In Plain Sight ~ Spiritual Art Journal Painting

Hello Creative Friends!

It's been ages since I updated my blog. In April, my husband and I began our nomadic lifestyle. It happened quite suddenly, but after a bumpy start, we are very content living a life of constant change. We've lived in Arkansas, U.P. Michigan, and two national parks - Grand Canyon (AZ) and Big Bend (TX). While my artmaking has slowed way down due to so many moves, my creative tank is filled from all the beautiful scenery. This summer, I was able to do a little plein air painting, but mostly I've photographed scenes from road trips, hikes, etc.

I recently ordered some new art supplies to help jumpstart my creativity. Last week, I had a chance to play with my new Qor Watercolors and mediums. After doing a few experiments, I spontaneously painted this picture in my art journal. It started from my imagination, but as I completed it, I referenced a few of my recent photos from Big Bend.

In Plain Sight ~ Sandra L. Martin

As some of you know, art is part of my spiritual practice. I view it as a physical act of worship and prayer. I often pray before I paint and listen for additional insight through the process. It is safe to say that the Holy Spirit is my Muse, giving gentle guidance and divine inspiration.

At first, I was simply capturing the desert landscape. I had fun using dimensional grounds to add texture to the grasses and sagebrush. I painted some interesting clouds I saw recently. Then a special cloud came rolling in on the left. I thought of the cloud of God's Presence that covered the Israelites in the desert, shading them from the heat and guiding them to the Promise Land. Before I knew it, I also drew a clay vessel in the middle of this desert, pouring forth colorful rivers of paint. God reminded me of John 7:38 -

He that believes on me, as the scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (NKJV)

There is also a related passage in Isaiah 44:3 -

For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. (ESV)

I knew also that I was to add a square to the landscape, almost like a viewfinder. Later, it morphed into a plein air easel. The painting blends in with the surrounding landscape. It's there in plain view. I prayed about what to name the painting, and heard "In Plain Sight."

Later that evening, I went to Bible Study. A friend shared an app with me that had several faith-based movies. My eyes grew wide when I saw this title:



Here was a field, with a broken woman who found redemption. I saw the correlation between the broken clay vessel in the desert landscape, also with similar color grasses. I felt God was calling me to pray for those caught in the sex trafficking industry.

Just wanted to share with you. Has the Creator given you direction through your artwork? Has an art journal piece helped unravel a mystery or help you deal with some emotions, work through a problem, etc.? Feel free to share if you're comfortable in the comments below.

For more information on the documentary, In Plain Sight, visit their website.

To read more about the symbol of the Broken Vessel in my artwork, check out my testimony.

Sunday Sentiment ~ "The Best Way to Know God is to Love Many Things" ~ Vincent Van Gogh

A detail from my art journal

Today I'm linking up with Zsuzsa Karoly-Smith, artist and blogger at Inky Dinky Doodle. She hosts a link party called Sunday Sentiments, which is now open monthly rather than weekly.

Full Layout - "To Love Many Things"

These days most of my creative energy is geared towards my art journals. I continue collaging my stash of scraps, which include many sentiments. I love quotes and sometimes saccharine sweet vintage poetry as well. When working on this eclectic layout. I found this quote by Vincent Van Gogh:

The best way to know God is to love many things. 

I knew this familiar quote, but it took on new meaning as I glued down the odd assortment of treasures...at least treasures to me. Packaging from Burt's Bee's Pomegranate Lip Balm framed by paper beads I tightly rolled from recycled magazines...tattered vintage stamps from an old stamp album found in the corner of a flea market...tags from clothing and even my tea bag reminding me to "be yourself." :)

Cute drawing by illustrator of Suzy's Zoo - part of old bulletin board border when I taught daycare.

Recycled Paper Beads smashed flat add raised texture.

I love all these things not only because they inspire me creatively, but they remind me of happy memories or old friends. A writing theme emerged as I put items together in this jigsaw puzzle. I would sometimes blindly grab something from the two or three scrap boxes beside me, and it would end up perfectly fitting this theme.

Part of clothing tag suggests handwriting. A paper bead cut to a point makes a colorful pen. 

The elements began to remind me of two friends I know, both named Abigail. One is a fun-loving mother who writes adventures about cicadas, and one is a teenager with fresh hopes and stars in her eyes. Both are dedicated to their writing craft. Both have potential to change the world and each of them have boundless, God-given creativity. They have each deposited joy in my life, just as their name suggests. 

Take a breath and write.....

For dreamers and poets

In my last chat with the starry-eyed Abigail, she ended with: "I'm thankful for you." Of course this got me misty-eyed. I don't get to see either Abigail very often, but I am thankful for each of them. I told Abby:

When I count my blessings, I count you twice.

Everyone have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Please check back later today for news about a charity art auction I'm holding this week to raise money for orphans and widows in Uganda. They are in need of emergency food and cooking fuel this holiday season.

