Saturday 26 May 2012

RECORDING A DECISION ...

I actually made this page some time ago, but I looked at it again and thought how well it fits for NOW as well, as if subconsciously I knew there'd be a need - stranger things have happened! We've made the decision this week that its time for US, and after 15 years of caring for my mother in law we're looking at residential care for her.  This page kind of affirms that too somehow, although originally it was about time for myself and letting go of the things I didn't want in my life  ...
As you can see below I started as usual with my trusty Caran d'ache watercolour crayons, making a swirly background of blues with touches of green - actually my favourite colour combination, although pink and orange also lights my fire these days.  I wasn't all that keen on this background when I'd done it (am sure you know the feeling), but have learned by experience that you don't have to LIKE it at this stage- its a background, you're going to put stuff on top, it will work, wait till you've written on it!
You'll have seen me do this often - add wobbly lines that sort of creep into the page.  Not sure where I got this from (it might even be an original idea) but I do it often.  Here I used a green Promarker and a metallic one (you can see this better if you click on the picture to enlarge it).  Metallics with blue always seem to look great, reminds me of under the sea or something.  The panel on the right is one of my earliest pages photocopied and cut up - a technique I picked up somewhere ....my addled brain can't remember.
Funny how things work too - I didn't know when I added the picture of stripey legs/feet that it would spark off me writing something about standing on my own two feet, standing by a decision.  Serendipitous how things work out isn't it?
Lots of doodling to finish this off and fill in those pesky blank spaces that I can't seem to leave alone.  The doodle at top left was totally random at the time, but now I look at it again reminds me of a shell with complex chambers ... well you know what I mean, and I do know it looks a bit like a shuttlecock too!!  And yes of course, now that its finished I do like it, and the background seems just right, so trust yourself when you feel unsure about a page and wait and see how it all comes together.  If you still hate it when you're done you can always rip it out - and I have done occasionally.

Watch this space to see if we manage to hold fast to decisions made - not always easy, and it may take some time, but whatever happens I'm sure to make a page about it, after all this is my THERAPY!!

Sunday 20 May 2012

DANCING ....


Sorry for the long delay between posts - life with ailing mother in law is very difficult at the moment, and there's not much time for arty pursuits.  We're not able to leave her for long, and she needs help with absolutely everything, so we're having to have those awful conversations about care homes at the moment - any prayers you can spare are MUCH appreciated.

Anyway, back to the page.  I cut this picture of sparkly ruby slippers out of a magazine a while back, and just knew that one day I'd find a use for it!  I'd made this background using my Caran d'ache crayons and riffling through my picture file I found the sparkly shoes, and that set off a train of thought which resulted in this page.Serendipity, the best kind of inspiration?
When I started the background I was still trying to challenge myself to try things I don't usually - so these colours aren't at all typical for me, and I tried to avoid my usual horizontal "layers" of colour too, although I'm not crazy about how it turned out.  Still, you have to focus on the finished page, even if you hate it at this stage.  I don't always like the pages that result from trying to work outside my comfort zone, and this one was kind of surprising to me because I'm not sure where it came from, though it has grown on me ...
The printed writing is more magazine cut-outs (mainly a vodka advert I think) and I really enjoy working out what I can say with the words I've got!  Another challenge.  Not quite sure where the last wry comment about falling on your bum came from - I think perhaps I was feeling like that I'd done that an awful lot lately ....? 
As ever I finished off with an assortment of doodling, much of it with my trusty white pen.  Looking at the page again I certainly wish I did have a pair of magic slippers to walk safely through the current minefield!! If you know where I can get some tell me QUICK, or better still come round wearing them!!
Love
Rosie





Wednesday 9 May 2012

JUST DREAMING ....

Recently I've been challenging myself to keep trying new stuff - which includes techniques and materials I may shy away from.  Well, I hardly ever do double pages, so that was a start, and I didn't used to think that pink and orange went together, but have discovered with the help of Kate Crane that they really DO!  So then I went for a painted background (revolutionary for me) with stencilled bits and paint splodged quite randomly - all very out of character I do assure you!!  Am a bit of a neat freak usually ... I can't help it, I know its wrong.
Then I got out my new Inkadinkado cogs stamp, which I hadn't played with yet.  I love the symbolism of cogs and would like more - its to do with how all things are connected so that you touch one thing and something much further down the line is moved and changed.  I know what I mean, but its that time of night when my brain has given up for the day ....

I've been conscious for a while that there have been a few of my childhood dreams still hanging about in the back of my brain, not to mention some of my crazier adult ones.  It seemed to me that there had to come a time when you said to yourself - that's never going to happen, but its really OK.  So thats what this page is about - if you will the deliberate setting aside of old unrealistic dreams (I couldn't climb up Macchu Piccu anyway!).  At the same time I also wanted to celebrate that you can make new dreams any time you like, and perhaps when you're older you actually have a better chance of achieving them ... all that experience has to be useful for something doesn't it?
And of course I wouldn't be me without adding a considerable amount of doodling - and I'm still loving my white and black pens for this.  The white pen doesn't actually work as well over paint as it does over the Caran d'ache crayons ...

I'm also delighted to report that I began work on making some of these things happen - my blog has sprouted new pages and the archive of past work I wanted to include.  Someone has also kindly offered to help me with the design, so that part of my dream is coming to fruition.  As ever, thank you for coming by and I LOVE hearing from you :D

Friday 4 May 2012

Cherish the Little Things ...

Good advice - and something I've been trying to do in the middle of the recent chaos we've been living through.  I didn't actually make this page at the time but some days before the brown stuff hit the fan ... but it certainly fits how I'm feeling now!
Anyway, as you can see below it began with waves of colour using my Caran d'ache crayons - if you've been with me a while you'll know that I've made a number of these wavy line pages.  They really seem to work, especially if you've got a lot to get off your chest (even if you don't know when you start what you need to say to yourself ... that's what makes art journalling so powerful isn't it?
I've also added some black lines for definition, and some silver ones - I like adding a touch of metallic, it really lifts the page somehow.  There's another element at work here too - I believe that you have to search for the seam of gold (or indeed silver) in your life, even if it looks humdrum, there's always something that lifts it beyond the ordinary, so I wanted to incorporate this idea too.

I was reading something about the wisdom you'd like to hand on to your grandchildren, which got me wondering what mine would be.  I thought of lots of big, wise stuff, but in the end this seemed perhaps the most important of all - contentment is a much under-rated state, but so precious when you have it, although of course you sometimes have to lose it before you understand that ....
And once I'd done all the writing I had a magnificent opportunity to do what I really LOVE, which is doodle to my hearts content!  And I did.  White Posca pen and Uniball Signo for a finer point, all kinds of thicknesses of black waterproof pens, and a bit more silver too.
Happily the worst days of our crisis are behind us, at least for now, but there's still a lot of stress and difficulty around as we try to move mum towards acceptance of the need for residential care.  Right now I really need to take my own advice - and cherish and appreciate all the small joys that come along, because they're little lights in a greater darkness ....