Post Christmas Inspiration

Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, 
and the life of the candle will not be shortened. 
Happiness never decreases by being shared. - Buddha

The house is quiet today, but my mind is racing with ideas for the new year.  While making plans for the future with my art and fledgling business, I'm going to make a more conscious effort to stay grounded in the present.  It is so easy to retreat into inactivity, which doesn't permit me to make those steps forward that I know I can accomplish.

• Thought of being more economical with food - not letting leftovers languish in the refrigerator  -  led to potato pancakes:  

• Gifts of new wax has my creative juices flowing:  R&F encaustic paints - Iridescent German Silver, Ultramarine Blue, Cobalt Violet Deep, Celadon Green, Jaune Brillant, Alizarin Crimson, Cobalt Yellow, and Viridian.

Watercolor pencil & paint spattered paper towels

Hamsa of zentangle-inspired doodles

• Make art everyday: 

I have several art journals in progress right now.




These two pictures are from the "Make Your Mark" traveling journal, sponsored by Dick Blick and the LaGrange Art League. I have 9 months to work in and share the journal. At the end it will go on display with other artist's journals and travel among Art Leagues in the Chicagoland area.

Art Journaling

This is the first page from an art journal I began this past winter. I have to give a nod to Kelly Kilmer for getting me motivated to start (once again!). She has a daily art journal/collage/painting/prompt offered on her website A Prompt a Day.

I was more interested in getting some color and collage into a book and let the journaling come later. So I fashioned my own signatures and sewed them into a cover of a discarded hardback book. This first page is layered with lots o f drybrush acrylic paint, collage from my stash, including the removable holy card which is from my grandfather's funeral nearly 40 years ago. I like leaving plenty of space to actually write in journals, (rather than filling them up with collage). This page also includes rub on letters, colored pencil, paper scraps, German scrap wings, silver metallic and black pens.

Besides this page, I spent some time today scanning pages that I've painted so that I have "before" and "after" pics of my pages. Here's another spread before journaling. Layers of dry brushed acrylics, collaged tags, papers, and stickers. I think these fit in nicely with the concept of layering, especially the paint, that we are exploring in Techniques Sunday with the mmartfriends yahoo group.