Halloween Doodle

This is a doodle page I did in response to a Soul Journaling prompt. I didn't set out with the intention of doing a Halloween page, but I couldn't shake the Halloween feeling with my orange background LOL I wish I could take credit for thinking up the skinny man ... but I used an image from Dover clip-art for my inspiration. My section dividers are pieces of embossed wallpaper.

The nervous prompt on Inspire Me Thursday seemed appropriate for Halloween too, so I also worked that in. This wasn't the most soulful journaling, but it was way fun ... and I needed easy after the crazy schedule I signed up for at school LOL

Ravaged Heart

I'm a little late, but this is what I did in response to Sarah Whitmire's taped page soul journaling prompt. I'd like to try it again with the tape laid out in more of grid. It was a neat background for sure, but it didn't feel done until I put some writing and images on top ... so I did one of my hearts. This heart felt a little naked; I'm used to gunking a lot more mediums on top. I found a good use for some of my rusty nail collection though!

This is also my entry for Inspire Me Thursday. I didn't really plan it this way, but it includes lots of opposites ... dark and light ... hard and soft ... vulnerable and tough.

Anatomy of an Injury

This art journal page was inspired by a fall on my face LOL I haven't banged up my knees like this since I was a kid -- guess I was overdue. I fell on the street and banged the dickens out of my knees ... not to mention a horridly large bruise on my chin and a sprained wrist and hand.

My bruises are all gone now, but the tenderness in my knees, hand, and chin is taking a while to heal.

I found some clip-art anatomy of the affected areas for this page. I'm a little late, but thought this was appropriate for last week's Inspire Me Thursday prompt.

Iron Heart

This is a bit ironic LOL -- but the challenge on Inspire Me Thursday this week is to push your boundaries and what timing. I push the boundaries with a lot of my art, but some pieces are harder than others. 3-D work has been a challenge, but also the most rewarding for me.

I couldn't find my large paper mache heart and the thought of trying to form my own heart shape seemed daunting, but I tried an experiment. This is actually the central piece for a window screen assemblage I am outting together and I plan on entering it in a juried show -- another scary thought LOL

I cut out a heart shape from brown paper bag, stitched, and stuffed before treating with texture mediums and iron paint.

Let Me Always

I just loved this image -- it took me a while and some mistakes to figure out what I wanted to do LOL

This is an art piece for Inspire Me Thursday.

Stop Listening

Here is another journal page for Terry's Leonardo journal. I printed a pic from the Leonardo da Vinci Dover clip-art book and used in the rusted metal frame. Don't ask what the frame is -- something that fell off a bus is all I know LOL

This is my piece for Inspire Me Thursday.

Broomhilda

I had to do one more Halloween page -- a little more traditonal LOL

I'm killing 2 birds with one stone LOL This is my contribution for the prompt on The Altered Heart, and Inspire Me Thursday.

The Blue Dot Episode

The Inspire me Thursday prompt this week is control -- and boy is that perfect for last week LOL I've been wrestling to get control of my emotions for a while. My adrenal gland is not functioning right and you never miss your body's ability to handle stress until it is gone. Supplements help immensely, but figuring out the right dosage has been a challenge.

I never know I'm on a downward spiral until something so iditotic happens you can't believe you did it LOL I went for a chiropractic appointment and for some reason they removed this blue dot from my chart. Sounds ridiculous when you say it LOL -- but that blue dot puts me with my regular doctor instead of jumping around to different chiropractors and risking getting someone who doesn't have enough skill to adjust my back right.

My pleas to have the blue dot put back on my chart with the receptionist were fruitless, but I did manage to get in to see my regular doc -- and that poor soul has seen my meltdowns before and knew he was in for one as soon as he walked in LOL But in the end -- I got my blue dot back ROFL

I fondly call this the blue dot episode ... and I'm willing to bet my blue dot never gets taken away again -- hee hee

Empress

This is my piece for Inspire Me Thursday this week. I started with nothing more than background color and chose my colors and collage elements as I went along. I never dreamed I'd end up combining Jubilee Green, Moon Yellow, and Crimson --- but here it is LOL

Galaxy

Here is a Urania spread I did this weekend for the 9 Muses RR. I am also using this as my goddess layout for Inspire Me Thursday this week.