You can learn more about the Fundraiser here. I will be cross-posting information about the auction on both blogs, or you can "Like" the charity on Facebook at Truth of Wings.

Bye for now!

Sock Monkey says Hi and Goodbye

Sandra Lee

Linking Up:
Sunday Sentiments ~ November @ Inky Dinky Doodle

A Leaf from my Art Journal ~ Early Light and Emergence

"Simple, Beautiful Ideas"

Today I uploaded a YouTube video of my altered art journal which you can view here. I created this journal last month from an old Chris Madden decorating manual. It was one of those types of books that is heavy on the writing but there were very few colored photos. Even though some of the decorating advice is outdated, I hung onto the book because it was such a nice size for a small art journal. Lately, I've enjoyed working in the square format in several altered art journals, including my pictures for the 100 Face Challenge (see my latest blog entry). The small space is less intimidating, and I find myself working very quickly through the pages. I filled half my art journal up in a couple days. 

In the past two weeks, I continue working on blank pages and adding details to others I've already done. I try not to concern myself about making a page "finished", but simply do as much as I want to for a little while, working on multiple pages at a time. 

I love this Star Fruit Stamp

To create the art journal, I took out several pages to reduce bulk using a utility knife. The remaining pages were doubled up using Mod Podge. This created thicker pages. Many pages were also sealed with Mod Podge for the first layer. Some were gessoed as well.

"Early Light" is an inspirational layout exploring color and meditating on God

I've been cutting out many grids lately, influenced by Daisy Yellow's Grid collage. I blogged about this process here. I also cut out images that captured a certain feeling and played with color combinations. The "Early Light" layout, for instance, captures that dreamy feel of sunrise, when you are first waking up and things feel fresh. I even loved using things like the "renew" tag from my morning ginger tea.

This sentimental quote is by Patience Strong from a vintage Ideals magazine

I was able to express visually what is hard to put into words as well. "Early Light" touches on things of the Spirit, but also memories of my late mom. I know I bring her up often on my blog, probably because art touches those deep places of our hearts, including memories of loved ones and even pockets of grief. 

D for Doris, my late mother

I picked up little scraps from my art table when putting this together, including this scrap of alphabet washi tape with the letter D. I put this in the garden with peaceful statue. The words peeking through speak of an "abundance of pillows" (a sign of rest) and this line:

Serene ~ The serene woman likes to spend time quietly enjoying her surroundings. 

Crochet Lace and other bits fill this "mood board"

Another page dealt with some of these themes of loss. "Emergence" is a busy hodge podge of elements. I struggled to find ways to unify them, and ended up using a lot of repetition. It still feels very full, crowded and busy, but this actually reflected my mood at the time. I was full of bottled up thoughts and emotions.

Emergence ~ A Key Word for This Season of Life

 My mom Doris was a crafter and artist in her own right. She saw beauty even in common things, and tried to find ways to use them. Like a magpie, she hoarded anything that sparkled or shined. I found these hearts in several envelopes in her craft stash after she died. They were cut from plastic packaging, potato chip bags, etc. She organized them by color with labels like "Orange Shiny Hearts for Fall Crafts", etc. I lay them on my lap and the hearts just spilled out of the packaging. And of course the tears rolled down because it felt like she was sending me a love letter even though she was gone, or hearts were sprinkling from heaven. 

Mom's Stash of Hearts

I kept these hearts for probably a year before I could feel emotionally ready to actually craft with them. I knew I wanted to use some in this autumn journal, though. I used my hot glue gun to adhere them to the art journal page. I knew the hot glue would react to the plastic, which it did. The hot glue caused the packaging to crinkle and even shrink slightly. But I used the texture to my advantage. When I run my finger across these hearts, they make a nice crinkly sound. I outlined the hearts with black paint and made white dots and scallops with a white fluid correction pen.

Chipboard Star from Happy Mail

This funny-faced creature was something from my own stash. I made her from different arty papers. Originally I had cut her hair to represent leaves or grass, but somehow they morphed into hair. When she finally found a home in this art journal spread, I realized this funky lady was actually a self portrait of me when I get out of bed in the morning. This is exactly how I look and feel. 

Yawn....time to wake up

This page was originally discussing pillows, so I added to this theme with pillows and a purple flower bedspread cut from origami paper (another happy mail treasure).

Stay in bed or change the world? Hmmmm......

Again, though, the dark colors spoke of emerging from a dark place of grief as well. Or perhaps from my tendency to hide myself away. The bed also reminded me of my years as a caregiver for my mom. One of my tasks was to be sure she had enough pillows to prop herself up in bed. 

When I revisited the page, I added the word Change. The cramped nature of the composition reminds me of a tight cocoon, or a mind busy with crowded thoughts. I know it's time in my life to emerge, change and ultimately grow. 

