More From the Junk Journal

The prompt for Jan. 7 was Tags and Tickets. I didn't have any tickets so used the round images as tickets. 

The images for the tags came from a welcome sign I made as one of my first calligraphy projects. I photocopies the snow people and cut them out.

The poem on the pocket: (The Young One helped me complete the rhyme)

Some like it hot

Some like the snow

Some look forward to baseball

Some go where the coffee flows

The theme for January 14 was monochromatic, but the white really needed something to break it up.

Inside the pocket was a poem the Eldest wrote when she was 7 years old. I had calligraphed it and used it as a Christmas card one year. So I photocopied it and made a tassle.

Her poem:

Winter is...

Frost on cars

Ruined plans of going places.

On Mondays afternoon Ice skating

Zoos are closed

Extra days off

Nobody outside at times

Icicles clinking when you take them off

Cold, frozen, windy, days

Extra days in June

I added:

Is it August, yet?

January 15th's prompt was to use packaging. I cut a circle out of a plastic clamshell package that held the Crop-a-Dile I bought. I used it along with a photograph of the girlies and their snowman friend to make a snow globe. The date on the photograph was March 17, 1997

Since I'm behind in the journal, I didn't really think of a way to put space between the "glass globe" so the sparkles would move.

The prompt for January 16 was window. Because the book pages are thin, I couldn't cut a hole in the page as I already glued two pages together. So I hunted around for a clipart image of a window. I found one with a calico cat. I used the image and colored the cat black. Purrfect. Ink loved to watch the snow.

There weren't any prompts for Jan. 24  and 25 because there is no journal class on the weekends. I used this weekend's storm as a two page spread. On the left, a list of storm prep and last minute store items, mostly snacks and especially chocolate. On the right over a picture of the backyard, The Snow Gnome measuring stick with a snow total of 17.5 inches. I think I need to add the countdown until the Summer Solstice.

Cat Calligram

A calligram is a pictorial representation of text. The Young One gave me a timely gift. Time spent with cats is never wasted.

Light

16. November 2013 to 4. January 2014

The Golden Thread Gallery
At Holy Family Retreat Center
303 Tunxis Road
 W.Hartford, CT 06107
860-760-9766

The Jury is In

The Candle, 8 in. x 10 in. acrylic on canvas

Tuesday, I wasn't feeling well, was moping around and then received word the piece I had submitted to The Golden Thread Gallery for their upcoming show, Light. was accepted into the show. Yup, i felt instantly better.

I chose to interpret a quote from Edith Wharton: "There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it. I let my wick burn out--- there yet remains to spread an answering surface to the flame that others kindle."

Entering juried shows is always such a gamble. So much to wonder about. Did I interpret the theme correctly? is my work edgy enough? Too edgy? Too traditional? Not traditional enough? And the list goes on and on.  For me, the biggest hurdle was entering. I'm trying to make more of an effort to put myself "out there." Being accepted is icing on the cake.

If you're in the area of W. Hartford, Connecticut, the show opens on  16. November 2013 and runs through 5. January 2014. 

Calligram

This piece evolved from the Bob Marley quote "Light up the darkness." I like the sentiment of the quote, but this quote is not in the public domain. A search online through the King James Bible, yielded: Thou wilt light my candle: For the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness." Psalm 18:28

I did the Bob Marley quote in my sketch book using a black on black technique which looked better in my head than it did on paper. I still wanted a dark background, but switched to Ziller's Winter White acrylic ink for writing the verse. The quote was written out in several different layouts. The one I liked best was a calligram, words written to form a shape, a candle. A gold leafing pen was used to draw the flame before the background paints and plastic wrap was applied. The leafing pen acts as a resist, that is ink or paint won't adhere to it's surface.A wash made from Twinrocker's Sparkle Gold and Super Sparkle, with a drop or two of gum arabic (for a binder) was applied to create the halo of the candle flame. The effect doesn't show up well in the photograph.

Did you know the only Bible that is in the public domain is the King James version?