Reflecting on School Days

During the last day of the Art Journaling class I taught, I had each student complete a page (from start to finish) on the prompt "What did your teachers say about you?"  The prompt came from one of my students who had remarked the previous week that her teachers used to say "Cindy finishes early and helps the other children."  Later on, she added that what her teacher actually said/meant was that she finished early and bothered the other children.  It was a good prompt and had everybody reflecting on their school days.  I meant to take pictures of their pages to share, but there was no camera card in my camera! (doh!) So, the only thing I can share are the pages I made.  When I reflected on the prompt, I realized that some of my teachers said lots of negative things about me (I talked too much, I couldn't sing and should drop out of chorus, my book reports were too long.  One even said I was mean and made her cry!).  Fortunately, I also had many wonderful teachers who nurtured me and supported me and helped me grow.  So, I did a two page spread in my art journal.  The largest part of the journaling reads, " I ignored all the negative things they said and focused on the affirming things that helped me grow." In a nice bit of serendipity, these pages fit the current Creative Therapy prompt, "what are your best/worst memories of school."
So, now, truth or dare, what did your teachers say about you?

Heavy Metal Relatives & Inspiring Photos

Favorite Relatives (art journal page)

I have to say that the process of taking the Creative Bootcamp Online Class - focusing on creating something everyday in one medium and working with a random prompt - is really ramping up my creativity.  When I read the prompt for today, heavy metal, I groaned because I had no idea how to incorporate it into my plaster work.  Twelve hours later, I had four competing ideas:

• Using some fabulous rusty stars on the dedication page of my gratitude journal.  These are very special and wonderful stars that were sent to me by a very special blog friend
• An art journal page responding to the Creative Therapy prompt "A favorite relative" and that features a picture of my Aunt Vera and Uncle Nano riding a motorcycle together in the 1930's.  I would use plaster to create a road for them to ride on and some wings to go behind a skull.  Journaling reads:  Aunt Vera and Uncle Nano.  How could these two not be my favorite relatives - just look at them!  I became close to them when my parents sent my sister and I to stay with them one summer in Houston, Texas.  Years later, I inherited lots of memorabilia and heritage photos from her when my sister and I handled her estate.  Even though they're gone, they live on in my art.
•  Making tags out of plaster and seeing if I can put eyelets into the plaster.  The tags would be for my art journaling class that starts this weekend and each would have a quote about art journaling.
• A piece for the "On the Clothesline" series, a heavy metal t-shirt painted black with a silver skull and skinny jeans with teeny brads for rivets.  On the front, the journaling reads: "On the clothesline . . . her heavy metal clothes were waiting."  On the back, I would write, "As her soul softened, she sensed her heavy metal uniform no longer fit her."

Now, it's 20 hours later. I have completed the gratitude dedication page and the "favorite relative" art journal page (posted above) .  Plus, I formed the tags but haven't had a chance to add eyelets, color or quotes.  The "On the Clothesline" piece will have to wait for another day.
I also worked on the bootcamp inspirational assignment to go for a walk and take pictures of things that inspire you.  I walked around the harbor neighborhood near my studio and found these inspiring things.  I encourage you to click on any of the ones you like to see them bigger:

Jeff Clark's Maverick's Surf Shop is right down the street.  If you're a surfer or know surfers, then it will mean something to you that Jeff Clark lives in my town, and the Mavericks Big Wave spot is walking distance from my studio. He has a bunch of old rusted out trucks in front and an assortment of surfboard.  I would love to take portraits in front of these!  For now, I really loved this perspective, sky and color combination above.

You may recall that I love graffiti photography, and I loved this landscape of the bluff above Mavericks, which was painted on a container outside the surf shop.  I can tell it's an old painting because the satellite dishes shown on the bluff top have been replaced by new, more modern versions.

One of my neighbors.  I love the industrial nature of the harbor. I also find inspiring the weathered red metal, the blue, blue sky and the shapes in this photo.

I'd love to take portraits in front of this weathered wood wall.

My favorite find of the day - a beautiful statue of an angel reading.  I'm submitting this photo as my "final" for the Get Out of Auto Mode photography class.  It was taken in aperture priority with an fstop of 5.6, ISO 200 and WB set to full sun.

