I walked into my art studio this morning to find it quite full of the beginnings, middles and ends of all sorts of projects and shows I've been part of the past few months.
Rather than spend my morning cleaning up the mess I decide I would rather start an art journal page. I know this will help settle my anxiety a bit because looking at the mess is giving me a bit of "itchiness" in my heart and soul. I know I need to put things away and it isn't as overwhelming as it seems. I also know to trust my gut when it comes to my creativity so I listened and cleared a space on my table.
I found my art journal and gathered some basic art journaling supplies to begin. I've got white gesso, fluid matte medium, a variety of paints, paintbrushes, pencils, pens, papers, and me! I like to art journal in the fall and winter with a cup of tea and the first spark of creative magic flickered when I saw my bowl of teabags by the kettle. When I make a cup of tea I save the used teabags in a little bowl. When they're dry I remove the little staple or string, carefully open the bag, discard the tea leaves and I'm left with a piece of tea-dyed paper I can use in my art journal. The magic? I've got something unique that was part of my routine.
While I'm in the kitchen, I notice some shadows outside on my patio so I take my art journal outside and trace some of those lines onto my page with a charcoal pencil. More magic? I love finding inspiration in my routine.
Returning to my art journaling table I have a few lines on my page and some teabags. First things first, I slow down my thoughts, listen to a short meditation and then turn on some soulful, inspiring music.
Starting simply, making one small decision at a time, I begin to paint some gesso around the lines and they smear into a soft gray. I choose a color (not a color palette, just one color) and paint into one of the shapes. I choose another color and continue painting. I limit myself at this point to three colors plus white. I find some papers with similar muted colors and add them to the page. I continue adding papers, painting shapes, adding my teabags and finally painting some areas with black gesso.
And that's where I ended after a 2 hour art journaling session! I like it a lot but I think I could go further, deeper, stronger. I want to find more meaning in it. Who is that girl and what is she thinking. I'm going to let it sit and see what creative magic appears next! Stay tuned for part 2 of this blog post next week.
Two new pieces in my signature style! These are abstract acrylics measuring 40"w x 30"h and are priced at $1500 each on my website. Use the coupon code 'Freeship23' for free shipping!
Wrap Me In Forever
Feel Your Sunshine
Let me know if you've got any questions or just want to chat!
In gratitude,
Susie Zol
I love this Susie!! Thank you for sharing!