L'Art de Vivre

When I made the spread I posted here yesterday I noticed that there were only 2 spreads left in my Dylusions art journal. They were beckoning me to finish the journal this year.  I made the above pages yesterday and I will do the last spread within 2015! I wish I could leave those uber ambitions behind me but they seem to be too deeply ingrained.

Today is also an anniversary of sorts for me as it was exactly 36 years ago that I first came to the UK. Not in a VW van, I'm sad to say, but a bit of poetic licence is what art is all about. It was a very stormy crossing!!! Fortunately I don't suffer from seasickness. I think I can truly say that I didn't fully embrace l'art de vivre (the art of living) till I landed on British soil. I do always remember it. It's one of those dates stamped somewhere on my heart. It hasn't always been plain sailing but I have never regretted it either.

The background of the spread was made with a variety of paint colours and again using the large stencil from the Stencilgirl Club December 2015. Before I even used the paints I had already stamped on the pages using another 2 rubber stamps designed by France Papillon for Stampotique (Rusted Rivets and French Journal Page). I just love her designs. The twigs with buds came from a paper napkin. The van came (appropriately!) from a Dutch magazine, while the lad up the tree is vintage and the woman from the latest issue of Vogue. A strange mix but somehow they work together to tell my story.

 The wise owl knows what it all means!

I think that in all those years I have mastered the art of living and also of living my art. There was yet another reminder today that our lives are incredibly fragile (it has been a sad year in that respect) and that we have no control over how long it lasts. That means it is even more important that we make our days count and not let the years fly by mindlessly. Every day matters and for me it is my art that matters most.