Finding Power, Love & Serenity

"Travel brings power and love back into your life." – Rumi

TRAVEL: To go from one place to another, as on a trip; journey.

From the time I was a child the word “travel” was the genesis of my wanderlust. I couldn’t walk past a travel agency without stopping to look into their store window. Gazing at posters showing incredible scenes of cities that seemed so far away only fed my desire to travel.  I wanted to learn about the lives of the people depicted in those posters. I wanted to see for myself the towns and cities that looked so enticing even when viewed through a plate-glass window. I wanted to put pins in a map of all the places visited.  I knew I was destined to live a nomadic life.

And I have been lucky. I have visited almost all of the places that sparked my interest. And I found when traveling my journey enriched not only my physical but my spiritual life as well.  And this is why I am in love with the beautifully crafted Artistcellar Labyrinth series. Let me tell you about the journey I wandered in creating this collage.

Starting with my Strathmore Journal, I covered a page with Dye-Na-Flow Midnight Blue fabric paint using a 1” foam poly brush. While still wet, I splashed on Dye-Na-Flow Magenta followed by dripping rubbing alcohol into the wet dye. As the page dried a soft floral pattern emerged.

Although I liked the effect, I wanted to see how the dye would react on Mineral Paper. But this time I drizzled on a bit of rubber cement before coating the paper.  The beauty of Mineral Paper didn’t disappoint! I liked the way the resist seemed to flow with the dye one enhancing the other. Although the technique was the same, I now had two distinct looks. Where my journal paper produced a soft velvet effect, the mineral paper was watery, wild and wonderful. Looking at the backgrounds, I couldn’t decide. Which one should I use in the final work?  As the saying goes “You can never have too much of a good thing”, so opted to use both.

In my last collage I featured the Chartres stencil. This time I knew Crete was the one to use and stenciled directly on to the page in my Journal beginning with Viva Decor Inka Gold. I liked the effect I got the last time I used this product and polished it when dry with a soft cloth. It then became a wonderful base for shades of Silver, Gold, and Rose Red acrylics. The final element added was a vintage map.

Just working with the Labyrinths allowed me to recall the memories of my journeys. I believe travel empowers you to wander with purpose and explore the passions that drive you. Travel is more than the physical movement from one place to another. Travel resurrects the desire to explore within and find love and serenity in just being present.

MATERIALS USED

PLAID FOLKART METALLIC ACRYLICS: Rose

REEVES ACRYLICS: Silver, Gold, Rose Red

DYE-NA-FLO: Turquoise, Midnight Blue, Magenta, Sun Yellow

VIVA INKA GOLD GLOSS PAINT

NATURAL SPONGE

SOFT CLOTH

1” FOAM POLY BRUSH

RUBBING ALCOHOL

RUBBER CEMENT

MINERAL PAPER

STRATHMORE Mixed-Media Visual Journal 300 Series- 5.5" x 8.5"

LABYRINTH SERIES STENCILS FROM ARTISTCELLAR

DIGITAL IMAGES – Purchased & Created

Leaving One Place To Venture To Another...

DIE GOLDENE MEDINA - FROM ITALY

“ALL JOURNEYS BEGIN BY LEAVING ONE PLACE TO VENTURE TO ANOTHER– Ellis Island

 And so began the journey for so many of our ancestors. For me, it’s always all about the story. I am fascinated by the motives behind a person making the decision to depart the land of their birth. What made them head off to begin life afresh in a distant country? Did they ultimately fulfill their dreams? Was the move as successful as they hoped? Given the chance, would they complete the journey again?

Ellis Island was, and is, part of the fabric of our family. So many of the stories passed on to me by my Grandmother certainly were the catalyst of my interest in all things relating to immigration, especially at the turn of the Century.

America. Die Goldene Medina. The Golden Land. A land of opportunity for everyone. A place like no other where every dream, every wish, could and would come true. Looking at the photo of an Italian woman taken as she waited at Ellis Island, I wondered about her story.

