Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Janus, is the door still open???


Janus- In his role as the Guardian of Exits and Entrances, Janus was also believed to represent beginnings. The explanation for this belief being that one must emerge through a door or gate in order to enter into a new place. Therefore, the Romans also considered Janus as the God of Beginnings and his name was an obvious choice for the first month of their year...a month referred to by the Ancient Romans as Ianuarius, which is not so far removed from the modern-day "January," taken from the Etruscan word jauna which means "door." Originally, however, Janus was honored on the first day of every month, in addition to being worshipped at the beginning of planting season and again at the harvest. Deference was also paid to him at the most important beginnings in the life of an individual...such as birth and marriage.


What a busy month.  We have been house hunting.   The idea of an empty basement has me wildly excited!  No!  We haven't even got to the offer part so this is is just wild speculation on my part.  The Rooster is more interested in pantry space.  lol


We also have a house guest.  So my skills at hand work haven't moved along much but my card holding has improved as has my game playing skills.   My mark making pens and my thread and needle have not had much chance to play.  Nice to have a 20 year old young fella bump us out of our rut.  But we were telling him there is one thing lacking since he arrived.  Sleep!!!  lol

 I joined a style challenge that had me delving in the depths of my closet and sharpened my previously non existent selfie skills.   This is my relaxing Sunday afternoon outfit.  I am not comfortable with wearing leggings in public.  But so nice at home!  Trying to look good sure takes lots of time.  I had to stop to shop for a couple of basics including this top.  :O
 
 The room I had picked to begin the whole house 'touch up and call it done'  project was the art room.  This is the final run through for our 'ready to move' purge.

I hadn't expected to do much but the seasonal sort of all the smaller bits for scrapbooking/planners turned out to be relatively easy and quick.   There isn't  a lot of room to do much but tidy and easy access is always good!  ;^)


Last page for the January set of planner pages.  I can't quite comprehend how the time has flown.
But I did notice that Janus is also available for the beginning of each new month.  phew!  I can start again with all my good intentions! 

Friday, January 27, 2017

A Fly by Friday

I have had an incredibly busy week with appointments and errands.   I've hardly spent any time in my art room.

Then I joined a 5 day clothing style challenge which I thought I'd just watch and learn from.  Totally drawn in and I learned so very much.  I should have known that personal styles and design principles are not just for art or house decor!  duh!  One trip to the city held a small side trip. But that is next month's focus so more on that next month.

I did start out the week with art and red violet in mind.  But then things got complicated; not to mention busy.   I grabbed some scrap booking paper from Michael's in blue violet for March's art 101 lesson.  Contemplating the grand kiddies options for January's red violet got me experimenting with collage on a blank canvas.

I calmed it down and added light molding paste which seems to be part of my style evolution.  Not sure where this is going to go but I have time to think about it as I try to get the focus for January back on track.  But I am definitely feeling on track with discovering who I am and what's my personal style.  Happy weekend!

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Finding Myself!


Here is the way I see it!


I am a Mystic.  No surprise it is the baseline of who I am.  It will certainly influence what I do but I am an introvert and this is a private part of me.  It'll be a silent partner.  But one who dances in the spirit!

Again, no surprise; I am a Storyteller which also partnered with Scribe and Writer. The big three! This likely explains why I am more inclined to research and write about my plans than do them.  lol  I stride along, reporting what I find that is interesting.

I am a Student which is why I am such a technique junky.  Again, blogger fodder.  I hardly have time to attend sock hops!

I am an Eternal Child.  This is no surprise to those who know me well.  I learned I was an 'otter' some years ago and what shocked me was that I was just about 95% instead of my usual scores for surveys which are average, 50 percenters.  This just makes me jump for joy!

And I am an Hermit.  An happy hermit, I might add.  Of course, this means I have lots of time to write and blog. oh, and play!  So I'm not likely to be seen out and about too very much!

 I just feel the stress ooze out of me when I learn I am an Artist only as a secondary trait.  I am a Creative!!!   I have no passion/drive to be a big artist.  I will be happy to write about my creativity instead.

