UP CLOSE

 "Be patient and tough;

 someday this pain will be useful to you." 

 - Ovid 

 How is pain useful? 

This post shares the third of a series of journal art that I have made since my beloved friend Lori died in January. (To read the other two blog posts see ASCENSION and INVINCIBLE.) It is hard to imagine, as the quote says, that the pain can be useful someday. Useful, how? I guess I’ll just have to wait. That’s where the patience comes in, and I usually don’t have an overabundance of that. Perhaps the pain is useful because I have created art that may help someone else, somehow, with pain they are going through. If that’s the case, it is worth it.

 Magazine photos 

The artwork I am sharing today uses something I enjoy working with and something I have lots of – magazine photos. This may seem anal, but I look through magazines for interesting words and pictures, and I have many files of the things I’ve cut out through the years. When I cut something out, I file it away to be used someday, not having any preconceived idea of what I’ll use it for. At this moment, these are the file folders I have in my cabinet, (but, mind you, more can be added!): animals, colors, plants, words, people in surroundings, faces only, bodies of people that would make good silhouettes, objects, and then a large folder simply labeled “Large pictures.” Sometimes I will look through the folders ahead of time to find a picture or phrase that strikes me and use it in my art. Sometimes it’s the other way around as it was with this piece of artwork.

 How to - 

I began this journal spread with the Window Ledge stencil (StencilGirl) which I stenciled with Light & Fluffy Modeling Paste (The Crafter’s Workshop). (Note: Make sure to wash your stencil immediately after you use the texture paste.) After that dried thoroughly, I painted the sunset inside the window, and painted the window itself with tan paint.

Next, I painted the rest of the pages to resemble walls with wallpaper. I painted a rust colored paint and dried that. Then I painted turquoise over that and wiped off some of it on the interior of the “walls”. Next I stenciled Random Squares (StencilGirl) all over in light blue. 

The spread needed something and so I began looking through the file folders I told you about at the beginning. When I found the denim jacket, I was so excited that it was the right size and looked like it belonged hanging on the wall. Then I found the curtain and liked how it looked so I used matte medium (Liquitex) to glue it to the page. I wanted the denim jacket to be stiff on the page so I glued it to some watercolor paper also using matte medium. 

Before I attached the denim jacket with foam dots, I added journaling around the window with a white uniball pen. The journaling asked if Lori sees the sunsets up close? I do wonder about her a lot. Now, though, when I make a piece of artwork about Lori, I picture her in my mind as she was when she was well, not during her last days. I guess patience has given me that.

Have you ever used magazine photos in your artwork? Leave a comment and let me know. I hope you’ve enjoyed this post and will join me every Tuesday and Friday for more blog posts at arteverydaystudio.blogspot.com. 

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