Ronda Palazzari Designs

Art Journal Lately: So Thankful

Life has been crazy around here. i have been seeking balance and blessedly finding it lately. What really helps me clear my mind and focus my energy is working in my art journal. i have also been taking the things Michael has taught me in our sessions and applying them in my art journal.

I was originally practicing brush strokes in my art journal. i have pages filled with them. i decided to play around with it, adding color and layers. Hansa yellow covered the plain black lines and then gesso on top. Color always moves me.  

Remember all these Gelli Prints from this post? My art journals are just one reason i love having these prints ready to go. i keep a file folder full of these prints ready to go for any art.

Like this page. i added layers of deli gelli prints - say that three times fast ;) - on top of the gesso and markings. i tore the prints into pieces and layered them over each one. i then added layers of paint and stenciled designs on top using my Positive stencil and Geometric Art Layers.

i also used a previously created tag using the Rose Window. i end up with lots of these tags so i love using them in different ways like on this page. i attached it with acrylic medium and then layered a transfer over the top.

 

To finish the page i added my painted title using my own special blend of india ink. i journaled all around in it and added some final thoughts near the tag. Love how this page turned out using this month's OLW word up. 

 

  

  

Lose Yourself

Not until we are LOST do we begin to understand ourselves. Henry David Thoreau.

i get that. Totally get it.

There have been many times in my life where i have felt lost. At first it was a very uncomfortable feeling. Many times being lost evokes fear. But i have come to see the beauty of being lost. Getting lost in a new city is one of my favorite ways to travel. It means i am out there exploring and trying new things. Getting lost in a book is another favorite pastime for me, another great way to explore new worlds or shut my mind down to this one so i can let go.

"I lost track of time." 

How beautiful are those words when we lose ourselves to whatever task at hand and soaked up every minute of it.  Especially when we engaged in an activity we love: music, painting, reading, etc.  

But how about losing yourself? It used to scare me too. i have felt lost and questioned what i was doing, where i was going, or even who i was. i know now that it's ok to have those feelings and actually appreciate them. i understand something good will come out of all those emotions. The beauty of being lost allows me to take a look at my life and change the things weighing me down. i have learned to embrace the fear, to let go, to trust i will find my way again and be a better person because of it.  

i started this art journal page with black gesso covering most of the background, to me it represented lost and darkness.  i journaled with a white sharpie on top of it. 

i then added some tissue paper from Hazel & Ruby and some Dina Wakley Media paints.  i went with both dark colors and light colors knowing my life comes with both of them. 

i journaled more in both black & white to signify both my happy and dark thoughts.  i continued using these two colors adding marks and doodles around the page.  

i use a gel medium through the pie chart on my 6 x 6 And So On stencil around the page knowing these would be the main color pieces peeking through the next layer.  

While i was impatiently waiting on them to dry, i added a white glaze over the entire piece to dull the dark areas and let the color just shine through those pie pieces.  To me it represents all sides of my life, both the light & dark in being lost. i added the last journal thoughts on the top layer using india ink.  

Are you ready to get Lost?

 

 

Calm & Dream Art Journals

One Little Word, affectionately OLW, is back!  And boy do we have lots of inspirations and some fantastic prizes for our participants!  Two Words Up this round, CALM & DREAM.  We have 4 grab bag prizes, two for each word, so why not jump in and find your inspiration.  The Design Team has some fantastic art this Word Up, from scrapbook layouts to Art journals and everything in between.  So make sure you stop by the blog and post your entry!

A dream becomes a goal when action is taken toward its achievement.  Bo Bennett

My Dream art journal page is colorful and bright, expressing a dream-like quality.  i do believe in dreaming and imagination.  I love it when dreams turn into reality through determination & hard work.  Each year i write out a set of goals for myself.  I include small ones and pie in the sky dreams.  It's amazing how writing down my dreams spur me into action and really motivates me.  This page really expresses this for me, that anything is possible.  My dreams are in my hands and i can achieve whatever i set my mind to.

When i got sick, my head was full of pain.  So much pain that i couldn't even create.  I was searching for the calm in the middle of the storm.  i yearned for a place where my mind wasn't clouded, for serenity.  Thankfully the pain has started to subside and i have moments of clarity, moments of calmness.  It's funny how we don't appreciate those moments until they are gone.  Time to rejuvinate or rest the mind.  And i found it's the simplest things that offer calmness...a walk on the beach, tea in the garden, watching the sunrise.  I poured these yearnings & thoughts into this art journal page.  You've seen the video on the last post.  Now you know my thought process and how i really feel what i am putting into the page.  It's like the bright happy colors of my life were being overshadowed by the pain.  When it started to receed, i could see those wonderful colors peeking through.  The calmness inspired hope and i was desperate for hope.  i love that OLW really pushes me to see things in me.  It always provides me with a new perspective. 

So what do you Dream about? How do you find Calmness?  Join OLW and celebrate the power of words.

