A Cross to Bear Journal Page

Time to share another spread in my Dylusions art journal with you and this one was made on the 30th June. It's my favourite thus far in the journal but these were pages that morphed into something totally unexpected seemingly completely without any intention from me. I simply started the pages in my usual manner, with gesso, paints and stencils. All stencils used are by Stencilgirl Products and the main ones I used were the X Rows stencil and the 9 x 12" stencil from the April 2015 Stencilgirl Club.  I added rubber stamping with a French script stamp, imagery from a flowery paper napkin and collaging with vintage images and text.

Then I added the more modern imagery in the form of the fashion model, the clock and the picture of  a painting featuring the Annunciation. The many crosses I had used on the background led me to the words KNOWLEDGE and A Cross to Bear.

It wasn't till the spread was finished that it struck me just how those words also resonated with the Annunciation. By that time the pages were done and I knew that the double entendre had somehow sneaked in when I wasn't paying attention. A sort of message from above you could almost say. Certainly I didn't mean any disrespect. I may not be religious myself but respect the fact that other people are. I like the fact that symbolism crept into my page just like it is on full view on the painting featured. The words on the vintage music too contributed to the meaning in the pages.

To lighten the page I added the three circular cut outs from pictures printed from my own flower photographs by Prinstragram and these then led to the addition of the pink postage stamp.

A lot of outlining with white and black markers was done to finalize the pages as well as additional embellishment with water soluble oil pastels.

It's a page full of meaning for me as well as a colour scheme that makes my heart sing. I keep discovering new delights in it every time I look at it. It confirms my belief that all that layering work is so worthwhile and it also convinces me that the universe speaks to me from within my own art if that doesn't seem too esoteric a way to describe it.