Day 7 of Sarah Whitmire's Soul Journaling project included both journaling and art. I found the journal prompt, "I forgot to tell you...", turned out to be pretty intense. Knowing that I would be covering up what I wrote was actually a revelation - I didn't have to worry about regretting something, about hiding something, or even about the embarrassment of poor grammar and punctuation. I already firmly believe in the therapeutic value of journaling, but I think the act of burying the words away would add a new level on honesty in my writing. I will absolutely try it again, both in my art journal and my personal journal.
Anyway, about covering up what I wrote: I gathered the tape that I had around the house, but I didn't have too much. I used two layers of drafting tape and the attempting to add some electrical tape. I found that the surface of the tape was sticky, though, so I covered most of it with more drafting tape! Then I added some fun decorative tape I just happened to have lying around. I totally loved the result!!
And then.... Day 8. Jane hit it on the nose when she described me attempting this prompt in her blog. Our instruction was to sand our "tape collage" and cover it with paint. "Paint?," I thought. "But... it's so pretty the way it is!"
You see, I have a "but my background is so pretty, I can't cover it up!" complex. I know this will consistently hinder me as I try to evolve my work, but I'm having trouble getting over it. Where is the line between having a minimalistic style and being an artistic chicken?
Well, I managed to console myself by taking a photo of my Day 7 work (above). It gave me just enough confidence to complete my Day 8 assignment.
And you know what? I LOVE the result!
The inspiration for my paint selection was the polka dotted tape. I just managed to find the most nuclear shades of light and medium green in my collection. Whoa. Then I added some pearlescent bright pink. I love how the texture of the tape is emphasized by the paint. As you can see on the right page, the tape even started peeling up due to all of the sanding. It looks - dare I say it! - even cooler than it did on Day 7!
Needless to say, I had a ton of fun with these pages... right after I got over my trepidation, that is! I'm looking forward to seeing the other ways that the Soul Journal project will push my boundaries!
8 comments:
As am I! Although I think the pre-paint version is easily the most creative use of tape I've seen on the list of artists working on this project, it went to a whole new level with the paint! I knew this would push your buttons, and I'm glad that you responded, not fearlessly, but courageously. I have seen big growth in your art in the past week or so - can't wait to see what happens next. Hugs, Jane
Your backgrounds are amazing - I am awe-struck. Mine look terrible! But I will plod away! :O)
Loving your work...I wouldn't have wanted to cover the tape either...
love the resulting textural look...even though i can't feel them i can sense the feeling...good job!
I have the same problem with that whole "but I don't want to cover it up or worse yet, mess it up" and yep, when I take the plunge I usually am happy with the result. wish I knew how to fix it but I just keep pushing myself.
I had a totally different feeling about my page, about covering up and about the "finished" product. I hated mine!
Yours is beautiful!
I so love how these pages turned out. Fabulous colors. I need to go buy some more paints. I think I'll do that tomorrow before I tackle the next assignment. Great work!
Your taped pages look super! I just found Sarah Whitmire's journaling prompts, so I'm not as far along as you. I really like what you've created! You can see my progress on my blog (click through my name to get there): Gaal Creative. (If you'd like to trade blog links, e-mail me!)
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