Getting side tracked

Yup that's me, wandering off, creatively speaking.

I know it has been a while since I have blogged but don't think that means I haven't been up to much. Conversely it usually means I have been so busy I just haven't managed to get around to it yet. Such is the case at this point in time. As you all know I have been busily engaged in the Pulp Redux collaboration with 4 other fabulous artists and I'm having a wonderful time doing so, but every now and then one needs to recharge one's creative batteries and take a sideways step into something else for a wee while. I seem to have had little time for journalling lately, in part as I am getting short of journalling pages, (I know can you believe it!!!), so it was time to take a creative break from the book collaboration and spend some time making myself a new journal to play in.

I decide to enjoy a little encaustic play with this one and I think I might be doing a few of these for a while, I LOVE them!


I think I have a bit of a thing for wax!


LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that texture!


I just love the way it feels under my fingers.



This one is quite a big one, 8 x 10 but that's all the more room to play in!




The cover is not a flat encaustic finish but undulates with the items embedded in the wax, but not enough to be a problem when using the book. I really like this imperfect type of finish and the textured results it gives and how it feels to the touch.

Background is clear encaustic wax, acrylic paints, ink, tissue paper, transfers, photograph, fabric, feathers, leaves and bark. Items which represent the usual wandering of my mind which translate into journal entries.
Coptic binding so it opens nice and flat and a heavy weight water colour paper for fun journal play.

Now if only I could stop touching the front cover long enough to do something on the inside, LOL!

Crashing Back into Reality

Well unfortunately the holiday is over and I find myself crashing back into the world of reality and the demands of full time work. I must devote more time to working out how to earn an income from holiday life. Wouldn't that be wonderful. Unfortunately since I don't, it's back to the grindstone for me! This does not mean that there has been no time for art. On the contrary, I have been completing a couple of projects, which I can't show you yet, and so that means again journal play only to show, well at least for a wee while.
So here we are, the first page in a new journal...
step inside.
Seems an appropriate starting place.






Some play with water colours and acrylics.

And it's on to a collage, I've been headlong into a bit of a poetry plunge and this piece has stuck in my head.




I sometimes feel this happens to me. I spend so long immersed in the research, techniques or the colours of someone else that my own creativity seems to get bogged down in it all and it fills my head. I am in need of some clear space I think to refresh myself. So there will be no more research for a time just art play to enable me to breathe. I feel better already!

Remembering Leo

It's been a lazy beginning to the week, now that I'm on holidays. Oh yeah, kicking back and relaxing, arting when I want, watching a few movies and generally not doing too much, at least so far. Now if only I could work out how to get paid for doing this I'd be in heaven! So while relaxing I've been taking a few lessons from Ann Baldwin's book 'Creative Paint Workshop for Mixed Media Artists'. Great book! Did I mention it's a great book? I did, well truthfully well deserved too. I do love Ann's collage work, and rarely do I find that these type of books live up to the my hopes for them, but this one! Worth every cent if you're into paint techniques for mixed media and collage! It's a wonderful place to begin anyway. So I been playin'. Have been researching madly for a current project and have a pile of books next to the nightstand as high as the nightstand on the Reanaissance period, my fav historical era. Soo much change in soo little a time period! Have sorted out all the issues for my current work in progress and am now into that, but I'm keeping that a secret at the moment so no peeks, at least not yet, LOL! However, as always the journals a great fallback, so here's the latest journal play.





'Remembering Leo'.



Love Da Vinci, what a fabulous mind. Fancy being clever enough in his day and age to go from paint, to sculpture, to engineering, to anatomy studies and back again! What a talented and inquiring mind he must have had. This page was a direct play from Ann Baldwins book. Her colour palette and style just my subject matter, but I liked it! Pooh, it's my journal and I'll play with what I want!!! (I'm sticking out my tongue and blowing raspberries too, LOL)! Don't know that I've finished with it yet either. I'll just have to wait and see.




'Walking on the Moon'

I've been in love with everything 'spacey' for as long as I can remember. I wonder if it was a direct influence from these guys? I remember watching it all on the tv as a child and being so entranced with the idea that someone was up there walking around as I was looking!
I was a grand 6 years of age (I soo cannot believe I gave my age away! What was I thinking???) and was hooked. I so admire these men, their predecessors and those who came after. I'm probably also a wee bit jealous! I'd go up tomorrow if only NASA would phone and ask!!!
Why haven't they??? Surely they've heard of me!!! LOL! I actually have the original newspaper broadsheets, published at the time. They are yellowing and delicate but I wouldn't part with them for anything! I have copied them and resized them to include here.


Next... onto something a little different.

