Sacred Objects

As my regular visitors know, I make a lot of tags. I don't always post them here because I'm not linking to a challenge and there's nothing special in the technique I used to warrant an explanation. Instead, I just file them away on my other blog, Manila Guerilla.

But this particular tag is kind of special. It will become Tag #100 on the MG site. I've read bloggers' posts when they reach an anniversary and it's only now that I can truly appreciate their mentioning it.

A milestone to be sure, when you begin blogging you often question why you should continue but after awhile the benefits begin to show. I like having a record of my work and a place to go to admire them. And it's easy to go back and revisit techniques that I want to try again.

But the very best part is the feedback and encouragement I've received and the friendships I have made.

I used to say, "I make a lot of stuff no one ever sees." Even though it was just to entertain myself, I began to question the validity without an audience. Since I enjoyed and was inspired by the work of so many others, I decided to jump in as well.

I can hardly believe how many of us are out there on the web sharing what we make. It makes me think that there are a lot more creatives in the world than anyone could have imagined.

So, with this post, I guess it's official--I am standing up to be counted and today it's one-hundred. In honor of the day, I want to celebrate by offering my readers an opportunity to receive one of my tags. Just visit Manila Guerilla and browse for the one you'd like then leave a comment here (make sure it includes an email address). I'll contact the winners a week from today (April 10th).

(comments closed...)

Life is Good

Spring in the desert means the state tree, called a Palo Verde is in full bloom and covered with a blanket of tiny yellow flowers. Yellow is practically the only color you'll see anywhere this time of year and it's pretty but also rather monotonous.

So I guess that's my excuse for creating this tag inspired by the pastel theme at Simon's Monday blog challenge this week.

Using watercolor paper cut in the shape of a tag, I painted the trunk then used a variety of small flower and leaf stamps.

Most were tinted with watercolor paint along with the background. Some I left white.

To create the pastel shades, I mixed white with my colors.

The bunny was hand-drawn on scrap paper and pasted to the tag. This way, if I didn't get the drawing right, I could just start over and not worry about erasing marks on the tag.

To frame the tag, I ran some Black Soot around the edges and bled the color using a wet brush.

Polka dots were made with a gel pen along the deckled edge and a Remant Rub was applied.

There are lots of bunnies here in the desert and they feast on the flowers that fall from the trees but I think life is real good for a bunny under a pastel flowered tree.

Happy Easter!

Stop Writing

This month's theme at Art Journal Journey is a favorite poem or quote and I made a page to show how the words of a poem can say one thing but really mean another.

The poet is not writing about laundry or woman's work. She's writing (as if talking to herself) about the pain of losing her husband.

To illustrate, I pasted the real meaning of the poem in tiny white print over the images and since my photos are hard to read, I've written the poem below along with some of the tiny text:

I Stop Writing the Poem

to fold the clothes. No matter who lives

or who dies, I'm still a woman.

I'll always have plenty to do.

I bring the arms of his shirt

together. Nothing can stop

our tenderness. I'll get back

to the poem. I'll get back to being

a woman. But for now

there's a shirt, a giant shirt

in my hands, and somewhere a small girl

standing next to her mother

watching to see how it's done.

Something very serious has disturbed the poet's life (she's stopped writing). Someone close to the speaker has died (no matter who lives or dies). She uses busy work to keep from thinking about it (has plenty to do). Death won't stop them from being close (brings the arms of the shirt together).

She senses that her creativity and expression, as well as her sense of being a woman will eventually return, even if they are altered by the experience (I'll get back to the poem/being a woman). There may be a pause in her writing, but his departure is forever. The size of the shirt (giant) equals her vast sense of loss.

Her strength comes through because she knows how to regain her confidence. She needs a mentor and will find someone to lead her out of her misery (a small girl standing next to her mother watching to see how it's done).

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It's amazing how so much is said in just a few, well-chosen words!

Poetry is an elevated art form I have always appreciated and it was fun to create using paper and paint to compliment it. I hope you will journal about a favorite poem or quote this month and link up with Art Journal Journey so I can see what inspires you!