assemblage – Art Journal Gypsy

Wednesday’s Worktop

So on Wednesday’s work table we have a stenciled piece. I believe the stencil is from Andrea Matus DeMeng. I plan to do flowers and gears and “stuff” all over this piece.

I generally am not a flowers and butterfly kind of artist — but Hey it’s April and the grass is turning green. I can walk without squashing and the birds are yelling their little beaks off. — I was powerless to resist.

Hope your week is going well and that you are well. Remember that creativity is whatever you choose it to be for you, your art and your situation.

Maybe you arrange the kids pbnj sandwich triangles creatively on the plate — or perhaps you sketch while eating your pbnj. Maybe baking is how you create. Maybe you paint or splatter or assemble — The options for creative living are around each of us.

Join me and Cheerfully Create some imperfect art today!!

Xoxo

Wallpaper and Shoe Polish

One of the things I love to do – is taking something and repurposing it. I truly feel happy when puzzling out what I can do with a plain Jane item to make it a holy moly item.

Truth be told – I was actually doing this BEFORE IT BECAME COOL.

Because mixed media and repurposing is so popular in the states now it is hard to feel like anything is new – but new or not — I still love it. Today I am using shoe polish and wallpaper.

This page begins with torn pieces of wallpaper and brown Shoe polish from Kiwi. (SC Johnson & Co.)

torn pieces are glued down and then using my finger I rub the shoe polish on to create depth and a waxy base that allows me to “mess” with it on the page as I create without the paper getting too mushy or muddy.

Shoe Polish tins are cheap, found in most Walmart-like stores and a fun use of a product you wouldn’t think would be on an art journal page. Wallpaper is a great usable too. Your home improvement store usually has free samples — grab a few!

I often hit up the home improvement stores for stuff I can repurpose… gears, DAP, wallpaper … … the list goes on and on. It is hit and miss but always fun!!!

So Have some fun and find some unusual way to use a very usual product in your artistic journey through art journaling.

Xoxo

My Studio Your Space (7)

Today’s layout is a two page spread. One page is mostly journaling. The other page speaks to me / for me in a number of ways. But I swear as I was creating the layout I wasn’t conscious of why I was choosing certain stuff.

I am a literature major – so the book page. Lavender is my fav color and I enjoy flowers – so the flower. I wear my red Keds everywhere and they show it! Neither my shoes or my little studio on top of the antique store is perfect – lathe plaster is peeling off the walls in some places, there is no heating or air conditioning and other stuff. But I love it for the fact that I have a studio. I have a place that is dedicated just to creating. I am my happiest when in that space. I would live there 24/7 if I could but my dog and my Mr. resist this idea!!

Through your art journal pages you can do more that play with different art techniques. You can Journal your feelings, dreams, stuff your pissed about and much more. Many times I don’t realize why I grab a certain color or ephemera-I just let it organically happen. On a good day I stay out of the way of myself … and then tadah!!!

whether your “studio” is an unused bedroom, a garage, a kitchen table or a beautiful brand new building …

— create in your space.

Xoxo

DAP and rust paste.

The page I’m working on today was started by smearing and smooshing DAP on the page with a plastic spreader.

Once dry I dipped my finger in Prima’s Rust Effect Paste in gold rust. This really makes the texture created with the DAP stand out crazily!!

after smearing some shoe polish wax on top of everything I tore and cut some accents from deco papers and tissues. I haven’t quite finish with this page out so will post completed page tomorrow too.

Here’s what it looks like now. It isn’t right yet but not sure what is wrong. Sometimes you have to walk away and look at it again in the morning.

Remember it doesn’t have to be perfect – it’s supposed to be fun son!!!

Have a great day and be creative!

Xoxo

Spraying whip cream in my dogs mouth.

Todays confession — I give my Arlo whip cream. Today’s question – Does spraying whip cream in Arlo’s mouth make me a bad person?

I wonder about things. I always have. I care too much what others think. I always have. I was spraying Redi-Whip in Arlo’s mouth today and found myself caring what someone would think about that.

The sick part about people like me who give a dang what others think about their behavior and activities, is that we also care what our own inner art critic thinks. Not the inner loving self – we seldom listen to her as much – but the inner critic who criticizes and intimidates.

I wonder why that is? I’d like to blame it on my childhood or the Diet Coke I drink non stop or religion or the purple streaks in my hair but NOPE! I give voice to that inner critic and I give it power. Identifying when it is present and needing to stop it is part of art journaling and “arting” in general.

If you, like me, art journal and find yourself listening as the inner critic says that it looks ugly or muddy — or crapped not collaged– we need to tell our inner critic to take a seat while we make this art journal page.

Creative criticism is good and healthy. But our inner critic is often something that stops creativity and taste sour.

Here’s to us creating something that brings us pleasure this weekend and actually allowing it to do just that.

Let’s try to be as happy as Arlo with whip cream all over his mouth.

Xoxo