So Many Children Locked Up: A Reflection from Inside a Detention Center

It is important to slow down and art-it-out following an experience of any spiritual or emotional or physical intensity. I often zoom on with the next project, event, activity without slowing down. Art is my reminder of the necessity to slow down. I don't think it matters what the art is; or even what the end product looks like. It is the journey of doing the art itself which is the point of healing and wholeness. I often don't do art when my spirit needs me to do art. And yet, every time I do bracket out the time and dump my heart onto a journal page I am so glad I invested the time in doing art. Each mark on the journal page brings healing. Here: too many children (and moms) are being held behind locked walls in so-called detention centers (jail) for immigrants seeking asylum from violence in their homelands. It is very much jail for families, and it is appalling to see so many children (250-300) behind locked walls.

Simple mark-making with a mini stamp pad.

The background is a "reject" practice page done by a friend's mother.

A quick journaling; dumping out my experience of ministry inside a detention center.

Ver-Actuar-Azucar (see, discern, act) is an easy process for reflection.

Symbols: Peace sign & cross represent the two styles of earrings the women made.

Screened in. Behind bars. Women & children in a detention center.

Six tables with four chairs each for the women making jewelry.

Impromptu (Travel Bag) Art Workshop

I always take my art travel bag whenever I leave the house for a day trip or an overnight for two reasons; (1) I always hope that I'll have some free time to do art; (2) I enjoy doing art together with others and public places are perfect for discovering who also enjoys getting messy with mixed media art. To ensure I'm always ready for either option, I restock/refill my travel art bag immediately upon return from any away trip so I'm ready to grab-n-go for the next time.

We covered a large table with newsprint & spread out the supplies.

 I've started including a mini (6"x6") Gelli Art plate in my travel bag plus a small roller. I also include small stencils and stamps which can be used to add texture. My mini tubs of acrylic and tempura are plenty for an impromptu art evening with half a dozen people.
I begin by unloading everything in my travel art bag and explaining the possible uses for each. For this impromptu art evening with six women we set up in the common room at a retreat hotel. Some of the women became enamored with doing Zentangle and others made mini mono prints. 

Stencils, mini tubs of paint and a 6" square Gelli Art plate.

The only paper I had was my 6" squares of black.

Black 6" squares and Zentangle

A 3rd press of the Gelli Art plate for a faint "ghost" plus additional (heart) stamping.

Gel pens for Zentangle on black watercolor paper.

A 6"x6" first print on black watercolor paper using white gesso and acrylic.

Mixed Media Mexico Vaca Collage

A mixed media collage is a fun way to tell the story of a great vacation. I began this messy mix by tearing out pictures & headlines from tourist magazines en route home from vacation. While on the plane we also made our (typical) list of vaca favorites. These are combined here to remind me of the wonderful experience of our annual getaway to Cabo. 

The background is filled with collage   It's sealed with clear gesso for the next layer.

The green plant is a mono print of a cactus. I used a B&W print of a pix I'd taken at a cactus garden in Mexico as the guide print for the mono printing. I like the 3-D look of layering & the cactus print reminds me of a great day.

I topped it all wtth the lists of favorites from the trip.

Circle of Focus Mixed Media Portrait Collage

Art magazines and books are great ways to get creative input for artsy theology. I liked the concept in the article shown here to include a picture of a face torn from a magazine and make in "you" by painting over/collaging into the art. I added theological reflection to the mix by integrating symbols & shapes. The large circle symbolizes focus on what God is doing in my world which is why I named this art reflection "Circle of Focus: Mixed Media Portrait Collage." During the reflection ask yourself: Who am I? Where am I on my journey? What is God calling me to notice/do?

Flowers symbolize beauty and new growth and are a reminder that God is wats doing something new.

The double squares represent a project I'm working on and justice (justicia) is the theme. I added the heart (of God) and added text strips to tell my story.

I didn't like the thin circle so I used watercolor gel crayon to add a bold line to emphasize the "Circle of Focus."

Foam Stamps Make Great Impressions for Mono Printing

The inexpensive foam stamps found in the t-shirt section of Hobby Lobby make great imprints for mono printing. Spread the (Gelli Art or acrylic) plate with paint (tempura used here). Then press the plate with one or more stamps. It works best to dump the paint onto a clean page after each press on the plate. In other words, use the plate as a stamp pad. After each press of the plate "stamp" the paint off the foam stamp. That frees it to accept more paint with each stamp on the plate (otherwise it can't absorb more and it slips around and doesn't leave a crisp impression on the printing plate).

The benefit is a "two for one." As you make one mono print page you also make the bonus page from cleaning the stamps (and roller). 

Christmas VBS Mono Printing

Mono printing with small kids is messy but joyous. We covered a ping pong table with paper and created six small stations to rotate children in for mono printing on a Gelli Art plate. The stations were set up with three choices of acrylic paint, a roller, and a selection of items for stamping texture and Christmas shapes. There was one adult per station to assist the children and to help with cleanup between kids. One of the helper teens demonstrated the process and then we cut the kids loose at six stations which were set up around a covered ping pong table.

