Finishing, Beginning, Starting Over

                                  Happy New Year!

  Remember me?  Figured the beginning of a new year is as good a time as any to start up this blog again.  No excuses for not being here, you know them all.  And as far as resolutions, nope, not me.  That only sets me up for failure.  I'll try my best.  I am struggling with a new computer that I am not at all fond of and no idea of how to use this new template.  I hope to learn as I go along.  Please bear with me.

Like most mixed media artists I have many WIPs that need to be
finished.  And there are so many projects I want to begin.  And many online workshops to complete and several that start soon.  I should probably resolve to finish before I start again, but I have learned that when the creative muse shows up with yet another idea or technique, I have to jump on it.  I often vow to clean my studio before I start anything else, mostly because I need some space, but inevitably a supply calls my name to be used....Now!

 I journal almost daily, dabble in watercolors (my newest adventure) and love mixed media collage.  My very favorite is painting with acrylics on canvas, watercolor paper, wood, pretty much anything I can get my hands on.  I also participate in an art exchange with a small FB group which luckily has deadlines so those usually get finished.  I also completed a 30 day "faces" challenge on FB.  So although there are many unfinished works in my studio,  I have actually accomplished quite a bit, explored new techniques, have grown as an artist, and most of all have enjoyed every minute of artmaking even with all it's mistakes, frustrations and messiness!

This is my new project for the new year.  I read a blog post by artist Seth Apter in which he listed his favorite blog posts of 2016.  One of them was a post by artist Tracy Verdugo.  She was inspired by artist Judy Wise.  Gotta love artists inspiring artists!  The idea is to start a canvas and each day for a month add something to it.  Anything.  More paint, marks, more media, whatever you feel in the moment.  One of the online classes I took this past year was an intuitive painting workshop by Flora Bowley.  I hope to use some of what I learned from that class which was fantastic.  I hope to post my

progress and feelings here on my blog.  No promises but I'll try.  I wish I knew how to post links for the above artists.  I'll try to learn that the next time.  they are all great and I'm sure if you Google them you will enjoy their blogs.

Hope to see you soon.  Have a wonderful beginning to the New Year!

       

Maybe it's time.....

I'm thinking this might be a good time to revive my blog and start showing up here more.  I've got a new computer that I'm struggling to learn, I'm enrolled in several online classes, and I'm participating in a 30 day face challenge that started on April 1st so I have plenty of things to post.  So other than trying to find some time which there never seems to be enough of, I have no good excuses.  So let's try this again......

These are the first five days of #30faces30dayprompts#soulfulfaces  with Annie Hamman and Galea Alena.  there is a different prompt for each day.  I started a new Canson mixed media tablet for these.  I collaged the cover and the inside of the cover and will eventually make this a journal.  I may not complete all 30 days but I'm hoping I can develop a daily practice and improve my face art while participating in this challenge.  We'll see.

In the meantime I continue to art journal.

This is my latest spread which is quite different from what I normally do but was inspired by April Studio Diaries by Flora Bowley about contrast.  Just lots of mark making, doodling, and journaling about loosening up.  It was fun.

I'll try to post again soon with some more faces and journal pages.  Still struggling with the whole photos thing on this new PC but I'll keep trying. 

I'm back

no good excuses for being gone so long.....life happens....we go along

journaling,

creating,

just figured out how to use new computer so I hope to blog more of my artful journey....stay with me.

Intentions

The New Year has arrived....where did the old one go...went by much too fast for my taste...

I don't make New Year resolutions anymore.  Over my many years I've found they don't hold up very well...broken pretty fast... and most were pretty unrealistic.  Most were made based on trying to make myself and my life into what I or others thought it should be. That never really works and is usually way too much work....a recipe for failure.

But I do like the idea of an opportunity to put fresh paint on a new canvas....or even an old canvas that needs to be reworked or refreshed.  And so  I turn to intention.  The dictionary defines intention as "a determination to act in a certain way."   But I like to think of intention as an idea of what  and how I would like to feel and do....and if indeed that intention is met so be it.  If not....well at least I was able to feel it.

And the way I find it best to express my feelings and desires is to art journal...with no expectations other than to get it out of my head and on a page.

The face emerged from what was supposed to be a loose black and white exercise I saw on Jane Davies blog.  I admire her work and sometimes feel my work is a little too precise.   I long to make abstract paintings and felt this would help.  But apparently I wasn't quite ready for that so rather than resolve that I would make art like Janes I decided to go with what I needed to do with that technique...that face just had to come out....a mixture of light and dark.... which at this moment in time suits me perfectly.

I'm learning...

my pile of journals, I always work in more than one at any given time.

I'm learning that journaling is what gets me through the hard, messy, scary times in life.

unfortunately during those times it seems as if there is little time to do much of anything let alone journal...

but I'm learning....

these are the times I need to most...

and to be grateful that they wait for me

to pour out my feelings, heart, soul

to refresh and renew my spirit and mind.



What is more important than that?

I'm learning....

TRUST

FAITH

I'm learning to turn to nature...always let it inspire....

I'm learning .... take time to do what you need to do most.

and then come back again tomorrow.

I'm learning........

this will be waiting.......

 

Nature's Peace

A nasty virus has kept me out of commission for about 2 weeks now.  But I am done....done with being sick and having no energy.  Need to get on with life already...and back to the studio which I have missed.  Not even going to try to catch up....just going to start right where I am.

Happy Fall......Revisiting Trust

October 1st.....Goodbye September.....

 

sometimes time goes by way too fast and we need to stop....take a breath...notice the changes....

This is my collage today for 100 days of Collage.

And this is my journal page for today.....Revisiting Trust.  Why.... because the messages were all around me.   

Sometimes I need to be knocked over the head to hear  and heed the signs the Universe is sending me....and always when I need them most. An inspirational message in my email,  a blog post by an artist I admire,  a post I read on Facebook.  I head to the studio knowing I want to journal, knowing I want to use the colors of fall, and wonder what I will journal about.

My favorite Somerset magazine on my work table...

I randomly select a piece of print paper for collage background and when I turn it over to glue....it says trust......

   I pull out an old journal that I made a few years back....my first handmade journal from an online class I took from L.K. Ludwig.

    When I open it a dried leaf falls out..... so then I know I have to trust...trust the process....trust my desire to create....trust what I know.....trust what I desire....

   It's not always easy....but sometimes you just have to give it up to a higher power......

   and go where trust leads you.

                                                   HAPPY FALL