It is interesting to me that I am a Teacher only as a secondary impetuous.  Learning is more important to me but I will absolutely share what I learn.  I did some 'real' teaching and can see now that teaching is a tad stressful for the Hermit!  :O  Now teaching the grand kiddies is really just playing school and hardly seems to count.   I really learn as much as they!

The big surprise to me was that another secondary trait is Engineer.  ???  But I do like to be a creative problem solver in many areas and I do like systems in place so things flow smoothly.

I had the Rooster take the quiz with me and we are in basic agreement.   Bless his heart, he thinks I'm a capital A artist.  He also thinks I'm a Princess!  Okay, I'll grant you that I'm spoiled!  ;^)  Nice to know we are of like mind.

All in all, I am happy that the book has validated where I am wanting to head in my creative journey.  It was worth the price of the book to finally own up to my passion, writing.  I am not sure what has made me resist acknowledging  writing/storytelling but ...

The book also helps use the archetypical information to inform your mixed media style.  So that will be an interesting process as well.  I do intend to let my little light shine and to tell about it!

Monday, January 23, 2017

THE journal

There are some people who like to look in mirrors.  me?  Not so much.  So doing a journal titled 'All About...  me'   is a little freaky!!!   But shoot!  I'm going to be clickety click- 66 this year.  It is a transitional year.  If I haven't figured out who I am by now,  well, when will I?

I do like journaling.  I even like making journals.  So when I first crossed paths with this concept something inside me straightened right up and said, YES!

I immediately sent for the book post haste and awaited it impatiently.  I did the quiz and actually had a surprise or two but I feel very accepting of the results.

 In some ways I feel like I have been preparing for this very thing!   I did these mixed media art canvases a couple several years ago.  :O

I grabbed the journal I'd made last year for the Wanderlust journey.  I'll ignore the one page I'd managed to do.  There is always gesso but somehow I feel this is another preparation page.  But I am not wundering/wandering nor lust/lost so this will repurpose nicely.

After doing the quiz and identifying my own archetypes I felt empowered to let me come into the light and be fully revealed.  Hello, elle!  I counted up the important traits and added two more signatures which the wide spine easily accommodated.  Another 'meant to be'!   The intro of who, what, when, where, why, how and even therefore,  kinda just fell into place.  And now it is , next...

I am ready to leap into my documentary.  Maybe with only a little hesitation.  lol

Friday, January 20, 2017

That kind of day

My Memory Keeper is keeping up.    Not quite finished the week but I was on a roll.  It has been an eventful week so I'll just hope for an uneventful weekend.  ;^)  

Was a week behind waiting for white printer paper but I'm printing away.  Ink is now low though.  lol 

The planner is such fun.  No stress and no planning.  I also got a download for art room planning and it confirms many of my own thoughts so I feel validated.

I am ready to tackle the archetypes journal and have a bit of a start planned.   I see the mask is upside down but I 'like' it!   All the news stories have been rather gloomy so I was happy to make art as light bulbs turned on as I worked!  Letting my light shine!

PS:  I read that making art releases endorphins; those happy feelings.  I'm a believer!

Thursday, January 19, 2017

FYI Purple/Violet


Purple or violet is a secondary colour that is mixed with two primary colours.  It is difficult to get consistent results so I just buy a big basic purple. This tube is Basics Dioxazine Purple.  It saves time and frustration.  Likely one can buy red violet and blue violet as well but then the art budget and the storage limitations are strained.    Mixing more or less red or blue gives the derivatives. Sort of...

It depends on whether one uses a warm or cool red and a warm or cool blue.  And then there are all the variations and combinations.  We won't do the math on the percentage of blue verses red!  eek!  I like and use purple but I'm kinda glad that purple/violet isn't my most favourite and used colour.  ;^)

And to add to the diversity there are various colour wheels.  Joen Wolfrom includes violet and purple in her colour wheel and 3-in-1 colour tool.  I can see that this makes sense.  But still...