I have been using my Strathmore Mixed Media Journal quite a bit lately. With 140lb vellum finish paper that is acid free, it is quite a help in building a portfolio of backgrounds that I can use for future projects.

For this piece, I started with the Artistcellar Seafoam stencil and my water colours. I wanted the overall appearance to be bright and “golden” so I limited the pallet to tints of yellow, magenta and orange. I allowed the pattern of the stencil to dictate where the colours would fall, as well as where to use the flat or pearlescent paints. When dried, I stenciled using one of my all-time favourite Artistcellar products, the Halftone Dots stencil. This time I reached for my metallic acrylics and layered complimentary colours.  Again when dried, I finished the background with my Punchinella and metallic acrylic.

I assembled my images…the photo of the lady from Italy, a postcard of Ellis Island, a map and airship from the Lunagirl Moonbeams collection of collage sheets.  The last element was a clever bit of repurposing: an artist friend sent me a dryer sheet she used to mop up paint. I loved the rough edges of the sheet and the lovely texture. I am a believer in Synchronicity and her generous contribution was flawless! Just the colour I needed to tie everything together. The timing was perfect!

Looking at my finished work, I wondered, did the Italian woman find her “Golden Land”? What became of her life? I hope she did find all she wished for.

I feel fortunate, as I am sure many of you do, to be an Artist. Our work and imagination can take us wherever we wish to travel.  Art allows us the opportunity of self-expression and experimentation. Our Art allows us to venture to our golden land where dreams can come true.

MATERIALS USED:
ARTISTCELLAR SEAFOAM STENCIL
ARTISTCELLAR HALFTONE DOTS SERIES STENCILS

STRATHMORE MIXED MEDIA JOURNAL

ROYAL LANGNICKEL WATERCOLOURS – FLAT & PEARLESCENT

REEVES METALLIC ACRYLIC: GOLD, BRONZE

PLAID FOLK ART METALLIC ACRYLICS: ROYAL GOLD, ANTIQUE GOLD, INCA GOLD, CHAMPAGNE, ROSE SHIMMER,  AQUAMARINE, AMETHYST

NATURAL SPONGE

FLAT PAINTBRUSH

REPURPOSED DRYER SHEET

DIGITAL IMAGES

Dream With Wild Abandon!

Outgrow Your Shoes - Digital Collage

If you allowed yourself...just once...to dream with wild abandon...where would your dreams take you? Would you be on a wistful journey, meandering through experiences at your own cadence? Or would you rather give up all control and fly unrestrained towards a destination that only Fate can dictate?

The focus of the latest Lunagirl Moonbeam Design Team Challenge is "Shoes".  This challenge is shared with Vicki Romaine's Blog, The Cheerful Stamp Pad.

Thinking about shoes brought me to one of my favourite sayings by Japanese writer and poet, Ryunosuke Satoro: "Let Your Dreams Outgrow the Shoes of Your Expectations". Lunagirl's images are inspiring as always. I chose a shoe and eagerly began my work.

Travel is my sanctuary and the act of my putting on my shoes was always the prelude to a great adventure. I never knew what to expect, but I wandered, ever hopeful that I would experience something different and wonderful.

By allowing my dreams to outgrow my shoes my life, and art, grew in directions I never thought possible. I wouldn't trade those experiences, the great and the not so wonderful, for anything!

So, fellow Artists and Dreamers...the call to outgrow your shoes is beckoning you. Will you take the dare?

Travel Authentically!

Travel Easy - ATC

Sometimes travelling can seem overwhelming. Preparing for a trip produces a laundry list of things to do...and often it seems never enough time to do them. But exciting it is. I love everything about the preparations, knowing events many not run to plan, but that's where the "adventure" begins.

Keeping this feeling in mind, I looked through my box of ephemera, letting my Muse guide me. And there they were...my collection of road maps. I love to look at maps. The road systems intrigue me. The names of the cities always sound so exotic. The cool blue of the rivers, lakes, and oceans make a peaceable rest stop from the lines and names surrounding them. Attached to the maps I found a piece of phone book paper. It was just what I wanted. And so my journey began...

