were the definition of security being the freedom from fear, anxiety, danger or threat, and the words 'God, home, family, solitude' - the things which bring security, safety, and comfort; the places I run to when I'm rattled. 

So there you have it - the journey thoughts about security led me on. Why not use the link at the top or the button in the side bar to check out what everyone else thought about this challenge.