Art Journal Pages

I have been looking back 

through some of my ever growing collection of art journals

 and I thought I would share some images.

I often do a page when I come across a great QUOTE. 

Something to help me remember it.

I first found this quote when I was making a card for a friend, 

I made her the card and a lovely gift for her birthday 

and the very next day she ended our friendship. 

I wonder if she didn't like my quote.

I am very inspired by the GODDESS.

By all the archetypal stories and legends 

and often explore these themes in my journals.

I am a TREE lover.

Every few pages another tree tends to grow in my journals.

They are the garden of my imagination.

The FEMALE NUDE  is another favorite theme,

this one was in a particularly textured stage.

It's like instant rewind, 

looking back through my journals

 and I can see the stages I was in at that time.

This page was unusual for me as I don't tend to draw angels,

I was playing around with halo's on everything around this time

 and it may have been inspired by a class or a video I had seen at the time.

A scrappy collage all messy and shabby.

I love doing pages like this.

When I have a pile of scraps 

on my table that is when a page like this evolves.

EARTH

Another passion of mine, 

all things earthy and great big boulders stacked up.

Oh look another TREE

this one inspired by the masterful

Gustav Klimt.

BIRDS

 are another beautiful theme I like to explore.

and 

WINDOWS 

and 

DOORS

Just what is out there on the other side ? 

I think its the architectural shapes and the symmetry that I like here.

International Art Journal Swap

I have recently shared with you my Totem Animals Journal

that I have traveling with the 15 swap.

I also have another journal out there traveling the world,

This is my Sacred Feminine Journal.

I made and decorated its cover

 and introduction pages and sent it on its way.

It has been journeying since 2010

In the

  International  Art Journal Circle Swap

I included a gift of an ATC 

for each contributor in my journal.

This is a spread I did in

 Pearls beautiful

"Poems, Quotes and Verses" Journal

A section of my contribution in 

Milliande's "Connections"

I did a tree of life

inspired by Climt

in Claresters 

"Life on Earth" Journal

Euphaeidae chose a theme close to my heart

Feminine Fertility

So I loved playing in her journal

 and made some interactive pages

And here I have a basket full of journals

 to play in over the next while.

I thoroughly enjoy playing in these traveling journals

and I am eagerly awaiting the day they arrive back home

carrying all the art and dreams my fellow artists have shared.

Mother Earth ATC swap - part 10

A tribe of beautiful Earth Mothers
arrived here today
from the gorgeous and talented Mel-made,
just 5 or so hours down the road
from me in beautiful Elands, NSW.

Mel's package even smells divine
and her gorgeous cards are made
using acrylic paints, felt tip markers ,
inktense pencils and gel pens.


Thanks Mel for your lovely cards.


Accompanying them in our letterbox
was a lovely package from
Cindy Riordan in Mokena, IL, USA.


Cindy's lovely cards feature cute little girls
in animal dress ups


Cindy's cards are sweet and whimsical and adorable.
Thanks so much Cindy for joining our swap.

ATC swap- Dreams

This months ATC challenge
over at Willowing
is on the theme of DREAMS.


I have found this theme rather challenging and have started quite a few cards, so I was delighted when my gorgeous prize pack arrived from Artchix studio just bursting with inspiration. I adore seahorses and once I had a seahorse in my dream I was off on a piratical adventure.


My swap partner this month is the very talented
Laurie Sikorowski
and you can visit her Illustration site to see her lovely work.


And these are my 2 greatest creations :-)
doing a spot of research for our next oceanic adventure.

Sneek Peek at my Jacaranda Goddess works

I am working on a body of work inspired by the sacred feminine, some of these works will be selected for exhibition in this years annual Jacaranda Exhibition as part of the Jacaranda Festival. I have been exploring textures using hand made papers, collage and including fabrics, looking at ancient images and symbolism and creating hand carved stamps, printing plates and hand made stencils, doing lots of fine detailed drawings and also creating small felted dolls.
This body of work includes mixed media pieces, hand made art journals, a large and very interesting interactive canvas panel, some sculptural prices and a few other surprises.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

The lovely Monika
from Stories of Pearls and Plunder
is hosting a really fun
international ATC swap
over at Milliande's Art Community for Women.


The theme for this swap is
"Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil"


Initially I was rather challenged
coming up with an idea or a theme,
I was thinking about moonlight and snakes and bats and owls,
that's what I have in my garden in the moonlight.


I started to play around with various materials
and I came up with a background
that suggested midnight and moon light to me.
And Witches :)


I started with a sheet of floral/
garden theme scrap booking paper
and I screwed it up into a ball,
then I unfolded it and added some texture
across the high points with a black stamp pad
I repeated the screwing up
and inking process with a dark purple,
then I flattened it all out by hand
and applied a thin coat of Atelier
interactive acrylics in pthalo blue


Next I drew onto the papers with Zig Vellum Writers
and gel pens, I also collaged on the full moons
with some wonderful old wallpaper I found a roll of
on a recent op shop trip.

They still didn't sing so
I decided I wanted wrought iron garden gates
but how on earth would I make them?
I discovered some paper doily's
in my papers and thought they just might do,

So I coated them with impasto gel
and a few coats of black gesso.
That did the trick and they were much stronger.
So I hung my gates and my ATCs are ready to go.


These 2 are snuggled into there plastic sleeves
ready to go out into the world.


I always make one or 2 extra ATCs,
and these I keep in my own collection.

Summer Song ATC swap @ Willowing

I recently spent 9 wonderful weeks on a road trip with my 2 home-schooled sons, just the 3 of us on the road and we had a fabulous time traveling through 3 states in Australia, but I missed my art so was very keen to get back into it when we came home.


The wonderful Tam at Willowing
was hosting an Artist Trading Card swap
with the theme of "Summer Song"


So I signed up and got started on these cards.
I made all 4 in one piece and then I cut them to size.

Materials used were aged book papers from a book about opera
with music and words on the pages. I drew on a happy sun and used some rubber stamps and coloured them with Caran d'Ache Neocolours, gel pens and Zig Vellum Writers.

I was partnered with Kyles for this swap
and you can see the gorgeous ATCs
she made for me over at her blog - Blissful Pumpkins
so I have sent 2 of these cards down to her in Victoria,
and it is Winter in Australia
so we need these little rays of sunshine
even more than our fellow ATC swappers
in the northern hemishpere.

Grafton Regional Gallery exhibition June 2011

The Grafton Art Club
currently has an exhibition on at the local art gallery in the studio
and I was lucky enough to have 6 of my works selected for this exhibition.
3 mixed media works , 2 on wood blocks
~"Dark Angel" and "Hand of Fortune"
and one on an interesting shaped canvas panel
"Oh my Goddess"
.
A pen and ink drawing "Cosmos"


"Goddess" from a recent print making spree


Another printed goddess,
this time onto calico to become a cover for a hand made journal.