Crabpots, weathered wood and rusty metal - wonderful textures.  Crabpots are everywhere, and I love them.  Here's a look inside one:

I find the jumble of robes and floats and metal very intriguing.  I also love the barnacles and shells trapped inside. Next up, s simple flower photo.  I found the color and shapes very inspiring, but admit to having trouble getting a proper focus:

And finally, I took a real (not an i-phone) photo of the red truck and green tree outside the studio:

I have no idea why I find this view so inspiring.  The colors and the old-fashioned feel of it are definitely a part of it.  Sorry for the long, long post today! I hope you found something inspiring in it!

Monday Art Journal Page

Are you exhausted from the weekend?  If so, here's a simple art journal page to get your week off to a fresh start.  It's in response to the Creative Therapy prompt "How has art saved you?"  Background is glimmer mists and pastels.

A Tribute to Mom (Art Journal Page)

I did this on Mother's Day.  It's a response to the Creative Therapy Prompt "Honor a Family Member."  The idea for the structure came from an article in the March/April 2010 Cloth Paper Scissors magazine called "Graffiti paper quilts" by Catherine Nicholls.  It didn't turn quite how I had envisioned it, but I think there's still potential in the idea of using a collage of pictures as a background.  I think I'll keep working with it and next time not be so afraid about covering up the background images.  As it is, I do like the sentiment and the tribute to my mom who has been gone for over five years and was truly an amazing woman who taught me so much.

House Party Check-In and Blog Hop Information

Where I Grew Up (Art Journal Page)
I made this page in response to this prompt on the Creative Therapy blog, "Where did you grow up?"  I happened to grow up in a real neighborhood in Southern California - full of children playing outside all the time.  Journaling is on the clouds (which are cut from a transparency and adhered with white paint.  I like how I used a paper doll on this and some houses made out of plaster.


Speaking of houses . . . I wanted to do a quick check-in on the house party and give out some blog hop information.  First, please email me at rinda1961@yahoo.com if you signed up to participate and have not received your house supplies.  The complete list of sign-ups is here.
Second, it's time to put together our blog hop!!! I'd like the Blog Hop to start on Saturday, May 1, at 10:00 p.m. California time (that makes it sometime Sunday morning, May 2 in the UK).  Let me know if you think that's too soon. Otherwise, we'll go with that date. If you have a blog, it is very easy to participate in a blog hop.  If you don't have a blog, it is a very easy way to go stop by everyone's blog and check out their houses. I have sent an email with the following information to everyone on my list.  If you didn't get the information, please email me, and I'll resend it.  
If you want to participate in the blog hop, please email me at rinda1961@yahoo.com with your blog name and address.  Please put "House party blog hop" in the title, and I'll take it from there.  To participate in the blog hop, all you need to do is:
1.  Email me with your blog information to let me know that you're "in." Please email me with this information by Thursday, April 28.
2. Complete your house by May 1 at 10:00 p.m. California time.
3. Create a blog post, with a picture of your house, and schedule your post to "live" at the blog hop start time.  Please use the title House Party Blog Hop as the title of your post.
4.  Put a link in your blog to the next person in the blog hop circle, so that readers can click on the link to go to the next blog.  I'll send around a list of who links to who after I hear from everyone.
I know it may sound complicated, but it's really not.  Eight of us did a Creative Circle Blog Hop last year, and you can check it out here to get an idea of how it works.  Everyone so enjoyed the last blog hop, and it's a great way to get a little more attention to your blog.  I hope you decide to play along!
I have heard from the following already:
Liz L, Ruth, Nancy, Lizzie, Deb K, Deb A, Karen, Sharyn, Cherry, Julie, Sian, Margi, Jacky, Elizabeth H., Amy and Cheryl. Woohoo!!!  It will be quite a party

Week in a Life Interrupted for an alternate AJ Page

I've enjoyed sharing my "visual diary" style art journal pages this week, in honor of Ali Edwards' Week in a Life project. But I wanted to take a break from those today and share a different style of art journal page.  I prepared this one in response to the prompt:  "How would you describe yourself as a child?"  My answer:  I was many things, but I was definitely self confident, self aware and self possessed.  You can click on the image to enlarge it and see more details.  The prompt (or catalyst) comes from the terrific site,  Creative Therapy.  They post a new catalyst every week, and I'm getting confident enough in my art journaling skills to start playing along.  Tomorrow:  back to regular programming and this weekend look for details on the House Party blog hop.