Out of time

Another on the 'less is more' theme for Art Journal Journey (see the sidebar for a link). This was such a simple page and came together in about ten minutes. Spray paint through an alphabet stencil, print off the excess paint, stick down a silhouette, and journal on it. Done!

Do you ever feel as if you've been born in the wrong time? I sometimes look at the things I do - dressmaking, knitting, crochet, tatting, baking, the occasional patchwork - I sometimes think I should have been a 50s housewife :)

What about you? When would you like to have been born?

Journal Fodder 365 - Prompt #17

A new chapter in Journal Fodder 365 and the prompt is being present and being absent.

If I am absent from something spiritually or emotionally, even if I am there physically, then I am not bringing my best self to the situation. We are all a unique mix of gifts, talents, skills, temperament. We are all necessary. If I am absent in some way I cannot contribute.

If I am fully present, bringing all I have to the party, then I can bring my unique viewpoint. I can give and receive, bless and be blessed, love and be loved, grow and cause growth.

When I am absent, I am isolating myself from community.

When I am fully present, I can play a part.

Stencils galore!

I've been having fun making stencils over the last couple of days. There is a pile of card in the drawer, all of it printed on one side and therefore not immediately useful for a lot of things. Then I had the idea - cut some stencils! I've seen some beautiful backgrounds made with stencils, but my budget doesn't run that far. So I cut my own.

Here are some of the things I've done with them so far, in the journal where I clean off my brayer and gelli-plate.

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.

Journal Fodder 365 - Prompt #16

The last prompt in this section about seeking solitude and finding sanctuary is making personal space. 

How do you make time for yourself and your thoughts?

As will have become apparent, I am very protective of my personal space. I have to make time for myself every day. How do I do that? By being deliberate. I say no to all the things that are not going to help me towards my goals. I say yes to the things that will help me to grow. And every morning I closet myself in my room for at least half an hour to read the Bible, pray, and journal what I learn.

I know that I need time to process things. I don't think well on my feet - I'm the one who thinks of the witty retort 24 hours after the event. Taking time to reflect each morning helps me to keep things in perspective.

Bits and pieces

I find I have several pieces that I've finished this week that haven't found a place on to the blog in any other place. I'm just bringing them all together in a 'bits and pieces' post. I think this fits with the Art Journal Journey topic for this month - less is more - and also for the Soartful Challenge which is a single flower with a minimalist design. 

Here I was just having fun with some colour, trying out a technique that didn't work for me, but hey, I had fun anyway. My daughter read what I'd stamped and decided that she should do just that, so the purple splodge at the top right is hers :)

This page is a large transfer of a photo I took at Wakehurst Gardens in Sussex, UK. I used Transfer Artist Paper for it. Not that happy with the writing, but never mind. It was a ten minute page and there's only so much you can do in ten minutes.

And this one... well, I've just bought a book on self-portraits. As someone who hates having their photo taken, doing a self-portrait is not something I would think of doing. I couldn't bring myself to do any more than my eyes this time. And even then I posterized the photo in Photoshop. Still slightly unsettled by it and haven't come up with any words for the page yet. I really like the background, though.

So that's my round-up. What have you been up to? 

Life and all its parts

 

Do you ever find a theme emerging in your journal pages? I finished the above page a couple of days ago and the one below today.

Obviously my mind is working on the disparate parts of my life and how they fit together. I can't see all the connections at the moment, but one thing I am sure of: they will all fit together in the end to make a whole and beautiful cloth, a life worth living.

So at the moment I'm just hanging in there....

Less is more

Art Journal Journey's theme for this month is Less is More.

So in the spirit of that, here is a very simple page and a short post.

Sometimes less is more.

A simple, heart-felt gesture can say so much more

than a thousand well-intended but clumsy words.

Gelli patchwork

A new month, a new gelli-print party! Hop on over to Carolyn Dube's blog (button in the sidebar) and see what people are doing this month with their gelli-plates.

I turned my attention to patchwork this month. As the warmer weather breezes in we will soon be discarding our heavy winter duvets and snuggling up under something a little lighter. My daughter needed a new patchwork cover. 

I've been experimenting with masks on the gelli-plate. Our daughter has been doing kirigami (the Japanese art of paper folding and cutting) for the last couple of years, having had calendars that provide 6 new designs a week. This means we have a pile of butterflies, hearts, and flowers just waiting to be used. Some of them have made it on to journal pages, but here was a perfect opportunity to use lots of them and have some fun.

So I gathered 48 different butterfly designs, all the different shades of purple and green acrylic paint in my paintbox, and dusted off the gelli-plate. Then the fun began. Soon the floor was covered with squares of white cotton and my fingers were decidedly mucky. 

A few strips of fabric to form bands in between and a border and I was all set. A couple of days of sewing and voila! A new bed cover and a great feeling of satisfaction. 

Journal Fodder 365 - Prompt #15

This prompt is my sanctuary. Where do you go when the world becomes too much or when you need to be by yourself? Where is the place of solace and comfort for you?

As an introvert there are many situations where the world can become too much for me. Each and every day I need to schedule some quiet sanctuary time. My art room becomes my 'bubble' where I am insulated from the world. I can recharge; get things in perspective; process.

In my sanctuary I cut and stick and paint and write.
I pray and read the Bible and listen and contemplate.
My heart is searched and soothed and softened.
I am strengthened to face the world again.

Until the next time.