the farmer's market & prayer

It's been a rough few weeks,
lots of company plus a major fibro flare-up
but Autumn is here at last
and I'm ready to create art again!

On the first day of autumn

my friend Kathryn & I went 

to the farmers market.

Kathryn came home with raw goat milk
which is delicious by the way;

but i came home with this handmade journal

it's unusual in that i havent' seen one

that opens from the top of the book

both the front and back cover are the same

the inside paper is recyled

I've attempted a store bought art journal before

but basically it's rather haphazard & all over the map,

 just sketches,  a bit of color testing and i ashamedly
 admit to using it's pages for a shopping list.

However this journal has given me a theme for my art...

"Prayer" so this journal will be filled with
art inspired by Scripture and the Spiritual life.

With matte medium, i glued  sets of 2 pages into 1

and gessoed them. From  the looks of these
 they will need another coat of gesso.

and i added to the inside covers

a page from an 1866 German Devotional

and 1907 book "Festival Prayers, Day of Atonement" in Hebrew

 Although i'm  just beginning this

i feel confident that this is just the book

i needed to really get going with an art journal!

~

and on a side note, 

a while back i won a garden cross created by 

Peggy Gatto, and at long last here is a picture of it!

Thank you Peggy!! :)

continuing in the abstract

In a recent post, "becoming Brave HeArted" I wrote how "i'm trying to be brave enough to listen  to the voice that's deep inside trying to get out, not to hold back and be safe.... & as i do, i see my art getting more expressive, bolder and more abstract!" here's my next piece.....

This mixed media painting is on the large side for me, 6x6 inches, box canvas with 1 1/2 in deep sides that are painted.
I re-learned  an important lesson the hard way with this one.  When i first did this, my heart was pounding wildly at how perfectly the painting captured my vision, and then i did what i told myself i would never do again.... i thought  "what if i add...."; and it wasn't bad, but then i had to add to that, and then by my third addition i hated it.
So after kicking myself, i started fresh & when my heart was happy once more i STOPPED! :)
i just hope i don't fall off the wagon & start doing the "what ifs" again!

And on a side note  Peggy Gatto was having a "Garden Cross Give-Away" and i was one of the winners!  What a wonderful way to kick start July!!  Thank you Bunches Peggy!!! :D