Another experiment in negative painting. I was inspired by dream journeys where I am on a train and see scenes of places I have visited or lived in or simply passed by rushing by through the train windows.
Journeys on the Night Train
Persephone
This weeks topic was “Gifts from our Roots”. I was musing on the mixed blessings and curses from my own roots when I thought about the Persephone myth, one that has long resonated with me.
Because I was taking a bit of a contrarian approach to the topic, I thought it might suit a “negative painting” technique where the foreground images are constructed through hiding parts of the foreground.
Persephone climbs up the roots from the underworld still clutching a pomegranate. The seeds she consumed in the Underworld will keep pulling her into darkness.
I like to feel that the seeds of darkness also help one see the light and feel empathatically the darkness withint others.
Build and Bloom
This week I reclaimed a page by using black gesso on it and did an organic and inorganic pair of riffs on the spiral form.
Back to Mail Art
I have been so immersed in art journaling and so busy with web design that I have been neglecting my mail art community. I am plunging back in with a series based on faces (masked and un-masked) and am also planning some fall-themed cards.
New Wants
After decluttering and organizing this month thoughts turned to just why it is that we accumulate all this stuff. With mind like a butterfly, the new, shiny does appeal.
Organize
Organize
Organizing is such a mountain to climb and if you live in a small space it is all about finding little storage spaces.
Structure
This week’s journal page was about de-cluttering and organizing art-space and arts practice. I started with a compass and protractor to give structure to a hand drawn mandala. Then I splashed on primary colours and swirled them together. I then drew out the shapes with shading and black and white details. Lastly I added the word “Structure” along with some text and number stamping .
Life Patterns
Life Patterns
These two spreads were created in the latter two weeks of August 2020. The left hand panel is a long view of life patterns and the panel on the right is patterns I am changing.
I drew on some familiar elements: gears, clocks, flowers, bubbles and a compass. Although I have a pattern of over-scheduling myself and sometimes “going on automatic” mostly I meander through life going with the flow, led by intuition and finding some bright lenses that help me see things with new clarity and optimism.
In terms of change, I hope to increase the “blooming” and decrease the automaticity and scheduling.
Worker Bee
Thinking in the month of August 2020 about patterns. I tend to be a workaholic, get stuck in a rut and also typecast as a “worker bee” by others. Seeing the need to break out of this pattern despite the positive side of this.
Spiral
The prompt this week was to pick the first shape that came into our heads. I chose a spiral and creating it in water I dropped Lindy’s magical pigment powder into the water. Then I used markers and pens to doodle intuitively on the shape.