Reflections and New Beginnings

December for me always brings about a feeling of renewal especially towards the end of the month as we look towards a new year.  A time to bring some projects to an end and find renewed strength after a period of reflection. To face a new year with new opportunities, adventures and circumstances.  This is a time to think about the new seeds that you will sow - those ideas, goals and dreams that you want to see in 2013 take shape and grow.  I feel the drive to take stock over what I have done during the year – what was a hit, what missed - deciding what the best choices for what I want to achieve. 

I find it also important this year to look at my current state of health and make changes if necessary.  I didn’t do as much walking as I would normally do this year and definitely felt the effects of an unhealthy body.  I also found out I was deficient in quite a few vitamins which may have been the cause for the allergies that presented themselves.  I tried to convince the doctor that a prescription for a holiday in the sun would be the right course of action, but she couldn’t quite get passed the cheaper version of supplements instead!  So armed with my scarf, gloves and several layers we will see the start of a regular time for exercise as I reinvest in my physical health and well-being.

Personal development is also an area that requires focus to see how you can grow.   It is important to see growth as part of a continual process for all areas of our life, it is essential for our creativity.  I do think it is important to have a personal development plan to enable you to either perfect a skill or learn a new one.  I did a few courses and workshops this year, including Hello Soul Hello Business, 21 Secrets and Motley Soul Mixed Media  - check out some of the workshops yourself.  There is always something useful to learn - it is a continuous process.

There has been also been changes in the health of loved ones and I try and think of new ways to adapt to the changing needs of my mother who has dementia or the resurfacing of the multiple myeloma for my bother.  I ask for you all to continue to lift our family in your thoughts and prayers.

Yes December for me brings thoughts of tying up loose ends and embracing the new journeys and not running from them.  I won’t run from the new challenges ahead, some will be unexpected and some we might have some notice about, but while we have this life, let’s live it to the full and as we are blessed, remember to be a blessing!  Why wait!

Christmas wishes and 21 Secrets - Jane Davenport

Wishing you a very Happy Christmas and wishing you and yours every peace and good health.

I thought I'd share with you about another one of the 21 Secrets workshop that I have been doing.  Frolicaholic is Jane Davenports offerings in 21 secrets and is designed to help you overcome those blocks you may have to spending time in your art journal.   

The time you do find should be precious and while not everyone has hours on end you need to find the creative hotspots where you can, that 10 minutes or so wherever you are that you can utilise for your creativity.  You can pull out a few simple materials and sketch or doodle as this is your investment to your growth.   

 

We all have experienced the art gremlins as Jane calls them that try and convince us that what we are doing is not very good, or so and so is better or the worse gremlin talk is that there is not enough room for another artist.  You come away with your own reference for other creative work and a general reminder to keep at it no matter the circumstances. 

 

I still have some pages to finish in this journal and will share how I get on at a later date.  The more you practice anything the better you will get, how about practicing spending some quality time for yourself.  Check out Jane’s site, she is very generous with her videos and her site is a pleasure to spend time in. Blessings for now!

21 Secrets - Tracie Hanson

Creating backgrounds and pulling out shapes, defining what feels right and allowing the painting to tell its story has over the past year been a method I find quite freeing, and have really come to enjoy starting some of my paintings this way.

 My journal paintings depicts a group of women who are supportive of each other within a community sharing time with the younger generation...

Tracie Hanson encourages us in her Journal Quest workshop to experiment further with colours and backgrounds that compliment each other and let the painting flow, pulling out the shapes, this takes practice and perseverance but it is a delight to see the finished pieces and what they have to say. 

I used charcoal pencil to draw the shapes I could see, then started muting the background colours as I wanted to bring emphasis to the figures. The story develops and unfolds the more you look. 

This was another lovely workshop where you can take or leave some of the techniques.  I encourage you to check out her website, she has some amazing paintings that she has produced.  Blessings..

21 Secrets - Dina Wakley

Intuitive Painted Layers workshop with Dina Wakley is all about finding ways to challenge and unblock your creativity, especially when you think you are stuck.  The best way to do this is to play and have fun with your materials, not focusing on a finished piece, but seeing where it leads you.  

As we played we pulled out what we could see rather than what we felt we should see

 I had previously prepared the page with some paper that had been used to punch shapes and then stuck down. I played with the paints using acrylics and charcoal.

I then applied paint and outlined some of the shapes   

 As I played I saw some shapes taking place and worked into them until I got a clearer idea of what was forming

  I added a range of materials to the piece and finished it off by journalling on the page.  

This is a really good exercise that I will continue to do, especially in those times when you feel stuck and in need of some inspiration!  It would be great to know what ways you use to get you unstuck and into your creative flow........Check out Dina's site for more inspiration.

21 Secrets - Dale Anne Potter

I really enjoyed this workshop.  It was run by Dale Anne and we set about producing a set of postcards, which are to inspire and uplift – one for every day that you can post to yourself and feel encouraged.  

We also made a storage journal to place them in so that you can dip in and out when the mood takes you.  The words that I chose were ones that I feel encourage me as I go on my artistic journey,  I also included quotes for further encouragement.  We are all on a journey and have to step out, but also need the support around us and people who can be in our corner as well as remaining focused and on form for ourselves.  I encourage you to get busy and create a set which you can use or give them away as gifts - everyone loves to receive something special through the post!

The storage journal which will hold the cards has been made out of recycled card and materials apart from the wooden beads and the brads, and is a good way to use up some of your stash.

