the Movie, A Single Man

A beautiful, intelligent, wonderfully acted, well realized movie about loss, loneliness, isolation and love.

We went yesterday and I highly recommend it.

What Have you Eaten Now?

About a month ago the neighbours' bunny had been missing for a few days when my Beloved called out to me one morning "I found Donut".

"Is she alive?" I asked. He didn't answer so I came out to see one of the neighborhood pythons very big and full lying in front of our outdoor dunny. The python remained there for two weeks, digesting.

This morning my Beloved called me out again. We think this is a different, smaller python. It is about 6 foot long, not very big. I imagine it has eaten a rat or something as he isn't near as large as the previous one. Maybe a couple of rats?
I think the kookaburras were hassling it, so he slowly made his way into the bush.

Nolly Posh Game: Some People may Say I am a little Strange

I am playing the Nolly Posh Game: Some people may say I am a little strange:

Then you list 10 things.

1. A psychic healer told me years ago that I have two angels with me. I still believe it.

2. I used to paint angels though I found it embarrassing (and also loved it).

3. I love people, but don't expect me to remember your name or where I know you from.

4. I believe everything is alive.

5. I talk to everything (see above.)

6. I have a stuffed mouse that rides in the car with me for company. (He is alive too after all.)

7. I am very possessive of my food.

8. I cannot help you with anything practical.

9. If you ask me normal stuff, I might appear a bit stupid. But I am not really.

10. If you ask me spiritual or psychological stuff, I might appear a bit wise. But I am not that either.

11. I love all my students. I don't know how that works, but it is cool.

Okay, now it's your turn. Play with me!

Don't forget to link. (do less than 10 things if you need to.)

Sarah Blasko

I love the video even more than the music.

a Little Conversation

I have been feeling inadequate and anxious lately about what I think I have to do to further my career as an artist. Feeling that what I am doing is not enough. Feeling that I am not enough.

When I feel confused or unsure I have a certain writing process that I do to get answers.

I am not really sure how to explain it.

Is it channeling? Am I talking to my higher self? I am not sure. My preference is to imagine that I am talking to my angels, but the truth is that I don't know. I just know that the advice is good and very loving - and wiser than my own thoughts.

Here is how it went. It began with them(?) speaking.

We are in agreement that the society you live in is not very healthy. So why, if one of your most important values is to contribute to healing and transforming that culture, would you worry about learning the rules of how to succeed within that culture?

Because I am imagining that I need some kind of success/power within that culture in order to be heard?

And what do you think your chances are? Of learning how society works and then succeeding that way?

I think I have probably learned pretty much to my capacity. To really go down the route of meeting the 'right' people and making advantageous connections I would need a personality implant. I think if I succeed in a public sense, it will be through my pathways and talents of synchronicity, intuition, divine help and luck.

So why are you torturing yourself?

Good question. Habit?

Wednesday Art Journal Prompt

My Art Journaling class is on Easter break, so I am back to blogging Wednesday prompts for them. Please feel free to join in.

This week's prompt can be ongoing; meaning that you can do it daily. Write down three things that you are grateful for. Be specific. Don't write: good friends. Write: I am grateful for my friend Sally's willingness to take the kids when I need a break. Being specific does two things, it makes you think about why you are grateful and it helps with not repeating yourself. Write the 3 things every day and try not to repeat yourself. I have been doing it most days. It is a lovely way to remember and end my day.

Which Art Journal Would You Choose?

I have filled the last pages of my art journal with backgrounds, and it is almost complete.

It's time to decide on my new art journal.

I recently completed making another handmade journal from Comfortable Shoes' workshop Make your Own Journal (highly recommended by the way.) I made it with Canson watercolour paper. I sewed postal bag stuff over the posterboard cover, I don't know what it's made of -but it's tough. I like the rugged, recycled look.

The cover before I sewed it together. There is gesso and collage underneath the postal bagging stuff.

You can see how I sewed the cover. The little corners are protected. I like the soft cover because it weighs less than my hardback journals.

I might use this one next, even though it's a little smaller than I would like. I like changing sizes.

Here are the journals that I have to choose from:

Oh, the one on the top left is my present journal (see top photo). It's there for size comparison. The other collaged journal on the bottom left is another handmade journal. I don't really like the guady covers. I wasn't thinking about what I wanted in a journal when I made them.

Which one would you choose?

Art Journal Backgrounds Printing with Gesso Resist

I am really enjoying making art journal backgrounds using gesso resist. I thought I would show you a few and tell you how I make them.

Below is a background that I did using leaves. I painted the leaf with gesso and then printed the page with it. After the gesso was dry, I painted over the top with watered down green acrylic paint. I brushed some on and then wiped it with a paper towel. That lessens the brush marks and helps it to dry quickly.

Without worrying about if the first layer of paint was dry, I took the paper towel and smudged on some burnt sienna. The contrast of the warm against the cool colour gives a nice feeling of depth.

On this background I used a fern. First I placed the fern on the page and held it there while I painted over the top with gesso. Then I picked the fern up and printed the next page with the fern. After the gesso was completely dry I painted over the top with watered down alizarin crimson acrylic paint. You could probably use watercolours just as well. I prefer the acrylic because I can paint several layers and don't have to worry that the next layer will pick up the previous one.

The girl is a drawing that I did in my moleskine, then photocopied and collaged it onto the background.

With this final background, I started with two prompts we had done in my art journaling class. I had written them on graph paper, so I tore them out and glued them onto the page with matt gel medium.

I printed the pages with roses painted with gesso and after drying followed that with red paint mixed with a touch of white and then a few spots of ultramarine.

You could print pages with lots of things: stamps, found objects like buttons and bottle caps, chipboard shapes, paper cutouts, anything. Link back and let me see what you do.