Perspective through the Lens of a Camera

A camera provides a beautiful eye to look at the world through a fresh perspective. I recently walked along the shoreline in Seal Beach, CA. I opted to have my cell phone camera be my "eyes" and perspective as I walked along the boardwalk to downtown.

Of course the obvious is the overview of the beach (at sunset). 

I thought it would be interesting to show different angles of the houses that faced the beach. 

The reflected light and strong angles provided an interesting contrast. 

It's always good to look for new perspectives and unique textures. 

Extreme closeup images always add contrast (and impact). 

Finishing Touch

I added ZenDoodle to a recently "completed" journal page for two reasons: (1) It just didn't look quite "done;" and (2) I kept getting a mental image of myself ZenDoodling in the waiting room of the immigration "detention center" while I waited nearly four hours for the family to be out-processed at (finally) released. A similar pattern to what I'd ZenDoodled while I waited is the finishing touch that tells the story.

Immigrant Detention Freedom Reflection

I've been visiting immigrant mothers and their children from Central America at a nearby "detention center" (AKA JAIL) who are seeking asylum in the US from violence in their homelands. I also help with overnight hosting when families have finally been released on bond with permission to continue on to a family member in the US who has committed to host and assume responsibility. This mother and her two kids spent 3-1/2 months in detention and were released shortly before Christmas. They had a 3-day bus journey (7 different buses) to NYC. I used a photo I'd taken as we were leaving the house and headed out the door to the bus station in San Antonio as the basis for mr belated art reflection.

Put carbon paper under the photo and trace over the picture. 

Re-draw over the carbon lines. I used a watercolor pencil and then blurred the edges of some of the lines. I kept seeing an image of a bus in my mind so I added a line art tracing of a bus. 

Add colors and stamps and stenciling to continue the mixed media reflection. 

Dove symbolizes peace. Names & ages of the travelers. Tio & Madre are the relatives hosting the family. 

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.

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)

Grief Group & Gelli Art Photo 'Transfer'

Using a photo which holds a significant memory is a helpful tool in so-called art therapy and one's journey through grief. In the example here, the mother of a teen who was killed last year works with a photo she took while she was taking her son on a ski trip. She had asked her son to roll down car window and lean way back so she could take a picture of the scene they were driving past making the slow climb up the steep mountain road. As a symbol, the artwork doesn't need to exactly duplicate the actual scene; rather the shapes of the symbols point to something bigger than "just" the trees. In this example, the trees symbolize the special times that she has had with her son at their mountain retreat. The mother used black paint for the first imprint (below); washed the gel plate and used purple (on of her son's favorite colors) for the second round (left).

Place the photo in an acetate sleeve and tape to work table. Position gel plate. Mix retarder into your acrylic paint to slow down the drying process and then quickly paint your image using a generous application of paint. 

Press a sheet of watercolor paper and pull the print. The "trees" image shown below was printed onto a page previously prepared with a gel imprint with silver acrylic and a stamped image to suggest the texture of snow. You could pull a second "ghost" print; spritz the plate with water and them pull a third and possibly fourth print. Adhere the mono prints into an altered book art journal as backgrounds for future reflection.

International Lily Festival

What a joy to see the amazing collection of lilies in San Angelo at the public lily gardens. Free parking. Free admission. Amazing & diverse selection of lilies. I photographed these at twilight when most of the flowers had closed up for the night. I'm looking forward to an early post-dawn photo shoot.

Graphite Paper Image Transfer

Prepared journal page: white gesso with pastels.

And easy way to "be" an artist is to use graphite paper to do an image transfer of a photograph onto your journal. The process will "trash" your picture so make sure you use a copy. The ideal image would be to make a digital file of your original by either scanning it OR take a closeup digital picture of the picture. Then size it to fit your journal page and push print on a cheap B&W inkjet printer. Voila! Ready to transfer. Follow the steps indicated in the cations of the sample shown here to create an image transfer with graphite paper.

Position graphite paper face down under picture.

Use graphite pencil on picture as guide for outlining and shading.

Remove the graphite paper to see transferred image.

Enhance with graphite pencil as desired.

Graphite paper image transfer that has been enhanced with additional shading.

Border details on right page: stamped images of "girl" things to represent his wife.

Border details on the left page: stamped images of "boy" things (bugs, trucks, etc.)

The completed journal page: Growing UP

The catalyst for this reflection piece was actually an old piece of art I found when cleaning out our back shed: a silhouette image of our son that was done when he was in pre-school 26 years ago. The framed size is 16x20. I didn't want to hang onto it, but I didn't want to throw it out either. So, I recycled the art by taking a digital photograph of it and then I printed it on my cheap inkjet printer to fit inside my journal. It sat there for quite awhile (several months) before "part two" emerged in my reflection process which became this piece.

Private Moments: Love Letters & Reflection

What great joy to re-read old love letters and then to think reflectively about what these early letters meant and mean in our married life TODAY. After reading through the letters I collaged bits & pieces onto a journal page; added a photo of each of us from that time-frame, and then began to think about what all this was saying/meaning. I chose the symbols of the sunflower (the official state flower of my childhood home/Kansas) and the movement of the wave (to represent Southern California and my beloved's childhood home). I'm sure there's probably another layer that could be added on top of this...for now, this is what I'm thinking and feeling.

Sunflower and waves: KS meets So Cal.

Stenciling: Kansas Girl Loves So Ca Boy

The background...love letters and two old photographs.

The finished page.

In the Beginning: DINFOS July 5, 1978

I met my husband at the Defense Information School (DINFOS) at Ft. Benjamin Harrison in Indianapolis, IN July 5th 1978. He was fresh off a two-year tour on a US Coast Guard icebreaker and I was fresh out of US Navy boot camp. He was 22. I was 18. In preparation for our recent 35th wedding anniversary I went down "memory lane" with old photos and love letters. This page brings together photos, bits of letters, and memorabilia related to our first weeks together.

Integrating various photos with memorabilia is a wonderful way to remember...and in this case for me...to fall in love all over again.

Imprinting with bubble wrap and watercolors adds texture.

Simple stamp made from a wine cork.

The process of art journaling allows space to think, reflect, feel, express, and experience. 

World Travelers 1978 to 2014

 When I was going through a box of love letters from the year we courted while stationed 1200 miles apart (my husband USCG in NYC and myself USN in Memphis) I collated the letters with some of our old photographs. The theme for this page is the many countries and states that we've visited from our introduction in Indianapolis in 1978 to the present. I used stacked journaling to write the names of the key states and countries where we have lived or traveled to together. The background is one letter that Mike wrote me on the backside of a print of the USCG icebreaker cutter that he had been stationed on just prior to when we met. I kept thinking how stunning it was (is) the many places that we have lived and traveled...something that we could not and did not anticipate when we met in 1978. I was in Mexico with limited art supplies when I did this reflection. I had used clear gesso on the photos so that I could work over the images, but the clear gesso wasn't quite as "clear" as I had expected and it make the pictures look muddy. Upon return home I used lacquer thinner to remove the clear gesso from the photos. I removed some of the words but it also brightened the page which was my intent.

The purpose of the reflection was to remember and to celebrate the many places we have lived and traveled and to appreciate the the richness this has woven through our marriage.