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.

Updating Previous Art Journal with Fresh Insight(s)

Sometimes it's fun to flip the pages through your art journal and look for fresh insights from previous journal entries. It might be that you realize something "now" that you didn't "then," or that things have evolved or changed in the person/situation from "then" to "now." Either way, it is helpful to turn the pages of your art journal and look for nuances of what has happened/changed from when the journal entry was first created. In the example here, I added the stamped lettering "BETTER TOGETHER" on a previous reflection about the importance of a couple "separating" from their respective parents and "clinging" to each other. Amid the ups and downs of (this particular) relationship I realized that they are, in fact, better together.

From Rough Journal to Art Journal

I'm a firm believer in having something to write on handy at all times. I generally have some sort of rough journal available to write notes or to sketch out an idea. I may, or may not, do something else with the rough idea but I need to know that I have a ready place to at least put down on paper the beginning of my ideas. In this case I had my "mission journal" with me during a service of worship at the end of day #1 of serving at a relief center for immigrants entering the country in south Texas. Since I am now a pastor vocationally, it is always fun to be a member of the congregation (and not the pastor leading worship), so I enjoy taking notes of what is being said and done. I took notes during the sermon (left) and later embellished with a cut shape (sunflower) which became the beginning of a concept for a more formal art journal entry.
I began in my art journal on a previously begun page...I look for something that I've started that resonates with what I'm thinking about now. In this case, I'd been doing art with immigrants so it made sense to add to a page where I'd already collaged memorabilia about being an artist (below left).

The theme of the sermon was the "Golden Rule" and "do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Essentially, the pastor said that "our life is the standard" and that whatever we want or desire for ourselves is what then we must be willing to help ensure that others are about to have. The pastor challenged the congregation to make a list of what "we" desired and that then became the standard for what others should also have available. I've been on a "sunflower theme" lately as that represents my childhood home (Kansas) so I used the petals on the sunflower as the "list" of what I want.

I used stamped lettering to write the name of song that had been sung. The brown scraps on the right are torn pieces of paper in the shape of tears, and the represent the tears of the immigrants we had visited with earlier in the day. Of course, the stamped image of the cross symbolizes...life and love and hope and commitment.  

Freedom Forward-Mixed Media Letter Dump

Writing a  letter that you will never mail is a great way to "dump" feelings, hurts, emotions. The first step is to choose a person, place, event that has been bugging you and quickly dump out a letter...to a specific person but no intention of actually mailing the letter. You can write on your favorite stationary, a plain piece of note paper, or straight onto your art journal page. The example here is my dump letter that I did as a practice/sample for an art session at a shelter for at-risk teens. I used only the art materials that I bring in my "art-on-the-go" travel tubs so the paints here are tempera. See below for the layers/steps.

Freedom [Forward] is the theme of this reflection...

Letter Dump

1.       Use a lead pencil and quickly write a letter to a particular person—dump out all your hurts, emotions, feelings. The paper here is construction paper. You can use stationery, notepaper, or write directly on the journal page. If you use separate paper then glue the letter into your journal are onto a more stiff type of paper which can handle the additional art materials.

2.       Paint over most of the letter with acrylic or tempera. Use 1-3 colors as desired. It’s okay for some of the words to show through because you will add many more layers.

3.       Identify symbols that express your feelings and stamp the symbols onto the page. I chose the symbol of a crab because I was feeling (literally) “crabby” toward the recipient of this letter.

4.       Collage a photo or clips from magazines which relate to the experience/person.

5.       Write or glue the Serenity Prayer onto the piece. Identify a word or phrase in the prayer that reflects your feelings, desire, hope. Paint or stamp a simple shape/symbol as desired. In the example, I painted a horizontal rectangle and a vertical window—both symbols of the experience I am reflecting upon.

6.       Name the feelings you are experiencing. I used a list of feeling words as a “cheat sheet” and circled the words that related to my experience. The negative words might jump out at you first, but also include positive aspects of this experience. Use a graphite pencil and write those feeling words on the art piece.

7.       Next, name what you want/desire—the feelings, resolution that you hope and pray for over-against the experience you've had. In this example, I wrote these words BIG and BOLD over the list of feeling words: POWERLESS, PEACE WITH GOD, PEACE WITH SELF, PEACE WITH OTHERS, FORGIVE SELF, FACE FORWARD.

8.       Title your page. As I wrote the list of words (related to the 12-step recovery), I realized that what I really desired was FREEDOM FORWARD; not to be stuck in the past but FREEDOM FORWARD.

