Buried Treasure

Seth Apter at The Altered Page is hosting a Buried Treasurer event - and having bloggers re-post an entry from the past.  I searched and searched through my early posts, and after what took me far to long, I decided on the following from January 2011.  .... I continue to work at believing and being brave.

Early in January (2011) I choose the word BELIEVE to guide me through the upcoming year. I could believe and stay safely in my comfort zone, but that is not what I want. Instead I want to push myself out of my comfort zone and believe in myself there. Being Brave has become part of my believing mantra. I need to be brave, push myself a bit, and still believe.

AND so bravely, I took the face I had drawn and decided to paint it.
It is a bit different process then what I have done in the past, and I pushed myself forward. I believe that these tiny steps forward will help move me forward with bigger steps that are to come this year. I will continue to be brave and believe - one step at a time.

Stretching Some More

I had so much fun making this collage. As part of the on line course I took with Misty Mawn, we worked on collages.

It took me a lot of time to create this collage, but it was loads of fun! The course was called Stretching Within, and this piece was really stretching for me, as I haven't done much collage before... and it took me lots of time moving pieces around to get it just like I wanted. When I finally decided on the layout, and glued everything down, I added some paint and ink to try to join things together.

Reaching High

The online course I am taking with Misty Mawn is called Stretching Within. I have been working hard to stretch and work differently. But I realized that it is also important to remember the 'within' part, and make sure that I enjoy what I create, and that it is part of me. I struggled so hard with the journal page I posted on my last page.... and so I wanted to create another journal page, but one that I had more fun making.

and so I created this page. It was stretching as I did it fairly fast and free - not worrying about how it would turn out, or over thinking what I was going to do. I knew it was going to go into my journal, and it didn't really matter how it turned out, that it was for me. I used more of my own style of creating - I transferred a copy of a drawing I made, and added some colour (ink) and some paint, stamped on it using my hand carved stamp, and then added some pen outlining and some words .... stretching, but still using what is me, and what I enjoy.

I will continue to work at stretching, but ensure to enjoy it, and make it part of me.

Wordless

I am working on a collaged painting (learning how from the course with Misty Mawn). It has been a while in the making, and it still feels unfinished because it is wordless

The unfinished piece sat beside me as I worked on other things last night, and I kept moving things around.

I couldn't figure out how to finish this piece, I just knew it wasn't right yet.... through the night I woke and thought about it, and at my day job it kept popping into my head, and I kept pushing it away.

Tonight I just sat down and started to play, and things came together. I feel that it is finished except for one thing.... it needs some words - but I don't want to rush the words - they will come, and I will finish. If you have any ideas of a few words I should add to it, please let me know!

Having Courage

"Remember as you go about your day that we who create are

part of the solution for what ails the planet.

We are kind, we share, we encourage and nurture.

We are powerful. Pass it on."

These words are from Judy Wise's blog, and I love them.

These words came to life for me a few days ago when I received such a lovely gift in the mail. Pam Kirch makes wonderful books, and offered to trade me one of her books for something I had made. When I recieved the book, I told her how much I loved it, but that I would struggle to draw in it, as I am always afraid of making a beautiful book less beautiful by drawing a picture that is not as good as I want in it. Pam encouraged me to draw in it.....

and so I gathered my courage, and put pencil to paper, and drew in my

beautiful treasured new book

It is not my best drawing, but it is fine, and I will continue to draw in this lovely book, and will try not to worry that the drawings will not be perfect, but rather that they add to the treasure that this gifted book already is.

Drawings

With the very little creative time I have these days, I am trying to keep up with the drawing assignments for the class I am taking. It is not working, I can't keep up with all of the assignments. But I am being gentle with myself (one of my "rules"), and telling myself not to worry and enjoy what I am doing (another "rule" - enjoy the moments). So this is a pencil drawing that we were supposed to do joining a couple of different ideas together. When I post it here, I see some things that need changing, but oh well......

Here is the first drawing I have done with charcoal... a bit messy, and again I see where I should make some changes now that I am posting it here. I will have to get some more practice with this medium when I have some more time....

Stretching Within

I have just started an online course with Misty Mawn entitled Stretching Within. It is as I knew it would be a great course. The unfortunate part for me is that I don't have much time to work on the assignments. But I will do what I can.... Last night I had a few hours and managed to do the following bits

a pencil drawing with shading....

a pencil drawing with added watercolour


a drawing of a lynx with an Stabilo All Mark pencil that was then shaded by adding water