Some jewelry play. The wonderful Ro Bruhn sent me a pakage a wee while ago and I have slowly been incorporating various of her bits into projects. (OMG, that sounds like I'm some sort of serial killer!!! I apologise to all, believe me, Ro's still out there folks! Alive and well! Trust me, I'm an artist, LOL)

Mwahahahaha, I kill me sometimes!!!


Anyway, the result of playing with beady bits...

Loads of glare when I took the photos. Sorry to all you photography types out there. I so suck at this.
(I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy, much bowing and scrapping, LOL). Loads of glare from the mother of pearl discs, but they are sooo pretty. Every girl needs a bit of bling!




And then a little mixed media piece which I think may turn into a series.





I've been practising my portraits since last we spoke. Slow improvement. Ah well, Rome wasn't built in a day and all that!
Do you see the beatles, LOL! Couldn't help myself! John, Paul, George and Ringo in on the act! Mixed media canvas panel, acrylics, oil pastels, charcoal, ink, sheet music and all four beatles! Wow, should be worth a fortune with all four, LOL! I have been scouring the garden (much to the delight of the cat who has been pouncing about at every opportunity as I rummage amongst the bits) for the right kind of beetle but, it's winter here, a disctinct lack of buggy bits in the yard at present, especially the already departed type. Couldn't actually kill any for my art now could I! Unthinkable!!! So had to resort to making them from dried beans. Maybe I should watch out for that Jack guy, I hear he has some used beans!


Ahh, I think that's all for now. Gotta get back to my...

well nothing really, but I gotta get back to doin it anyway!!!


I so LOOOOOOVE holidays!

Journal Chillin

It's been a weekend to relax and catchup on a little journal play. I have been so busy recently it was nice to just sit and play at something without any pressures or expectations for a change. I have been reading art books, magazines and blogs and taking a few lessons from them all. So here's the first one. The first page is a sort of hybrid creation after watching Pam Carriker and Sharon Tomlinson create portraits for their journals. I've never been tempted to do a portrait, always felt I couldn't draw for quids, but, in for a penny... (and you have to learn sometime, right? Yeah... right! LOL). So here she is.


She's a little washed out from the scanner, but you get the drift! I can live with her, so that wasn't a complete failure!
(P.S. Ro, notice your fabulous stamp!!! LOVE it!)

Onto the second page... texture play!!! Woohoo!


Again I wanted to try something completely new, so, I'm gazing into the garden comtemplating the trees and what captures me...
Bark!!! Hmmm, must be able to use it somehow, what about a major texture play. Incorporate as much as I think the journal will hold up to without completely caving in! So off I went. Tissue paper and gel medium. Modelling paste with background and foreground stamping (I told you I love this poppy stamp Ro!!!). Then sheet music and gel again, then layers of acrylics and oils, followed by gel and bark. Add a few words and the piece d' resistance (did I spell that right???) wax!!! Oh yeah baby it sneaks in again! Gotta say I love, love, love the feel of the page, can't stop touching it! (Makes me sound a bit suspect really, but you know how it is with us texture peoples, LOL) Not an earth shattering picture but the texture... drool!




Okay Kim, wipe your drool up and move on!

And finally the outpourings from too much time spent at NASA/JPL's website.
The eye of the universe. Read into this piece what you will, I'm not influencing your take on this one!


The orange is actually copper but once again I succumb to crappy photography skills. Perhaps I should have stuck to reading photography for dummies instead!

Deep Digger

Over on Viv Bonder's website she has started a journal challenge, dig deep, or deep diggers. (Click on the link to go see Viv's amazingly inspiring site). There are inspirations provided, something to help you dig deep, those things which challenge, hide, inspire, motivate, and affect us in some way. The nitty gritty of our lives, or perhaps just a colour or thought and what does this evoke in you? I decided to join, afterall this is for me a year of growth, both in myself and my art, so both feet in and splash! Here's the first one- honesty. Well thats a hell of a prompt Viv. Lots of stuff associated with this word, some good, some great, some... other things. So here's the page.



Oh, yeah, this was more of a challenge than I originally anticipated. I could have written all the nice cutesy stuff, but that isn't what this was about for me. Although I haven't talked about specific things here, and it's not about revealing hidden closet skeletons or such like, (no there aren't any weird or wonderful skeletons trying to get out either!!!), the word was more confronting than I anticipated. That was good though, liberating really, so that was what it was about. Honesty is liberating!
Let me know what you think. Be honest!
Liberate yourself too! :)

Icarus Rises

Time for a journal page post. Its been a while and I have been so busy but I have finally gotten around to completing this months journal challenge at Blue Bazaar. The challenge- transfers. All different types just pick and choose and jump right in. Well splash!!! I did of course and decided on attempting an inkjet transfer. I think I must thrive on challenges because for some reason this became one! Harder to get a good result than I would have liked but finally I am happy enough with it all. I found it worked best if I applied the gel medium to both the background and the transfer. Dont play with it too much and dont over apply the gel and have it slip all over the place. The transfer looks very white here but I kept the background behind the transfer white deliberately to enhance this aspect, as the picture is of a marble statue so I wanted it this way. The background is made from some lovely papers from Ro Bruhn (thanks Ro), acrylics texture paste and twinkling H2O's. I have over painted the transfer a little with acrylics to highlight some of the areas but only a little. It is much more rose-gold in person but the camera insited on seeing only the fiery colours and leaving out the rest:( Oh well, such is life, or at least my photography ability. LOL.