9.       Add a verse of scripture that resonates with your reflection. Mine is “It is for freedom that Christ has set you free” (Galatians 5:1).

10.   Embellish with additional symbols as desired. I put a cross over the photograph as a symbol of the freedom in Christ Jesus. The single butterfly represents the freedom I desire for myself.

Identify your feelings from this reflection and write them on the page.

Bold words of what you want go on top of the feeling words.

 

The cross was the final element I added to symbolize freedom in Christ Jesus.

The pink rectangle is a symbol related to my reflection as is the vertical "window" shape.

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. 

The Dream at 53

 I pasted "The Dream at 53" headline in my art journal four months ago and thought it would be interesting to see what I collected that represents my dreams of who & what I still want to be and do. The cartoon of the old lady at the bookshelf was the first thing I added: I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I would always be READING. The rest took more time and thought to accumulate and add. Some dreams are beyond my control (grandkids) and others

 required me to step aside from my doubts and fears and NAME that which I truly want to do. I added the eclectic collection of collage items over a four-month period, occasionally revisiting the page to reflect on my dreams. The ephemera includes photos, bits of my recycled art, stamping, washi tape, stencil, photographs, message from a fortune cookie, acrylic, and china marker. Perhaps the next step is to do an artsy theology entry on each dream on what will transform the dream to reality...

All Brings Joy

This messy collage is a compilation of memorabilia, block printing, washi tape, stamped lettering, photographs, and hand coloring with pencils and pastels. It captures the essence of a momentous event in the life of my congregation...and me.  

 The process of art journaling is an opportunity to "stop and smell the roses" instead of letting life bolt by. The celebration of charting the church (essentially an ordination service for a new church) occurred in the midst of one of the most intense pastoral care experiences of my ministry. I literally "sandwiched" the chartering service between a wake and funeral for a teenage boy who died after an altercation at school. The joy of the chartering celebration was a joy...but it got a bit lost in the intensity of the funeral.

Instead of closing the book on the JOY of November 17th, I re-opened the journal page and added a menagerie of art bits & pieces while reflecting and CELEBRATING all that God has done in the life of this little church that has now been recognized and blessed as a FULL MEAL DEAL BIG GIRL CHURCH. Art journaling is often not about the art...but about the process. Thanks be to God.

Messiah: The Global Christ

Messiah Global Christ is a mixed media journal entry reflection on the connection between the diversity of children in the world created by our Global God and the diversity of people in the church particular and the Church universal. The art project originated from Christmas VBS 2012 where the theme was "Family Tree Christmas." The children created a mixed media panel that combined the genealogy of Jesus from the Gospel of Matthew with pictures of their family and elements of "Christmas." I wanted to continue this theme to reflect on the connection between local congregation and global mission. The pictures on the far left are "ornaments" cut from close-up pictures of children from our summer VBS 2013, and the represent a wide range of socio-ethic backgrounds. The pictures on the right page are images I took on mission trips to Mexico, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, and Zambia. I see a connection between being intentional about diversity in the church given the diversity in God's world. The "packages" under the tree also represent the greater gifts the church can offer to the world through ministry with widows, aliens, and orphans (left side) through helping with food, shelter, and water (right side). The exercise in a conversation piece for children and adults to consider the role of the Church, the message of the Gospel, and Jesus as Messiah and the Global Christ. Merry Christmas 2013!

Paper Towel 'Canvas'

Mixed media memory of Thanksgiving weekend at Mo Ranch.

When I feel like experimenting with something new I randomly pull one of my art "how-to" books off the shelf and turn to one of the pages marked with a post-it note. Mixed Media Revolution by McElroy & Wilson suggested using a paper towel for the "canvas" for a mixed media art (experiment). I used the materials in my travel art kit and made this experiment on Thanksgiving weekend.

I put a paper towel on top of a piece of wax paper (to protect the table in the hotel room), and then I randomly laid down liquid acrylic in nearly all the colors I had available in my mini travel tubs. It was pretty wet once the paints were laid down so I let it dry overnight before continuing. Fall leaves were lovely at the retreat facility where we were staying, so that seemed symbolic of our Thanksgiving weekend and important to include in the art. I dipped the leaves in the acrylic and pressed onto the canvas. The imprint of leaves around the borders were made from two leaf stamps and four colors of ink.

Trust & Respect & Grace



This captures the essence of my experience in officiating at a funeral for a teen.