Time to Change

If you've read this far, I thank you for taking the time to hear the stories behind the images. I will continue to experiment with collage because the act of bringing together disparate things - things that do not seem to belong together - can sometimes create a unifying theme or idea or tell a story...even one deeply hidden that needs to see the light of day. 

So my friends, remember to allow room for emergence and change in your lives as well. 

Blessings,

Sandra Lee

Grid Love Art Journal Spreads ~ Inspired by Daisy Yellow

Back in August, I watched some inspiring tutorials by Tammy over at Daisy Yellow to jumpstart my art journal. She showed how to make a journal layout very quickly using a grid format. While I tucked away this idea for a while, now that I'm finally doing my own grid experiments, I'm finding it to be a game changer in how I approach my art journal spreads.

I've always clipped images from magazines, but the idea of using a few tiny squares caused me to rethink the value of certain images. For instance, I might throw away a clothing catalog if I don't care for the styles. But a pattern or color might catch my eye. The same goes for home decor catalogs as well. Now I can cut a swatch of fabric or clip a little object that might not be significant on its own, but in a layout can add just the right touch of texture or interest.

It's also a good way to use up those little bits of ephemera I receive from day to day....a stamp, a word or image from junk mail, or just using those leftover bits on my art table.

Here are a few closeups of my latest grid experiment I completed during an all night art party. ;) I began with some paper weaving using trimmings of leftover scrap paper.

This is similar to what it looked like before (I made a couple paper weavings):

Paper Weaving ~ Don't throw those scraps away! 

This was the first element I glued down, providing a jumping off point for the rest of the grid collage. I loved the eclectic mix of patterns and colors.

Paper Weaving after ~ Covered in Gelly Roll Doodles

Midways through, I started adding paper X's to go with the red O shape. Repetition always helps tie a piece together.

XOXO

One of my favorite squares is the Sakura Cray-Pas wrapper. This wrapper is from a very old set of oil pastels...probably one of my first sets I received as a teenager. It already had this lovely red color saturated into the yellow wrapper, created by oil pastels that rolled around in the box and "melted" over the years.

Detailed Closeup

I find that the grid experiments help to loosen me up and not take my art journaling so seriously. I realize every page doesn't have to be a laborious process. It can be quick and fun, like a little sketch of ideas. I can feel free to play with design and color without overthinking it. I find a side benefit to the grid collages is my eye is improving for capturing photos as well. This exercise forces you to isolate tiny little details and understand what is the most essential part of a picture. 

I don't drink Starbucks that often, but I thought I'd give a nod to Tammy with this little Starbucks ad. Thank you, Tammy, for helping me rekindle my love for art journaling. May God continue to give you a "green thumb" for creativity and teaching others to flourish in their own art.

The flower pot started looking like a coffee cup in the wee hours..so I drew in some coffee over the dirt. ;) 

You can check out Tammy's grid collage tutorial here.

Happy Creating~
Sandra Lee

Customized Moleskin Journal Flip

Look what I've won! Thanks to Betty G. Richardson for this lovely journal. You can visit her blog at:
http://artyauntie.blogspot.com/

Here's a YouTube video showing the prize I won for Betty's cover art contest.

Happy Thoughts 365 ~ #22 ~ Birthday Throwback

It's been a while since I updated my blog. Wanted to get back in the groove and share my latest creation.

 Here's the full spread above. I spent time cleaning my studio and went through a box of keepsakes. Lots of smiles...and tears. I loved this picture from my 2nd birthday. I've been so wrapped up in business research lately that I haven't had time to really sit down and create. 

It felt so good to work on this little mixed media project. It's not meant to look like a picture perfect scrapbook...more like art journaling...just for me. I blasted the Gospel music and was jammin'. Rocking my head, clapping my hands, tapping my feet. 

 Not sure if I liked my hat or I was trying to take it off! I also adored that Snow White cake topper. My dad kept it in a cabinet of treasures for many years. I would see it during my visits with him in the summer.

 I hung on to some foil wrappers from Dove chocolates (mmmm) that hubby bought around Valentine's Day. They had cute messages on them. This one resonated with me...."Smile more." I thought it went well with my party hat in the picture. So I cut the blue foil into fringes to mimic the super cool sparkly stuff on my retro hat. 

 I found a large number two in a magazine which I carefully used as a stencil. I actually preferred the pattern on the back of the two, so after tracing, I flipped it over and glued it down to the left, creating a mirror image. It's kind of funny that this project ended up being #22 for Happy Thoughts. I guess I'm right on time after all! (Just another little moment of serendipity).

Here's a closeup. I used a combination of stickers, scrapbook paper, markers, and colored pencils on these journal pages. 

Here's another shot from the same party. I added a funny crown on a photo app. 

Bye for now! Have a super day. 

~Sandra Lee