Oh I forgot to mention I threw in a few feathers, but you could see that anyway!

Darwins Adopted!

Well sometimes I just crack myself up! Not sure others will get my weird sense of humour though. I have admired Marsha Jorgensen's art for some time now and admit to stalking her blog over at Tumble Fish Studios. I love the colour and techniques in her work (and can only wish I had half the talent occupying her little finger!) and so I decided to borrow her style (and I say that very loosely Marsha) and have a play. Here he is, poor Darwin! I read this funny quote from Steven Wright about his theory of Darwin being adopted (tongue in cheek I guess as he is a very funny comedian) and couldn't help myself, so here he is, captured at the moment he finds out. Of course Larry the fish just had to tell him, he can't let the poor fellow go through life not knowing can he! Acrylics, watercolours, collage elements, papers, stamping with Stazon and journalling .

I have been having a little journal playing. Yes, yes I know you got that! It was time for my February page for the Blue Bazaar journal challenge and here it is. This month saw the prompt in the form of a variety of images to choose from. I only used the triangular shapes and the words 'art journal' from the prompts. Funny but this page was just screaming to get out and ran onto the page as fast as I could get it down. Love it when that happens! Maybe because its just simple, no mucking around being the perfectionist this time as I am want to do then become very disappointed later! More of this I say! Yes, I like this fast flowing work!

Pretty simple as I said . Acrylic background some paper collage elements, more paint washing and splattering then a fiddle with the journalling pen and voila! If only all of life could be so simple and such fun!

On another note the secret project is growing, so well in fact it's much bigger then my original intention, as sometimes these things are want to do, it has taken on a life of it's own. I am happy with the progress however, maybe I'll put in a few sneaky peeks soon. Don't want to blow the suprise for the recipient!

Journal Journey's

Well I have decide that this year will be dedicated to learning, both in a professional and artistic sense. On a professional level I will finish my Diploma of Early Childhood this year, yahoo, but also artistically I have decided to spend time learning all I can and so have signed up for the journal challenge over on the Blue Bazaar website. There are many of us and already I am amazed at the pages that have been done. Prompts in style and techniques will be offered each month and it is just wonderful to see how each person has interpreted these ideas and the amazing page each person has created. This months prompts were to create an abstact background and to draw something. Shock, horror, my heart is pounding! Did I hear draw!!! The mere mention of the word draw in relation to some artistic thing I would be involved in turns my insides to water! Me, who draws the world's most challenged stick figures! Well I did say it would be a learning curve. Time to tighten the belt and get brave, or at least down a quick drink of one's favourite poison and pretend! And so to battle!

Here is my January page. The background is a watercolour paper, covered in gesso, texture paste and acylics. I then used tissue papers, gel medium and stamping to create the weed look. The fish is my drawing (well there's a suprise!), also on watercolour paper. Painted in acrylics then embossed and adhered to the background with gel medium. The doors are a collage item adhered with gel medium as well. The word bubbles are created separately on watercolour paper, coloured, text applied then coated in dimensional magic then adhered to the background. Lots of fun and I did enjoy the process more than I thought I would after I finally sorted my head around the whole drawing thingy. Of course the original ideas I had were quite different, but as is often the case with art, it develops a life of its own and becomes something quite different from the original idea. So there, the first one done and not too bad I think, well at least I can live happily with it and thats what counts! This however is not the only journal challenge I have set myself this year. I have also set myself to doing some collage journal work as a personal challenge and so have embarked on another separate journal to explore collage work in. That's right I am running two completely different journals at the same time. I do love a challenge! The one over on Blue Bazaar is more about techniques etc while the second collage journal is a bit more personal. Here's a peek...

and the next...

Well there you have it, the start of an interesting time, well for me anyway. The collage process was loads of fun and quite theraputic really. I really enjoyed this process from beginning to end and am keen to do more. Let me know what you think I would love to hear your comments.

On another note entirely this is not all for the year. No, the year will not only be about journal journeys, this alone would not sustain my interest and too much is already floating about in this head of mine to stop there. The secret project is coming along well and I am enjoying that journey as well, but... more of that at a later date.