Alternating Rhythm

Subtracting text from a page in an altered book (or from a piece of paper torn from a magazine, newspaper article, or book) is one of my favorite ways to begin a journal entry.

Ideally, for me, I choose a page in the altered book I'm working in; something where the text on a page relates to an aspect of my life that "rings" a particular bell. In this example, the page in my altered book included prose on how to maintain a balance between solitude & retreat time and the fast pace life of work and family. Read and re-read the selected text and "subtract" the words that do not relate to your situation. Then reconstruct the remaining words in prose that speaks to you. My challenge is to maintain (find?) a balance between three different vocational callings: pastor, art, and writing. I reconstructed the prose on the right side of the two-page spread and titled it "Alternating Rhythm" to speak to what I learned/heard during the art & listening; listening & art process.

 Materials: clear gesso on left side; diluted white gesso on right page. Colored pencils to mark out/"subtract" text and to (re)write the new prose. The green lettering was done with stencil; the rest was freehand alternating the "font" by mixing upper case and lower case lettering with repeating the general formula of "upper-lower-lower."