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!

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!

Caught in The Fabric

Those of you who viewed the post about what is on your inspiration board may have noticed on mine the images of a star system, time pieces and eyes (in the lower left hand corner). I have always been fascinated by anything remotely linked to the solar system, astronomy and like sciences. Oh, I can't tell you which star is which, or the like, but the exploration of it, how it was and is continuing to form, and the science of it's exploration is an endless source of fascination to me. I am happy wrapped up and watching film documentaries about missions such as Voyager and Cassini or Solar eruptions etc. This inevitably leads me to reading about other interesting things, like time, and relativity, (although I am the first to tell you I don't have any clue about understanding the physics of it all, it is just, well, fascinating!) Anyway I have been spending much of my spare (oh hahahah) time cruising around the NASA/ JPL web site in seventh heaven admiring the image resources. So what does this have to do with anything I hear you say, well not much but you know how it goes... once it's in there it has to get out, somewhere! And art is such a great way to digest everything. Roll it around and chew it up, LOL! So here is the result...




"The Fabric of Time" 14''x18''



The background is collage with acrylic washes and masking then a layer of clear wax. (Watch out everyone, I am also currently obsessed with wax, Umm, in an arty way of course. This is not the forum for discussion of other wax related topics! LOL)
Then the addition of some mixed media elements.


A closer view.

And one of the background. I know you can't see the wax but trust me, it's there. Lovely tactile experience too, I think I'm hooked!

If you're interested in visiting the NASA /JPL images page click on the link, but be warned...
Be prepared to invest some time...
It's fascinating!