GUARDIAN ANGEL??

 

Looking back I seem to be posting about every two weeks where once I managed more or less weekly - its not that this blog isn't important to me, but this year hasn't been the greatest health-wise.  Or maybe its just that I am now adding the normal aches and pains of ageing on top of my other problems.  Whatever, it has slowed me down some ....

I made this page when I felt kind of overwhelmed recently - developed a painful shoulder problem which made life rather difficult, and there were a couple of things on my mind as well, all of which contributed to my feeling somewhat "got at"!  I found this gorgeous picture of an antique angel - I love these images, especially the pre-raphaelite ones, even gravestone angels - which began the train of thought about wishing my Guardian Angel would come around here and see off some of the problems assailing me!

I'd made this bright background with no particular aim in mind - I just liked it.  Anyway, if you look at art angels are very often shown robed in deep colours, so the ones in my head always look that way.  Also they aren't girls - Gabriel, Michael,  Raphael .... sorry, that's something I tend to go on about.  Regular devotees of these pages will quick identify that the background is done with Neocolour crayons by Caran d'ache, absolutely my favourite media.

The writing followed easily from there - and as ever you can see how the lettering begins very simply and then I go back and fancy it up.  The pink wings (and the gold ones I added to the angel) are German foil, a great product I used to use a lot in the days when I made ATCs all the time.

I think the drooping skeleton tree says everything about my state of mind at the time?  Drooping would definitely cover it, but then the gold pen came out and jollied things up a bit, and I coloured the robe of the stone angel too (previous remarks apply).

I don't know if my angel turned up (and I definitely do believe in them and always have) but making the page engendered a more positive frame of mind, or maybe I just pulled myself together and stopped droooping.  But sometimes you just have to - so I definitely reserve the right to droop occasionally, just not for too long and without inflicting it on anybody else.

ASHAMED ....

 

Given that today it was announced that the Red Cross would be delivering food aid across the UK, it felt like the right moment to share this page I made a couple of weeks ago.  It needs no explanation, but I just wanted/needed to share my huge sadness at what is happening under a government which doesn't seem able to understand the needs of ordinary people .... or is unable to grasp the concept that not everyone has savings to fall back on.

This was one of those times when I shamelessly used an interesting piece of paper rather than working up an artsy background.  Its allowed, and don't let anybody tell you its not real art if you don't make every bit of it yourself ...

It needed very little but I added a few bits and bobs, including these words I'd cut out from an Oxfam leaflet.

Then I just wrote what was on my heart.  We do what we can to help, our church makes heroic efforts to collect for the food bank, but it isn't and can never be enough.  Its still a tragedy.

Then the odd doodly line with a white pen and it was done.  I cried when I'd done, but felt better for expressing it.  Every time I sit down to eat I think about those who can't .... the ones right here at home in this rich, western country.  And I feel ashamed.

You see in our early married life there were plenty of times when we weren't sure what we were going to eat the next day, or we lay awake wondering how on earth we could pay the bills.  I've been there; its terrifying.  We support the food bank run with real heroism by our local Salvation Army, but it shouldn't be happening and it makes me terribly angry!  Maybe you'd noticed.