21 Secrets - The Art of Texture - Christy Tomlinson

I've always loved using texture in my work and Christy's workshop encourages you to play and experiment with different textures including modelling paste.

Poly filler used with glitter and water soluable pencils

I experimented slightly and found that poly filler - the fine one works really well, and I got to use some of the stencils that I hadn't worked with for quite some time.  Here are two different examples from journals that I used the poly filler in.  The one above uses water soluable pencils and glitter and the one below also combines acrylics, stencils as well.  I do like how it raises the surface and will be using it more in my work.

 This is how it started out

I'm not sure if I am finished yet

21 Secrets - 15 Minutes to Sanity - Gina Rossi Armfield

In the 15 Minutes to Sanity workshop Gina encourages us to take the sometimes limited time we have and use it in a different way.  15 minutes to sanity is all that it takes to set you on the road to creativity.  By preparing our pages before hand and using prompts and selected materials, it enables us to snatch back the much needed time and create in our journals.

I enjoyed this workshop as I was able to just focus on doing what I could with the time I had.  I started preparing pages some time ago as this in itself can be a theraputic activity, especially at those times where you are not able to sit down and do a journal page, but playing with the materials on the page is definitely well worth doing.  The page is inspired by a poem I wrote - a piece of me still remains, looking at our memories, the photos that we collect and wondering what remains when we pass in the minds of others.

Here is my page before I started....

This is how it ended up.

21 Secrets - Childs Play, Alma Stoller

I signed up to do 21 Secrets - Art Journal Playground, an online course organised by Connie Hozvicka of Dirty Footprints Studio back in January, and have only just got round to starting due to one thing or another getting in the way. 

There are 21 contributors and I have been spoilt for choice with where to start.  I decided to go with Alma Stoller, after having seen her Fabric bead designs.  Each contributor has been very generous with the amount of videos and pdfs that we have available.   In Alma’s course I have been making my own frames out of cardboard and recycled paper and they were really easy to make and very sturdy.

The oval and square ones have been my favourite and  the smaller frames really do look cute, once you start making them you won’t want to stop! 

My favourite technique was making the fabric beads, they do look pretty.  I will try a few variations with size and shape - you need a little patience with the sewing but they will look great in mixed media projects.

next on my workshop list is  Aimee Myers Dolich will be sharing how I get on soon, for now .......blessings!

Post holiday reflections...

It's been just over 2 weeks since we came back from our holiday jaunts and we were very fortunate to have been to not one but 2 destinations this year - Barbados and Menorca.

In Barbados we spent 3 weeks lapping up the sun, sea and sand and sights.

We visited family and friends and got all the vitamin D, and fresh food we needed.  For those who have had Barbados on their lists of destinations, I definitely recommend you get there if you can it is a lovely island.

Three weeks was just enough time to unwind and go to many places that we missed on previous visits.  The beaches are beautiful and we made visiting the beach and swimming an essential part of our trip.

Miami Beach

Dover Beach

We went along the Fish fry at Oystins - sampling the freshly caught fish and even took part in the Sunday night Karaoke at Dover Beach organised by Mr Mayer's and his wife (another really lovely couple who have a beach cafe there).  Me and Alan did what became one of our signature tunes - Three Little Birds by Bob Marley.

As flowers and plants are my thing I made sure I visited the Andromeda gardens, the Wildlife Reserve

and Flower forest and was able to feast my eyes on some beautiful plants and breath taking views.

I also used the opportunity to catch up with some of the local artists on the island and it was great to see them at work and also visit some galleries as well such as The Bridgetown Gallery at Sheraton Mall and NuEdge Gallery

We came back to England for a week to catch up and then flew out for a week in Menorca.

Ahisha and Malakai came with us and he was a joy to have on holiday - his first!  

We met some amazing people who made our stay even more than the blessing it was and we went on many of the excursions around the island....

Mike our representative from our resort showed us around Mahon and a visit to the local gin distillery where we sampled Pomada and a range of other liqueurs.  We visited Modas leather factory and were treated to a fashion show seeing many of their lovely designs.

Mike and Alan as we relaxed by the port

Mike proved to be a font of knowledge about the island, with his generous nature he went out of his way to ensure everyone had a good time.  We accompanied him on the Es Grau Nature walk, which backed onto a beautiful beach, in which the water was not only shallow but extremely warm.

Malakai enjoyed all the attention he got on holiday

with Uncle Sekani and his mum having a swim with his special ring

As in Barbados, Karaoke is popular, Ahisha and Sekani doing a duet

Alan and Sekani taking it in on the Yellow Catamaran - Mahon

breath taking views at Cala Galdana

A visit to Ciutadella and the caves at Cala Morell and a tour of Cala Galdana on Thursday which was our last day was rounded off by a visit Ferreries to see the Fiestas of Sant Bartomeu and the riders as they rode through the village, it was very exciting and was a lovely end to a fun pack break.

I have felt very fortunate to have been able to go away and my mind is now focused on working hard and developing the many ideas that I have been thinking about with my art, it has been great to be back in my studio.....

and getting acquainted with my supplies.  Over the coming weeks will be sharing what I am doing on the 21 Secrets course and also catch up with my contribution to Creating in Faith over at Motley Soul.

 Sekani is now back at school and attending the 6th form - a new adventure and one that awaits many young people who embark on the next stage of their learning, and for all those who have decided to return to study and our prayers continue to cover them for a sound mind and focus on all they have to do.

Blessings always!