Word Up #77: GRACE

Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.  Denis Waitley

There is something so special about OLW.  It really pushes me to see the word in my life.  It's Jessica's word this time around.  I love how she shared that the latin root of grace is gratia, or thankfulness.  Grace has many meanings in my life but the one that really rang out to me is unconditional love and all that it encompasses.  I find that the more i try to control things, the less control i have.  Learning to let go is a big lesson for me.  One i struggle with but have continued to see the importance of daily. 

i started with collage paper piece on the background of this art journal page.  Next i  used heavy gel with my And So On & Raindrops stencils.  I journaled right on top of the collage layer and then coverd it with a gesso wash.  Once the gesso was dry, i started layering in my color.  I added pen marks and paint marks in black.  Abstract class has freed me up in so many ways.  I love the end result of all these layers.

 

Create Daily: Cover it (Plus OLW:Color)

Color is the fruit of life. Guillaume Apollinaire

One of my favorite things to do in my art journal is to start with the journaling.  i sit and pour emotions and thoughts onto the page.  This is very freeing to me, especially when i know i am going to cover it up.  This technique allows me to spill in my journal without any worries.  Plus i really love how it looks under the layers of color.  

This is how i began my OLW art journal page.  Using color words to express my feelings, i journaled all over the page using india ink.  i wrote in different directions and let some drips fall on the page.  Once it was dry i used some gesso to cover it up. 

i always love a strong gesso base on my art journal pages.  i think it looks really cool with the words peeking through the layers.  i covered mine a couple times until i had just the write (get it ;) amount showing through the gesso.  After it dried, i could add my layers of paint.

i used the same colors that i wrote on the under layer, tying the piece together.  i loved add bits of the vibrant colors but also knew black, white, & grey had to be part of the mix.  i see the world in colors, i see it in black & white, and sometimes i see it in greys.  This piece speaks volumes of me. 

So go ahead & cover it up.  I also challenge you to see the colors of your life. 

Create Daily: A Challenge

In creating daily, sometimes we need a bit of a push to get us out of a rut.  I encourage you to take on a challenge to give you that nudge you need.  It can be a self-imposed challenge or one of the many challenge blogs found on the web.  One Little Word, affectionately called OLW, gives the push i need.  I love how it makes me think differently on how to incorporate the single word into an art journal, layout, or altered piece. 

Upon reading the OLW word, i let it sit in my brain for awhile before creating.  What does this word mean to me in my life right now?  From there the vision isn't always clear how that message will take shape.  Lately it's been art journals.  With Word Up #75: DO, a song immediately popped into my head from The Flaming Lips, "Do you realize?"  I suppose it had to do with my Mom's upcoming 70th birthday.  My brothers & sisters were flying into town to surprise her.  All 6 of us would be together, something that hasn't happened since my sister Chrissi's funeral.   Something we were painfully aware of but couldn't really speak about it.  4 years later and it's all too raw & real for us.  Hence this song popping into my head and the need to tell everyone important in my life that i love & treasure them. 

i started working on the right side of the journal for some reason and then decided to make it into a two page art journal piece.  I used gesso, catalyst blades, and acrylic paint in building the background.  I also used some hand carved stamps on the page before the moody figure flowed out onto the page.  I challenged myself to keep it in greys, blacks, & whites. 

The minute my sister Sandra saw the figure on the page, she somehow knew this was about Chrissi even though she doesn't look like me or her.  The figure just represents my mood.  i kept the left side fairly blank to allow for heavy journaling, another challenge for me.  i usually have layers of colors & items but I could feel the journaling ready to pour out of me so i wanted it to be the focal point.  I had cut the heart out of the fabric for another art journal page and kept the negative because it was beautiful too.  it fit perfectly on my page.  The final touches were some more hand carved stamps, including the title "do," and the arrows using my Hearts & Arrows stencil. 

Here are some ways to challenge yourself:

• challenge blogs: OLW, the Dares, The Whatevers, The Color Room, etc
• go Monochromatic
• build a kit and only use the pieces in it
• try something completely new
• use only what is found on your desk right now

Word Up #74: WANT

Today's word, brought to you by the incredible Karla, is another great word.  WANT.  it's a powerful word, one that should be used thoughtfully.  it's a word that has kept surfacing for me over the last month or two as i have been rearranging my priorities.  what do i really want?  i will let you in on a little secret, i am a left-brain person as much as a right-brain person.  i want things organized and i want to have a plan of action.  i want to restructure my day so it feels productive as a creative business. i want to jump into new adventures without feeling guilty for not doing other things. i want to feel like i can give myself fully to whatever i do.  But right now my life feels a little chaotic and i want control back.  in truth, i am the one who gave control away.  i want to regain control and move forward.  Here is my want piece.

it captures my chaotic mood and my wants at the same time.  i couldn't have spoken it better than this piece.  i pour my emotions into it, both the good and the not so good.  i see the beauty in those emotions, not to mention the freedom from the release.

So what do you want? Join us at OLW and create something to capture your wants!