Hope you’re all having a wonderful Father’s Day weekend!

Yesterday I completed the second page in my new art journal, which is entitled, “Don’t You Forget.”

The page was inspired by some free-association writing that I’d completed on the paper prior to creating art on it. I’ve been doing a lot of this lately; it allows me to get some thoughts off my chest and at the same time provides a nice underlayer of texture that can peek through subsequent layers of paint.

The page was created with various collaged papers, Washi tape, acrylic paint, spray inks, stencils, pigment ink, rubber stamps, bubble wrap, India ink, alcohol ink, stickers, found text, pens, a cutout from a magazine ad, and a portion of a vintage photograph.

I’ve never been an individual enthusiastic about change, especially when it comes to my family relationships and friendships. Unfortunately, change is the one constant in life. People undergo change as they pass through life, and sometimes when we love and care deeply for them, it’s very difficult to understand and to accept that things are not as they used to be. What we thought we knew and what we fervently believed to be true about them can suddenly turn out to be very different in reality, and we are caught off-guard. Consequently, a valued relationship may be altered in a manner in which we never anticipated, in a positive or negative way–or may simply fade.

Somehow, the uncomfortable, almost shocked look in the woman’s eyes seemed ideal for this page, as did the pocket watch, which was clipped from a magazine and represents the element of time, a powerful change agent in all of our lives.

I hope you all have a great weekend, and that you are able to enjoy it with people you love!