We have Thought

The result of doing so many art classes this year will be that you get to see the results here. Outside is a white world and big fat juicy flakes came down during the dog walk. So romantic. It looks like the snow has set in for the day. The studio becomes a cosy retreat after facing the wintry conditions. It's time to show you my contribution for The Documented Life Project 2016. Remember this is now a paid-for class and there is still plenty of time to sign up. I am not going to participate in the Planner part of the project but somehow the weekly prompts keep drawing me in and I will try and keep up as best I can although some weeks doing 2 art journal spread (for DLP16 as well as Colour Me Positive) might be a bit too much. The winter months are good in that respect. Not much incentive to venture forth outside hence lots of studio time.

The January theme for DLP16 remains: Going out on a limb: trying something new. The challenge is: Choose a quote and cover all but one word. Best to admit immediately that I didn't stick to that!

I started with a painted background and added further texture by using stencils ( the small stencil from the September 2015 club, and the Just Breath a Serene Goddess one, both from Stencilgirl). I also added rubber stamping using a face from Plate 49 Thoughts by Cherry Pie Art Stamps.

The collage images came next. The white figure is going out on a limb, leaving the page towards freedom (she is a composite of a body from a magazine and a head from a painting). It seems like the holy statue is looking at her jealously. At least that was my interpretation after the spread was finished. It's amazing how whole stories pop up on your own pages seemingly without your knowledge. Other collage elements come from my under paper ( the paper on my worktable that catches all the paint drops and on which I dry my stencils etc.).

I added circles that I had coloured in with colouring pencils. I outlined various things with black and white markers.

The quote I choose came from a very small stamp and it's from the Buddha: " All that we are is the result of what we have thought". It was virtually unreadable at that size but I felt it needed a more prominent position so I wrote it alongside the circles. That to my mind finished the spread and covering up anything would have taken away from the pages. The spread was done in the 8 x 8" Dylusions journal. It is my plan to use that for all my Documented Life spreads this year.