Sarracenia

Have you tried that technique where you dip some string into the paint, loop it around on your page, close the page and pull out the string?

It is quite fun and gives wildly varied results.

This page instantly reminded me of another much-loved hobby of mine and that is growing carnivorous plants. I don't really go in for the fly traps, I am not exactly sure why maybe they are a bit fiddly to grow, maybe they are not quite as attractive to my eye but I do love all of the pitcher plants- they are so dramatic, often having gorgeous colours and my very favourite is the Nepenthes  but the Sarracenia is a close second.

This is a photo from Tom's Carnivores

I love the variety in their beautiful forms, colours and patterns and I also love how playing in your art journal can uncover images just waiting for you to 'find' them. Working intuitively and without any desired outcome allows us to tap into our subconscious mind, that vast reservoir inside of us that is like an iceberg- so often we are only tapping into the tip that is above the waterline, it is all we can see and we are blinded by its brilliance. 

As I was 'finding' those pitcher plants that were really very obvious to my conscious mind/eye I was pondering the sticky situations we can get drawn into in life. How we can become stuck and lose touch with our self, lose self-knowing and lose touch with our real feelings. Too busy dealing with all the 'sticky' to be able to connect with self.

Art journalling to the rescue-  I began free writing ways I can get unstuck, thinking I could be like the little frogs who catch bugs right inside the pitcher plants and how I can take my life circumstance and use them to appreciate myself and my life more. How can I address some of those stuck patterns and change them?