Starting Over Studio

Hello to all! Hope you’re having an awesome week!

Today I’m happy to share one of my recent journal pages, which is featured in my friend Kim Rae Nugent’s newest book, Journal Starters: Nature Backgrounds, Textures, & Collaborations.

This page is called “Storm Clouds,” and was created earlier this year in response to a highly negative and stressful situation at work. I really don’t know a kinder, gentler way to describe what was going on, except to say that the proverbial sh** was about to hit the fan, and there was no way to hide or escape from it. I knew I had no choice but to take a stand for what was right, and it tied me up in knots for a long time. Thankfully, asserting myself gave me the confidence to fight for the opportunity to leave the chaos, and today the future looks significantly brighter.

This page was created with vintage book pages, patterned paper, gesso, acrylic paint, stamped punchinella and bubble wrap, rub-ons, stickers, found poetry, a date stamp, pigment ink, pens, and an image from the Journal Starters book.

Kim’s book is now available for purchase at Amazon.com.

Thanks for giving me the opportunity to share my work with you! It is indeed one of my most favorite and enjoyable parts of being an artist!

Have a wonderful week! 🙂

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!

Happy Thursday to all!

I’ve been on summer break for a week, and slowly but surely I’ve returned to the studio. It feels wonderful to be back, and to have long, uninterrupted stretches of time in which to create again.

Today I began working in a new art journal, and thoroughly enjoyed getting lost for a couple of hours in the process of finishing its first page. It’s called “Baggage,” and it started with a free-association writing activity in which I reflected on some issues and emotions that I’ve been hauling around with me, which have been weighing me down for quite awhile. I first jotted down some musings on the blank page, and then proceeded to cover it with colorful layers of collage, paint, and ink.

I think each and every one of us has “stuff” in our lives that we hold on to and are prone to carry with us from place to place, even though we understand it probably isn’t in our best interest to continue doing so. This “stuff” may even get in the way of us moving forward in our lives. We know we should let it go–but of course, this is always much easier said than done. The “baggage” consists of the remnants and residue of our past experiences, good and bad–and it’s been with us so long, that we feel it’s indeed part of who we are. The memories, marks, and scars attached to our “baggage” may never completely disappear–but sometimes we can change how we perceive them. I definitely could change the way I look at certain circumstances of the past–but admittedly it’s really hard and slow work. This page is about that struggle within.

This page was created with collaged paper, acrylic paint, spray inks, stencils, dye and pigment inks, rubber stamps, Washi tape, rub-ons, stickers, a date stamp, pens, and a magazine image.

Can’t wait to start another page–and to share it with you here! Have a great weekend!