More Flower Mandalas

Flower Mandala Page
Pam Carriker color wheel stencils, spray ink, collage, watercolor pencils, Gelly Roll pens

There is something wonderful about working within a circle. Love making marks, scribbles,

punching out colored dots, playing with color. What could be better? Great to gradually work 

on this page, coming back again and again to add layers of color and texture. I think one

day there will be journaled text all around these circles on the page, but taking my time. At this

point kind of like the stray stripes of yellow ink. 

Pink Flower Mandala

Pink Flower Mandala

Acrylic, collage, Twinkling H2O's, Gelly Roll Pens

I used Pam Carriker's color wheel stencil to start this piece. I'm obsessed with sectioned circles, spinners, mandala's

and labyrinths right now. Of course I've also been staring into the face of  flowers for years as well. Why?

It makes me happy. 

Lovey to walk the local labyrinth that happens to be close to where I live. Love the idea of entering being willing

to receive, receiving the peace of this walking meditation, then integrating that peacefulness on the way out.

Know it's different for everyone. Know that others have their own way of interacting with these millenniums

old constructions. Know that I will learn new ways of using this sacred interaction as the years pass as well.

Looking at this pink flower mandala I'm struck by a lot of things. How pink has not always been one of my favorite colors.

I remember as a child being angry that diluted red (weak) was the color assigned to girls while blue (strong) had been

assigned to boys, at least that's how it seemed. And blue is the color of the whole huge sky and the whole huge ocean

while pink seems mostly to dwell in the barbie aisle. I demanded a room with blue walls (strong) and refused to wear pink.

But now? I love how bight and vibrant it is. I love how it vibrates next to the blue. And pink relates nicely to spring green.

I also really enjoyed scribbling on this piece. And, I enjoyed scribbling with the eraser tool in photoshop today.

I thought of Jackson Pollack and his scribbles of poured paint and thought about how Jackson would have liked the kind

of disembodied but fully engaged marks I scribbled. Man, is it all about going back to that primal scribble to just purely

enjoy those ecstatic scribbly marks?

I'm also noticing that those seeds at the center of the flower made by punching holes in patterned paper. Despite

that vibrant pink they seem to have the most presence in this piece.  I think I've been thinking a lot about getting

older (and going to seed, lol) and what I'm creating for the future. How I will give to future generations?

Not sure, but I will keep you informed.

Enough Owl Energy

"Enough Owl Energy"

DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylic applied with a small Gelli Plate, roller, brush. Stenciled with

fluid acrylic (white).  Lettered with Identipen, outlined with Gelly Roll Pens.

 

I've been neglecting my blogs.  This one about visual art journaling and my other about sacred art

including art therapy and SoulCollage "Healing Art Works".  In this new year I intend to get the

energy going in both of them again. Today I went to Alice's house to make pages.  I think this group

(Eileen, Alice, Tisa, Betty, myself, and others cycling through) could be called the Raven Journal

Group.  The raven is a symbol of the crone, and all in our group are over 50, with a few of us

a bit farther down that road.  I mention this because it feels like my task this year is to "accept

the things I can not change", which mostly boils down to coming to terms with getting old. Not

enough energy, not enough time to do all those things on my life's "to do" list.

My monkey (neurotic) mind has been taking note that, like a car past its warranty, parts of this 

body are no longer in the pristine shape it was, say, 30 years ago. Each birthday (July) and each 

winter (cold) seems to gift me with a new ache or line. This new year has been newly bulging

blue veins and newly sagging skin. Sigh. Also new worries about where money is going to come

from when the child support stops this year; the additional issue that surfaced yesterday. Yes,

I am both a senior and a single mom to a teen who graduates from high school this year. Oh did

I mention the employment problems most adjunct college instructors are experiencing?

I think that universal health care is necessary but it has also meant that employers have limited

most of us to 2 classes or less. So with all this weighing on my mind I brought my trick bag of

supplies and my journal to my group, almost staying home because of a bad case of angst.

So above is the page that emerged. Love the gem colors of the DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics. Used

the smallest gelli plate to stamp on color and texture. Rolled off the color from my brayer; got my

brush in there as well. Then stenciled with a doily stencil, pouncing on with a makeup sponge.

At first the stenciled patterns made the page look like the rose windows of a church. Then I noticed

that the colors seem to vibrate and radiate. Then the words came: "Enough Energy", "Enough Time",

my word for the year "Courage". Then I saw that those energetic circles looked like owl's eyes.

Which made me think of the wise owl and the "Wisdom" that can come with age. I love it when the 

message of my journal pages is inescapable. The energy of this spread can not be denied. 

Despite my anxiety about life's realities I can see and feel this message: See things clearly, there is

enough energy, there is enough time. The croning process can bring wisdom. Take courage.