Today: Get Messy Thursdays | Serenity, Weeks 4 + 5

I did a little bit of painting last week, but very little art journaling, so I decided to throw together a combination post for Weeks 4 + 5 of the Get Messy Art Journal challenge, Season of Serenity.  

Several of these pages feature poems from Hãfez.  I’m basically obsessed.  I also drew inspiration from the gorgeous views at the Cape, my favorite podcast, beachside yoga, and a nearly-empty tube of gold gouache.

Get Messy Thursdays | Serenity, Weeks 4 + 5

Materials used: Sakura KOI watercolor (Prussian Blue), detail brush, clear alphabet stamps, fuschia StazOn ink (plus the black ink I never washed off the stamps… oops… plus a bit more blue watercolor to round things out).

I’ve mentioned before how much I love Krista Tippett’s On Being podcast.  I recently listened to an episode with Rami Nashashibi, a Palestinian-American who uses graffiti, calligraphy, and hip-hop in his work as a healing force on the South Side of Chicago.  Something that really struck me from this episode is how much of the good and powerful and beautiful we never hear about when it comes to other religions and cultures and ways of life.  Media loves the bad, the upsetting and the ugly.  I found myself thinking about this teaching from the Koran, which Mr. Nashashibi shared in the interview, for days.

Those quick flower sketches sort of reminded me of blue and white china.  I think I will likely keep working on this page and fill it up a bit more.  

Materials used: The aforementioned gold gouache, neon acrylic paint (pink and yellow), gesso, black Faber Castell Artist PITT pen (1.5)

I made the gold and neon background a few weeks ago, but wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with it.  I covered up a bit of the paint with gesso and started scribbling on a favorite Hãfez quote, just as inspiration struck… I started writing in lines from the poem atop the neon, regretting having slapped down that gesso sort of haphazardly.

 I love the neon/writing bits, but sort of loathe the gesso/writing monstrosity.  The upside: I’m excited to try this made up method on a new page soon.  Please remind me of it when I’m fresh out of ideas.  

Materials used: Rolled strips of magazine cut-outs (rolled on a toothpick and sealed with matte Mod Podge), Faber Castell gelattos (sealed with matte medium), magazine cut-out (adhered with a plain old glue stick), Sakura KOI watercolor (Prussian blue)

One of this week’s prompts called for incorporating “paper rolling.”  I had no idea what that was.  So at 4 o’clock one morning (I have reached the point in this pregnancy where I just don’t sleep) I took to Google for a tutorial.  Word to the wise: “rolling papers” is different than “paper rolling.”  I now know a lot about weed, and a tiny bit about rolling up strips of magazine paper for art projects.

I like the simplicity of this spread and was definitely craving white space.  Probably literally and figuratively.  It’s been a go-go-go few days.  Sometimes less is more.  And that’s more than enough.

Materials used:  Magazine cut-outs and tissue paper (applied with matte Mod Podge), black Micron.

More Hãfez.  I love this poem.  The collage is sort of mosaic-ish and came together quickly.  The writing is kind of messy and I kind of want to re-do it.  But hey… 

Materials used:  Watercolor, gouache, silver and white washi tape, white gel pen and a super cheap letter stencil, ink spray, purple paper, magazine cut-out

And lastly, my favorite of the week.  Purple and grey are one of my favorite pairings.  After applying a wash of purple watercolor, a strip of paper and washi tape, I filled in the page with grey gouache.  I love the chalky finish of gouache.  

I had such a wonderful time at beach yoga last week and loved the teacher’s cues for staying mindful and present (focus on now… nothing from before…).  I added the “nothing for after,” because my worrying tends to be about what could come next.  This brain of mine can come up with all kinds of worrisome scenarios for tomorrow.  And the day after that.  And the day after that.

Meanwhile, the well dressed lady is from an ad for bathroom fixtures, so there’s that.  

Also On Tap for Today:

• Playing with my mini Sactional from last night’s lovesac event
• 8 vegetarians reveal what they order at popular food chains via Mind Body Green
• Must… return… library books!

What’s got you feeling inspired this week?