I didn't have a lot of time to figure out a background for this, so I used part of a blotter paper where I was painting a project. I was amazed at how galaxy-like the paper already was, so I just added a few more splatters to complete the effect.

Lizard Lair

I took a birdhouse assemblage class from Leighanna Light this weekend. What fun class ... and Leighanna is really fun and inspiring, so do take a class with her if you get a chance!

I started out with a solid black birdhouse and collaged papers in random areas and rubbed on some opaque sea green paint and got a whole different look.

I must have had the circle prompt from Inspire Me Thursday in the back of mind, because I ended up using several circular elements in my assemblage.

Resonate

This was weird. I finished my entry for this week's prompt about words on Inspire Me Thursday ... and this sentence popped into my head, so I did a second journal page.

I tried a Kelly Kilmer technique for the background on this page. It is amazing how cool these water soluble wax pastels blend. This was my first try and I didn't pick the best papers for the technique I think ... but I am using this technique again!

Sensitivity Prevails

This is my entry for Inspire Me Thursday. The prompt this week is words and what would a journal page be without words?

This week a friend did something special that shows he was sensitive to my feelings and I am very grateful ... and that is the inspiration for this journal page.

No Tears

Tears was the prompt on Inspire Me Thursday this week. It got me to thinking about my childhood. Trauma and tears were an everyday part of my childhood. I started thinking about my ancestors and how tears did not seem acceptable in so many situations.

I did this background for my example of the weathered metal technique-of-the-month on the Altered Books group. It was such a hard and cold surface treatment, a spread about "No Tears" seemed more fitting.

Secrets

I've been working on this piece for a while. I decided this would be a good piece for the secrets prompt on Inspire Me Thursday.

This really is about secrets ... about that secret hiding place in my heart for people who are special to me ... a way to lock those special memories and feelings away in order to let go a little.

This will be a sister heart shrine to the Spiritus Vocus shrine I did last year. I started out with a paper mache hert again, but cut a door in it, covered with paper casting spirals, and added some assemblage type stuff inside the heart.

Let My Voice ...

I had originally intended this page to be my entry for Inspire Me Thursday, but my phone and internet service were on the fritz and I didn't get uploaded in time.

Soulful Expression

I've been naming most of my posts after the art work title, but this one is named after the journey. My intention was to do something neat in Karen O's calendar journal in honor of St Valentine's Day ... but this piece seemed to take on a life if it's own. It always starts with a bad choice LOL The background was bleeeecccckk! Our journal prompt this month was "I am Blue" ... so I went with blue as my second choice.

And please everyone ...

do not faint or be alarmed ...

I used wings, which I rarely ever do, but it seemd fitting this time. Never did I imagine in a million years that the heart would be a symbol for me and yet everytime I use it, something extraordinary comes out when I get the paint out.

Oh I wish this piece would have been in my stay at home journal; it has special meaning to me ... but who am I to argue with my muse?

Favorite 2006 Art

This week's Inspire Me Thursday challenge is to post a favorite piece of art from 2006 ... which is great since my new digital camera is still stuck on a UPS truck in snowland LOL

My art started morphing into something with a deeper meaning this past year. I'm not sure when this started occurring, but perhaps Lynne Perella's class was a factor.
This is a shrine I made in a class with local artist Claudia Roulier ... who's work I love! This was a stretch for me. Most of my work is theme-work; that is where my comfort zone is. This time I wanted to stretch for something with a deeper meaning, so I used personal symbols. I didn't realize I even had personal symbols until I started thinking about my shrine.

I was in a whole lot of turmoil at the time ... personal issues conflicting with problems at work ... which for me results in intense art. I was literally all tied up in knots, which manifested itself in this journaling heart to become the focal point of my shrine.

My other big symbol in my shrine is a rusted bugle, which I am using for my blogger logo.