The substrate for the Artist Trading Card is illustration board.  As many of my favourite excursions were circuitous in nature, I cut some of my favourite maps into strips and wove them together. And places are nothing without faces, so I added the translucent phone book pages.

Our travels, whether physical road trips or spiritual trips within, are a journey of transformation. Each experience brings knowledge and wisdom. To quote Robert Frost, "I look the one less travelled by, And that has made all the difference." May you find the less travelled road to your authentic self.

Will You Dare To Be Adventurous?

Life is an Adventure - ATC

As we are now a few days into 2014 I can't help but think of what the year will bring. For me, the new year is like a clean work table. I can keep what I liked from last year to build on, but I can do away with the things that were less than successful. There is an optimistic, glorious, hopefulness in my heart for life to move on, dreams to be fulfilled, and adventure to be my by-word.

With this in mind, I created the Artist Trading Card for an ATC swap. From the Grand Circle Corporation book of quotes, I chose to illustrate seven of the twenty lines from a passage attributed to Mother Teresa.

The substrate is illustration board. I covered the board will a map, Italian hotel receipts, crystalline paper made from sewing pattern paper with coloured mum petals folded in, handmade art paper, the quote, and photo of the two lovely ladies looking for adventure. I finished the ATC with a stencil of metallic acrylic paint.

The women in the photo intrigue me. They are obviously ready to go on an adventure, handbags at the ready. But where were they going? Were they following their Muse to parts unknown...or was it a simple trip to the shops?

In 2014 will you dare adventure to take you wherever your Muse guides you? Will you travel many miles and across many cultures...or explore areas close to you with awe and wonder? Or will the adventure be looking within?

Adventure is waiting. Will you dare it?

Earth Day...Forever Free

Forever Free

As it is Earth Day I thought I would post a collage with a nature theme. As the saying goes..."Earth without Art is Just "Eh". The Arts are what stirs our souls, makes us who we are, encourages us to follow our own Muse.

I started the piece with sewing pattern paper. I love the translucence and texture. It has a feeling of something not yet finished...the anticipation of what will be created.

The Substrate is canvas. Using the Tao format I felt would lend itself nicely to a visual breaking free.  The collage incorporates vintage ephemera, flower petals, handmade paper, sewing pattern paper, found objects, art paper, inks, dyes, and gauze.

And what better way to celebrate Earth Day? Collage is the ultimate in recycling And I think the Muse would approve...especially on Earth Day!

What Would Julia Do?

Travelling through France by car, I will never forget the incredible, intoxicating scent surrounding me as I neared the South. I had heard and read about garrigue...the heady signature aroma of Provence, but to experience it was more than I ever imagined it could be.

When thinking about "food" as inspiration for art, my first thought was to the warm and delectable food and drink from my travels. And I can't help but connect these flavours to years of watching Julia Child effortlessly whip up her creations on her television programme.

In the collage, I used vintage papers and images. The map was one I collected when travelling in the South of France. The recipe was from an old copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

The  substrate is canvas. It’s been a long time since I have worked on canvas. I forgot how pleasant an experience it can be!

The sights, the smells of Provence...what would Julia do?

ATC: “Wherever You Go…”

Wherever You Go

The Artist Trading Card is a great way to work. To quote an art retailer: “The biggest movement in art is very small.”

With Spring in the air at last, my Muse is tempting me with dreams leading me out of doors. With this in mind, my Artist Trading Card (ATC) has wanderlust as the main theme.

I used illustration board as the substrate and built up the layers using found objects: magazine pages, postage stamp, ephemera, and handmade paper. Mediums used were Mat, Iridescent, and Glass Beads.

The quote has always intrigued me. Spring is a great time to explore, to follow your Muse…both physically, mentally, and emotionally!