Happy Birthday yahoo AB group

Thanks to Corinne, who has generously agreed to host the page swap and put together color copied books for us! A swap deadline always gets my juices going. This page is a book page (three glued together actually for support). Painted with crimson fluid acrylics (Golden) and softened with titanium buff. The words are the things that the AB yahoo group has provided for me (though it's been a while since I participated in a swap): dreams fulfilled, inspiration, joy. The last word is drawn into some Texture magic paste. The very first swap I ever participated in through the site was a technique swap. It was wonderful to see the work of other artists - everytime a new book came to my P.O. box I would huddle in the car and open the box right away because I couldn't wait to get home. It was the best treat, flipping through the pages, oohing and ahhing and thinking what I could do with that month's technique. I treasure the book that I got out of that swap, and enjoy flipping back through it to see the work of the talented and creative contributors. That fist technique swap got me on the road to altered art, and I am always thankful!

spring

spring comes to my soul

My, my, my, where have I been? Really, I'm asking. It feels like I have been under a cloud since my last post. Graduate class and work have kept me busy, but in truth there has been a critical cloud. Since March, I have been job hunting again, as I am doing a great job where I am, but am just the odd man out at this time. It has felt so unfair, so out of my control. I don't know where I am going to end up . . . I often feel unmoored. The upshot is I really haven't been creating art. I've often said difficult times in my life are like trying to put together a puzzle, but God is holding the box with the picture on it, and He's not sharing. Recently, I got really angry at that, even at God. My most recent graduate paper has been about the writings of Julian of Norwich, a late medieval anchoress who became known for her writings about God's love and the oft quoted "All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well." Today's readings at Mass were about God's love for us, which the sermon also recognized. During the sermon, I kept thinking of the opening line of one of Julian's manuscripts: "This is a revelation of love." It is indeed. As angry and frustrating as I get, God's love for me is sure. So I upload here ATC's that deal with the renewal of spring and JOY - because I know there will still be joy in my life. Here's to joy through art!

I heart art2

I heart art

So I don't really make resolutions per se (sooooo disappointing when they don't work out, and really, who needs that downer?) but I do try to set goals. My problem comes when I have so many good ones that I am trying to work on all at once. You know, exercise more, eat healthier, do some art every week and post it on the blog, watch less tv and be more productive, knit a pair of socks a month, build up my savings . . . you see where I'm going with this? Whew! All of this to say that I am hoping to create once a week and post once a week because, well, it really makes me happy and seems to provide incredible relief of that stress/steam that builds up in my life with all the "musts" and "shoulds" that take over. I had this board book (some Bob the Builder Gives a Valentine or something) that I had painted the pages. I just kept staring at it thinking I should get back to altered books, but I didn't really know where to start. So finally I just thought of things I like, and well, doing art came up. So here are some scans of I Heart Art.

atc's that represent me

I finally looked closely at the mail date for an atc swap I'm in a realized - it's comin' right up! So yesterday I worked on creating atcs that have something that represents who I am and what I like. I started by gessoing some playing cards, and then covering them all with purple, because, well, it is the color of royalty and my very favorite. One of these has a crown, because I am very fond of it as a symbol. I realize some people are tired of them, but I still like it. I think many of us are too hard on ourselves and we all owe ourselves a chance to be queen for a day. The other card bears the face of the Bard of Avon because, well, I'm an English teacher and a big fat nerd, so I do kinda like my Shakespeare. I did have fun making these and others and am trying to finish them up. I didn't realize how difficult it might be to think of somethings that represent me, but then I just decided to relax and go with it.

happy anniversary

I believe it has been a year for the blog. I'm just glad I'm still hangin' in there. Yes, my New Year's Eve was hangin' at home, but at least I got to make some art! Here is a new canvas I finished today. This is acrylic paint, a black and white copy of a picture of the inside of a church, some vintage paper, and some goodies from Somerset Studio magazine. The red paint was done over a layer of vaseline so that it would wipe away from the first layer of blue. (Note to self, less vaseline. That was messy.) I did have fun melting droplets of blue crayon on to the final layer; I'm not sure if it shows up. Around the edge I wrote "Love is the gift that gives back to you the more you give it. You cannot become impoverished by giving away all you have.