inky goodness

Hi there art friends!  I know it has been a lllooonnnngg time since I have been here...sigh...I've been busy teaching, and well, with life! The good news is that because of my teaching, I HAVE been making art...just not posting it...sorry! (To be honest, being on the computer is not my favorite thing.)

Oh well...it's a new year, right?!?  Let's try this again.

Actually the last post that I did was an altered book project...so I thought it might be fun to share my latest altered book "obsession."  So fun!  In the past, I had avoided super wet mediums in my altered books.  The paper is not, after all, art paper.  In other words, it was meant to be printed on and then read, and NOT "mix-media-up'd."  :)  However, Rae Missigman changed my thinking on that in her class Scribblepedia (It is a great class and you can find it on Jeanne Oliver's creative network.)  She inspired me to get out my inks and play around, which is always fun, but also leads to some fun new discoveries.

Here are some of the pages I did...

Aren't the colors yummy?!?  Seriously, this has been so much fun...and quite addicting.  In fact, I decided to use inks as the foundation, or start to all the pages in this entire (altered) book.  Some of the pages, I will finish (add focal images, collage, journaling, etc.) but some I love just as they are.

I encourage you...Get out your inks and play!

altered book pages

Last week-end I taught an altered book class in which we created "tunnel" pages.  I love this project because the pages are so interesting, so interactive.  I thought I would give you a peek at the beginning of my pages.  I will continue to "play" on these pages with my Frida Kahlo theme.  (I HAD to have an excuse to use my NEW Dina Wakley Frida stamps.)

"Altering" a book is a fun mixed media project...if you have never tried it, I highly recommend it.  Try it, you'll like it!

more abstract play

So here is how I finished up the abstract pages, that I shared last time...
...per prompting from Tori Weyers' lesson, I added a little gold (I am not usually a metallic, bright, blingy person, but I have to admit this was fun for me)...

And then I added some journaling which included the definition of abstract, and its significance to me...

This was very fun...out-of-the-box for me...I highly recommend trying something new, something creative...stretch...just for the fun of it!!!

abstract. play.

I don't think I've ever done an abstract before...at least not intentionally.  :)  This was inspired by Tori Weyers "lesson" from Creative Jumpstart 2017.  I love playing with my paints but don't consider myself a "painter."  Tori made this project very "accessible"...in other words, I wasn't intimidated but instead couldn't wait to get my paints out and try it.

When I looked up the word abstract, my favorite definition is from the Latin word meaning "pulled away, detached," and the basic idea is of 'something detached from physical, or concrete, reality'...hmmm...this makes me think 'fantasy.'  Maybe that is why I didn't feel any "pressure"...it is made up...in other words, it doesn't have to "look like" anything other than what I make it...woohoo!

It was super fun to "stretch" my creative muscles with something new.  I am not sure it is finished (like a lot of my journal pages)...In the lesson, Tory added gold metallic paint...that might be fun! Also, since I did this in my art journal, I am thinking I want to add some writing...maybe I will write out the definition of abstract...I'll keep you posted.  :)

WHOLE-hearted

Art journaling hearts...not half-hearted, not broken-hearted, not hard hearted, but...

Happy Valentine's Day!

enjoy the process

Just thought I would give you a peek at PART of what goes on around here as I am preparing for classes...I pull out everything that I think I might want to use, and then begin to put things together.  This weekend I am teaching an altered book class, as well as a mixed media card class so I had lots of ideas, lots of goodies to "play" with...

The process IS a huge mess, but it is a lot of fun to play with all my "toys."

It all came together and here is the result of this particular process...   :)

Create something today...and enjoy the process!

happy new year!

Happy New Year!!!  Every year I choose a Word of the Year...a word (with its corresponding thought, definition, etc) to watch for, to focus on.  It is amazing how significant these "words" become as I live with them over the course of the year...and it is so much F-U-N to see them pop up...like a surprise...found treasure.  I highly recommend giving this "exercise" a try and see how it impacts your life.

My Word of the Year (WotY) for 2017 is SHINE.

I will now begin to incorporate this word and its various meanings and what I am discovering about this word FOR ME during the year into my journal pages.  This is the cover of a composition book that I altered.  I used an S dictionary page (S is for shine!) and then used my acrylics, a stencil, and cut the star...easy peasy...cheery and fun!

2017...I'm ready!!!