 Some events have such a level of intensity that they require intentional time to reflect on the experience, in particular, where GOD is present amidst the chaos. This journal entry captures the key theological themes I experienced in the process of officiating a the funeral for a teenager.

Souvenir elements from the bulletin, prayers of the people, etc.

 The background prep includes the sponge painting in the teen's favorite colors and a collage of elements from the funeral. Then I identified my overall experience of response from the community-at-large regarding this tragedy, and it was clearly GRACE. I wanted to show the overwhelming response of people coming to grieve with the family. I layered a piece of art paper with holes to give texture and depth and to symbolize the 1,600 people in the "sold out" congregation. I facilitated a conversation on this them-grace experienced amidst the tragedy-with our youth group to help the teens identify God's presence amidst a tragic event. The journal and interactive teen conversation complements a theme we talk about often-what I call the "theology of the pit." When we fall into the inevitable pits of life and invite God into those pits, they become holy ground.

The black square is the pulpit and "RESPECT," and "TRUST" my experience from the host senior pastor.

Repeating the favorite color theme, I "stamped" people using a hollowed out end of a wine cork.

Heart-Cry of Prayer

 This altered journal entry begins by subtracting text on the right side of the page (use a dark marker to scribble out the "extra" words on a piece of text until the remaining words form a core theme for your reflection). The remainder of the pages are covered over with white gesso EXCEPT the lower left side which is a  photograph that has been covered with clear gesso so that the photo shows through. Take key words and phrases from the remaining words left exposed by the "subtracting text" and create a series of words/prose. Here I used upper and lower case letters to individually stamp the words. I embellished the edges with B&W paper strips and flowers cut from art paper. The words (bottom left) are key themes of my prayers and they are written in basic graphite pencil on top of the clear gesso which is over an image in the (altered) book.



Use baby wipes to clean the edges of a rubber stamp to make a clean print on the letter.

Fixing a Rubber-Stamped "Typo"

Typo: Insights is misspelled.

 Spelling is not my strength, and it seems to be particularly bad when I'm rubbing stamping words into my art journal. Inevitably the next day (or week) I look back and notice the damage done...long after the ink has permanently set. To repair, you need to paint over the "typo" misprint with multiple layers of your original color. In this example, I used white gesso to white-out the incorrect letters. White on bright orange required 6-8 light coats of gesso with drying time between layers.

"White out" the letters using multiple layers of white gesso.

 Next: re-do the stamped letters with correct spelling. Voila! Good as new.

Re-stamp with the correct spelling using the original ink color.

Preaching Prep Experiment

After attending a workshop on preaching, I gave myself a self-assignment to intentionally experiment with my preaching preparation and "performance" style(s). Immediately following the workshop I used a journal page to identify specific resources that I could use during the next few months for my "continuing ed" on preaching. Some portions of the homework assignment were open-ended as I asked myself to remain open to the muse of preaching prep. After several months I went back and wrote on top of the original layout what I had learned about the experience in experimenting with preaching prep and presentation. Tip: Sharpie oil-based markers are excellent for writing the "top layer" as they easily mark on top of most surfaces.

Might Could

 I like the creative and reflecting thinking which occurs during the process of "eliminating text." Begin with a page of written text-either as part of your altered book journal or a separate page that you can glue to your journal. Read and re-read the page of text and mark out ("eliminate") words that do not apply to what you are thinking about. Let the words that keep jumping out at you remain uncovered.

It will take numerous careful and reflective readings before you have a small portion of text remaining. Then, write a bit of prose on the opposite blank page (pre-coated with white gesso). You can write free-hand or use small rubber stamp letters to individually stamp the words. You can leave the completed "re-composed" text stand alone, or you can continue to embellish it with artsy theology...now or later.

Abstract Art Reflection on Advent

 In preparation for Christmas, I've begun fiddling with ideas in my art journal which could be used for art with kids, teens, and adults during the season of Advent. I gave myself a challenge to "paint Advent" without using words...at least to primarily paint and not use words! I began with exposed words "Our entire existence is swollen with God's unconditional love" as the basis for the artistic interpretation and added a layer of "Peace on earth" with rubber stamping across the pages which had been covered with white gesso. The traditional color of Advent is purple (though blue is coming into vogue), so I used various shades of purple to create an abstract expression of the four weeks of preparation for the birth of the Christ child. I've been looking at the "completed" pages for a week now; I keep resisting topping it off with a series of words. For now it is complete; time may change that!