Continuing On

This week I have enjoyed playing with some photos I took, tea bags, collaging and mark making.  

 

I then put the pieces into a mat. I like the way they look surrounded by a large area of white.

 

This close up shows a bit of the layering of the piece. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ON A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT NOTE......

I don't know if anyone has taken the Life Book 2012 course.  But I have been thinking about taking the Life Book 2013 course.  If you haven't heard about it, you can check out the following link.   If you have taken the course, I would love to see what you have created! 

The Thread That Weaves

I feel very fortunate to have been involved with an online workshop with Roxanne called

"The Thread that Weaves".

Roxanne has been giving us wonderful inspiration, instruction and support in the development of a art book.  I just finished mine, and it is shown above when it is closed and standing up. 

 

Here it is open

It is a triptych style book.  So has three panals. 

 My first one is an image inside an old cabin.  The second one is of a bird amongst the first snowfall,

and the third one shows the transition from fall to winter. 

 

We also created a little book that we sewed into the bigger book.

For me this book tells the story of transitions.  Transitions from fall to winter, transitions of places that contain many stories from years gone by, and the transitions that I am going through to become the person that I am supposed to become.  It all takes time, some of them good, and some of them hard, but all of them there to make us each the individual we are to become.  

This is the first spread in the little book.

The second spread

The third spread

And here is the back or the outside of the whole book showing a bit more of the threads that I wove through this project. 

 

I really enjoyed this project, and the wonderful time spent with Roxanne and the others that joined in creating  with "The Thread that Weaves"

 

Exploring Again

Here is a little accordian book I made a while ago, using my drawings of birds.  

I don't know what it is about accordian books, but I love creating them, and I love looking at them.

I think they are like a little surprise package just waiting to be explored. 

And they can be displayed open showing off the whole story, or one section, or closed inviting exploration.

When I looked at this one today, it made me want to add it on my "Want to Create" list, that is already loaded down with ideas!

Birthdays and a Handmade Book

Here are my 2 daughters.  This picture was taken 15 years ago this past weekend, on their 4th and 2nd birthday.  The birthdays have flown by so quickly, and now they are 19 and 17 years old.  I got to spend time with the 17 year old on her birthday over the weekend, but the 19 year old is at university  many many miles from home, so I did not get to see her. 

In the summer the older daughter and I spent a wonderful day together, where we drove a few hours to a little town on the Alaskan coast.  We spent the day wandering on some trails

and exploring the coastline.  It was indeed a magical day not to be forgotton.

I decided to make my daughter a small book that contained a bit of the memories of that day, and send it to her in a birthday parcel.

 

The pages are made out of paper that I made 

and unfold to show three images on a spread.

A little book that will hopefully remind her of a wonderful day we spent together.

Leaves

 

This weeks theme is leaves, which is one of my favourite things to create with.  I didn't have time to draw a new leaf picture, but I really enjoyed drawing this one a while ago.

If you have been a visitor to my blog, you may have see these leaves before. 

Some time ago I decided to try and make these over wintered leaves that were in the ditch by my home more interesting....

and this is how they ended up.  If you want to know how, you can read all about it here.

I then used them in making luminaries

Which I make out of tea bags and botanical bits.

 

 

And this week I have been enjoying an online art course with Roxanne, and have made these pages using some of my photographs of some fall/winter leaves. 

 

 

To see more LEAF creations just click on this link!

Inspired by Nature

 

A couple more tea bag collages. 

These pieces are about 4 X6 inches in size, and made with tea bags, my photographs, some colour of some sort depending what I am feeling like playing with at the time, and some collage bits.  Sometimes the collage bits can hardly be seen. (see the musical notes in the horizon line?)

 

 

 

 

 

I like how these small pieces look surrounded by a layer of white.

In this piece some of the collage bits are very obvious, and you can sort of get the look of the layer of cold wax that the piece is finished with. 

 

I enjoy making these, and hope to work on some more soon. 

 

I am also really enjoying working on a book I am making with instructions through an online course with Roxanne.  Her work is amazing, and I am thrilled to be able to learn from her. Here is a bit of what I have worked on so far. More pictures to come as the book evolves!