Mixed Media Mayhem - Time - Seize the Day

Working in my colour journal using Somerset Studio's, With One Palette, I was inspired by the challenge on http://art-journal-journey.blogspot.co.at/ , TIME.  I used paint, sequin waste as a stencil, magazine pages, scrapbook paper, dylusion inks, and an ad from National Geographic.

Thanks again, Susi, for hosting this challenge site. http://froebelsternchen.blogspot.co.at/2015/08/time-zeit-art-journal-journey-challenge.html

Mixed Media Mayhem - Hometown Inspiration

Documented Life Project - Travel Journaling

June 20 Art Challenge: Hometown Inspiration

Journal Prompt:  There is no place like home

An opportunity to use my fruit labels and woodblock print.

Mixed Media Mayhem - DLP- A Traveler's Tale

Travel Journaling - A Traveler's Tale

June 27 Art Challenge: Photos and Words

Journal Prompt:  A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Yesterday I booked a winter trip to Spain and Portugal.  I have been thinking about this destination for a long time, but I was apprehensive because of my past experiences. In August, 2000, I stopped in Madrid for a few days on my way to Gwen Gibson's workshop in the South of France.  Off to a bad start with Iberia misplacing my luggage, I was determined to enjoy my first visit to Spain.  I took a walk to Puerta del Sol and the surrounds to gather my thoughts.

I strolled past a fire station and turned into a brightly lit square.  With foot steps behind me and two figures in front of me, I knew I was in trouble.  Swiftly I was thrown to the ground, hitting my head, breaking my glasses, and banging my nose.  One attacker used his knife to cut off my neck pouch, catching my neck with his stroke.  A resident ran out to my aid and took me to the hospital and to the police station.  No passport, money, travelers checks, credit cards, id, glasses, or lipstick, I had my work cut out for me to put myself back together.  Iberia found my luggage, my daughter sent me money, Citibank sent me a new credit card, and I shopped for lipstick. I completed my trip, and I had a brilliant time with Gwen and other artists even though I could not see what I was doing.

To make this journal entry, I pulled out all the documents I had related to this experience (remember me, the ephemera hoarder) -

my journal pages,

police report, Robo con violencia,

maps, passport, ticket stubs,

and receipts.  By physically handling all these documents, I soothed my anxiety over returning to the "scene of the crime."

Making this journal page was about the documents.  Cutting, arranging, pasting these original materials to the page really proved the benefit of journaling.  Talking therapy, but to myself.  My final page is as chaotic as the experience.  Flaps open to hold more documentation, different passport pics show contrasts, messiness reveal my thinking.

Mixed Media Mayhem - What you can do with a kraft coloured paper bag?

Browsing through my Google posts, I visited the blog, http://froebelsternchen.blogspot.com/, to see all that she has been up to recently. She is a prolific artist who posts to many challenge blogs.  I was interested to see her link to http://letsgetshabby.blogspot.com.au/2015/08/challenge-66.html, where the challenge this month is to "do what you can with a kraft coloured paper bag."

This challenge gave me the inspiration I need to finishing a page in my colour journal where I am focusing on the color families featured in Somerset Studio's "With One Palette."  For the cherry red, blue, and kraft I created a collage on a background prepared from the paper bag.  I love the look and feel of the kraft paper when it is saturated with matte medium.

Thank you, Susi.

Mixed Media Mayhem - DLP - Recording Memories

Documented Life Project

Travel Journaling

June 13

Art Challenge: Recording Memories

Journal Prompt:  Taking the Road Less Traveled

The journal prompts for June were perfect for me.  As a committed traveler, I have an endless stash of goodies to use, and I am in a "Use It Up" mode.  Cleaning out my files, I found my written journal for my trip to Paris in August of 2004.  The prompt, Taking the Road Less Traveled,  was perfect given that I was traveling standby on a Continental pass, always unsure where I would end up.  This trip started off as a jaunt to Rome and changed to a sojourn in Paris when I found the flight to Rome full.  Our trip came to an end when we saw on CNN our home town posted as the target for a giant hurricane.  I tried to simulate the original journal page by pasting old ledger paper in my journal and transcribing the entry.  My handwriting is unfortunate. 

In my stash, I found a lot of old scrapbooking supplies that I planned on discarding...too cute, but I decided just to stick them to this page.  I added a vintage postcard to capture the scene. (I couldn't save it forever)

Mixed Media Mayhem - Take Me Away

Documented Life Project

June Theme   Travel Journaling

June 6 Art Challenge Illustrative Art Journaling

Journal Prompt:  Take Me Away

The challenge posed by this month's theme, Travel Journaling, was perfect for me.  I could do this forever.  Having traveled near and far my whole life, I have many memories to draw on.  These memories are documented in thousands of photos and bins of memorabilia (and a huge collection of folk art).  I have two giant bins of newspapers, magazines, and labels from China alone.  I try to make a book using BookSmart after each journey, but as with everything else, I am behind.

My last big trip was to celebrate my birthday traveling to Turkey and the Greek Islands.  I spent over a week in Istanbul which gave me lots of time to walk the city or take the tram to more distant locations.  Shopping in the Grand Bazaar, the Curcurcuma antique district, or the Ortaköy district, my favorite finds were old postcards and photographs.  For this journal entry, Illustrative Art Journaling, I chose several of my most representative postcard images.  To make these more my own, I photocopied and transfered them to my journal page using gel medium. I sealed my journal pages first with a coat of matte medium.  A green scubby sponge works well to work the paper off of the transfers.

To make a background congruent with the sepia look of the photo, I concocted a mixture of fiber paste and Distress Ink to give me the look of old walls in the city.

I did achieve a gnarly surface, but I am not sure I am happy with it.  Adding my written text and some scraps from receipts, I finished up the page.

Mixed Media Mayhem - Tea for Me

Tea for Me

Isn't tea the antidote for whatever ails you.  My mother made it for me when I was a child and served it with cinnamon toast...but only when I was sick.  

I always have several journals working at once.  This page is from my "Use it Up" book where I clean brushes and stencils and collect ephemera and detritus from other journals.  I wanted to use up the blank left over after I punched out an alphabet, so I stuck them down to a page where I had cleaned up from some Dylusions.  

To try to unify this mess I dry brushed with heavy white gesso, a favorite art supply.

What next?  Looking at my confused color palette led me to my paper stash.  Every time I go to Paper Source, I buy some of their beautiful paper...then just look at it.  I decided in my "use it up" mood to cut up one of the vintage tea wrapping paper and paint over the cups to match my background.   I added the tea pot from the packaging of the Publix tea bags, and the steam from a piece of chipboard.