Friday 3 July 2009

Colour me beautiful


Jamie's question this week was really interesting. "Has the wrecking moved to other parts of our lives?" Well, I've already mentioned that my house has never been so messy and frankly it is getting worse by the week, but it's also interesting to see the enthusiasm with which I'm using up all my art products - especially the ones I've been sitting on for years. I'm no longer so precious about them. I've been having a creative old time this week collaging on little boxes - ripping, sticking, painting... if the paper dries a bit creased it doesn't matter, if the rip goes wrong then that's cool too - it's just opening up another creative possibility.

It's funny, but as I wreck I often find myself planning out my blog in my mind; but the other day I did it the other way around. I lay in bed unable to sleep and thought about a page I had to tackle (colour the entire page). In my mind I wrecked and journeyed through the wrecking. You see, my original plan had been to paint a pretty picture but as I lay there thinking about it (and then jumping up to capture these thoughts on paper), I realised that I should just save that for my sketch book or an art journal. This is for new and unleashed creativity! So, I planned to just get out some colour and slosh it about in a Jackson Pollock fashion. Splashing, smearing, dragging and generally getting mucky. I imagined that at some stages the result would look quite cool but that I'd resist the temptation to just stop there and preserve my 'art' and carry on until it felt well and truly wrecked!

So, that's what I planned to write about then go and wreck. However, this felt a bit like cheating. It was too staged and planned. So, a few days later I just sat at the table surrounded by artistic paraphenalia and stuck colour on the page - paint, paper, fibre... you name it I stuck it. I even sprinkled some salt onto the watercolour (a large quantity of which seems to still be falling out of the journal). So, what did this exercise tell me - err not sure? Don't cheat? Was I cheating? Ah, what does it matter? I had fun and the page got coloured! I like it, it's messy and fun.

The gold page reminds me of being a child again and being oh so careful not to colour over the lines (I think I did better when I was 6!). The addition of shoe and handbag was another example of me being a bit bored by the task and adding a little extra interest and challenge - plus finding a use for these free stencils I got with a magazine a couple of weeks ago!
You can just see some writing on the facing page. Guess what... it was me blogging as I created again! I love the fact that I just grabbed the first piece of paper to hand - my journal - and wrote. I got wet gold all over my knuckles too!

Last thing to show you this week... a bit of fun with my 'sunset strip'.

19 comments:

  1. I love that your secret message is glued - so you know how to keep a secret I see!

    You have a lovely sense of color. So serene.

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  2. Beautiful colours and I love your sunset strip.

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  3. Gorgeous pages!

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  4. oooooooooh I love what you did! The colors are gorgeous! Thanks for the visit to my blog and watching my shower video and leaving a comment!

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  5. I think this whole exercise had opened up avenues for you - jumping up instead of laying in bed?!!! Good for you!

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  6. Love the sunset strip. Just Great!

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  7. Thanks for sharing your thinking proceses. I'm feeling somewhat the same. I think of a page as I'm lying in bed or waiting in line - but usually end up prettying it up! This past week I got a bit more into the " just do it and have fun". Hop I can keep it that way!
    take care.

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  8. The color page is really a thrill!

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  9. I love what you did with your pages. And the kitty is adorable.
    See ya next week. Happy wrecking.

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  10. Fantastic wrecking process which spilled all over your house! Love your cleaning assitant, little kitty. Well Done again! :)

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  11. i love the colours on your pages

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  12. What an explosion of color and creativity and fun, joyful wrecking! :)

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  13. I love reading about your process..I think that planning thing is part of the perfectionism we are all combating.

    Your use of color is joyful and lovely! Thanks for sharing!

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  14. You are making a beautiful wreck of it!
    :-)

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  15. Wow, I love all the colors - and the sunset strip - ha ha !Your pages are beautiful!

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  16. I think in blog posts lol I laughed right out about the Sunset Strip and I love that you really did hide the message. Cool! Your "color this page" is incredibly cool. If that's wrecking, I'd love to see what you do when you aren't careful! lol

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  17. That first page youve shown is goooorgeous...wow! how creative! Great wrecking!

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  18. I love the cover of your journal.. that necklace// yummy

    Thinking! thats what its all about

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  19. Sunset strip made me smile! I also love the colour this page, how beautiful!

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Thank you for your comments - I always love to hear what you think :)

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