One can see that 'it is complicated'!  lol   So sticking to the KIS students principle, I will stick with the simpler 12 colour colour wheel and buy a big tube of purple to which I'll add warm or cool reds depending on the temperature of my story!

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

A Royal Story


Once a week I head off to see my grand kiddies,  a royal prince and his princess sisters.  We do Art 101 and then Literature Appreciation.

Having observed my rather normal (typical) grandchildren I would say it is never too young to introduce art.
Jolina, the youngest (4), was just kinda encouraged to do her own thing off to one side.  She has amazed me with her interest, ability, and fine motor skills.   Eliana, just turned seven, is messy, independent, and fearless. I might add tearless but it would be untrue as she gets quite dismayed when abilities don't match her aspirations!  Can anyone else relate?  Joshua is almost nine.  He is tidy, focused and likes the details.


I want to foster a luv for journaling.  We begin with a binder that is their planner/journal. At this point it is very visual. I also realized I need to use my motto-  KIS Students!  They don't have a limitless attention span so I must keep an eye on the clock.   Since we are always coming back to the colour wheel which has 12 segments I decided we would begin in January and do a colour a month.  A little forethought and we should hit the warm colours in time for summer.  ;^)  Sometimes I amaze myself!  LOL

Looking through the designated drawer for their supplies I realized I needed to fine tune things.  By season???   Again, not a full room sort but just a better dividing of categories.  As I search,  I reassign the stickers and scraps.  I can also see what I have in abundance (summer) and what I lack (blue violet).  :/

She has leaves figured.  House orientation not so much.

Final revision.  Lesson learned- markers are permanent!

hmm, what's between sky and ground?
The format for the actual class is an old art book.The publishing date page is missing but Art Stories * Book Three* looks to me like it predates Dick and Jane!    "Through varied pictures and interesting reading the child is made increasingly conscious of beauty of colour, form, and line as seen in nature, pictures, in all his surroundings.  Elementary ideas of drawing, painting, sculpture, design, architecture, interior decoration, costume, and civic art are thus introduced in a setting of natural child interests and activities."  Not only does it simplify my planning but it is fun!

Winter is devoted to that royal colour purple, or more correctly violet.  January is red violet.  February, the secondary colour violet, and March will be blue violet.

We finish our time together with a chapter or two.   Sometimes the children draw and colour as I read and sometimes we just snuggle and imagine the lives of royal children.  A grand story indeed!

Saturday, January 14, 2017

no surprise ending

Therefore
The only shorthand symbol I remember and actually use is the three dots for therefore.

 I had laid out the materials and general plan for the last of my who, what, when, where, why and how pages.  And of course the final page sorta followed the plan.

I do believe I am beginning to get a glimpse of how I like to do and layout my pages.

I did have to fix one oops because I was impatient and I shoulda left the butterfly lost under some papers. The surprise is that in spite of everything I am happy to call it done and move on to the next section of 'who am I?'.



Friday, January 13, 2017

an ARTifact

ARTifacts
Seth said, " I have always wanted to create some sort of physical artist book to hold these memories.".

And I agree and I am happy to report that I have been working in my Memory Keeper for the last six months.  I liked The Happy Planner so much I got a smaller one and lots of accessories.  I can now make my own and get real creative with my memories.

The first and biggest is an 18 month planner.  I have had lots of practice as I continue into 2017.  I am not much of a planner but it is a great diary/journal.  It is also fun which is highly motivational.  I print photos and the phone gives a nice size and shape to fit.  It is a learning tool as I try to make them visual pleasing  and cohesive.

The smaller size is really a planner as I track and plan the art classes for my grand kiddies, my ideas for blog posts and art room activities.  I can try out stamps, paint/spray combos, lettering and doodles.

I can also make my own journals with the punch and discs.  This one has cereal box covers and watercolour pages.

These are my quick- life is happening as I create- journals.  They help me focus and keep the squirrel tendencies at bay.  ;^)

Then I do have a special journal for 2017.  I discovered archetypes through Seth actually,  and I have made a journal to explore who I am.

I am excited to be journaling this year!

It is a fact.  Art in fact!