 The stations included one Gelli Art plate, one roller, an assortment of paints and items to use to make stencils, stamps, and designs.

Each child created two mono prints on card stock which could then be folded and used as a card or cut into small rectangles and punched with a paper punch in one corner to be used as gift tags. Ages 3 to 14 participated and everyone was super excited about the art they created.

Poised to Obey: Just Do It!

One of the cool things about art journaling is flipping back-and-forth through the pages during the year (time frame) that you're working in the journal and gradually gaining new insights on previous journal entries. One of the epiphanies in all this is realizing that time/change moves slowly. A journal will have a consistent theme for several months, an entire year, or even longer as one slowly reflects on the space and place and circumstances. It isn't like you write about something this week and next week that same thing is entirely "fixed" or "transformed" (or whatever). The reality is that the reflection and insight occur on any give topic over an extended period of time. That is LIFE. What is super cool is that in the flipping back-and-forth over completed or partially completed journal pages is that continued insights one gains...by looking at; reading, reflecting upon early entries. Every now and then there is an epiphany...an whooper A-HA! What's really interesting then is to look back at the layers of thought and reflection that went into the journal entry. It helps one realize the (thoughtful) process that goes into the (slow) process of change. The journal entry here began in the spring, and I gradually added bits and pieces to it through the year. Now, as the year is nearly over, my whopper epiphany is simply JUST DO IT! For all the agonizing, wondering, lamenting, questioning...of which there has been much, the reality is that I need to take action and simply DO IT. I suspect that there is something in everyone's life that one is procrastinating on; knowing what needs to be done, but unwilling (or seemingly unable) to just do it. Journaling opens the path to action: JUST DO IT!

The page began with collage elements topped with an experimental layer of thick acrylic media

After the media was applied these words were prominent POISED TO OBEY.

The completed journal page was done over 8-9 months with layers gradually added. The epiphany: JUST DO IT!

Road Trip Travel Art Bag...Unpacked!

Overview of the stuffed back with the exterior pockets unloaded.

The guts unpacked.

A small stash of materials for stenciling and texturing.

Mini containers of acrylic, gesso, matt medium plus stackable watercolors.

In preparation for a road trip to California and back I have crammed a travel art bag with a diverse selection of art materials to use on the road. I bought this handy bag at Michael's, and its myriad of compartments is perfect for taking art on the road. (I expect to use a modified version of this for plane trips, but of course the liquids and sharp supplies need to be removed and packed to travel in the belly of the plane.) I include an empty accordion file folder and #10 envelope for collecting ephemera during the trip. The bag includes to plastic water jars, 3 types of watercolors, tin pencil containers with pencils, brushes, and pens. The kit also includes a small box of crayons, Gelatos, scissors, glue stick, letters for stamping, washi tape, kneadable eraser, pencil sharpener, exacto knives, and specialty art markers. I included a small pad of black card stock for Zentangle and generic doodling. I will also bring a small shoulder tote with a selection of art books for browsing and two or three working journals.

Inspiration from Listening to Christian Radio: A Guest Perspective

The backgrounds for these art reflections were created during a recent group session on mono printing, Mary used her original photographs as the "guide prints" that she positioned under a piece of clear Plexiglas and then used acrylic paints to quickly paint the gist of the image on top of the acrylic. Each print was individually pressed to pull up the rendered image. Once dry, the mono prints were adhered to her art journal for future artful reflection. Mary said her inspiration for the art journaling came while listening to the Christian radio station KLOVE.

 

DIY Christmas Stamps for Block Printing

Paper cross intended to be a painted ornament.

I like the oversized foam stamps which are intended for printing on t-shirts. When I couldn't find any themed for Christmas I decided to find an alternative way to make my own. I cruised the Christmas craft section and bought various shapes for other projects and then used heavy duty glue to adhere each to a free sample piece of flooring (available at your local super-sized building supply store). I used a 6"x6" Gelli Art printing plate as my "stamp pad" and "inked it up" with a liberal dose of acrylic paint from a tube.
There are several variations on the theme. You can simply use the Gelli Art plate like an ink pad, inking and re-inking (washing between as appropriate) or you can use the Gelli Art plate as the stamp. Of course a combination also works. I worked on a journal page which already had some basic preparation done for the background. I chose purple to provide a strong impact image and to complement the existing colors.

The Gelli Art printing plate can be pressed directly onto a journal page.

A selection of DIY stamps that children will use during Christmas VBS.

This is my practice page to experiment with the DIY stamps and Gelli Art plate. I'll add more layers later.

Mono printing Abstract Art

It's great to use a photograph as a "guide print" underneath a piece of glass or acrylic, but expect the printed image to look much more abstract than the photograph.

This 8x10 size photo of a windmill has simple lines that make it a great choice for a mono print for a group art session on symbols of memory.  The print size turned out to be too small which made the detail blend together once the paper was pressed onto the acrylic. 

Instead of a windmill it created an abstract piece of art. Upside down it gives the feeling of a reflection (or right side up of a cross). The strong symbol works well either way as a background journal page for future reflection. (Image by Maxine)