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Self-Portrait playing around
I finished completely the self portrait atc’s (all I have to do is address the envelope and slap on the stamp). I used - wait for it - fun foam! Designed it first in PSE - or rather, I picked out a pic of me from iPhoto and then did a line tracing of it, sized it to 2.5 x 3.5 and printed out the drawing, traced it w/pencil on tracing paper and just rubbed it onto the fun foam. Next the scissors and it worked like a charm. I printed an old journal page of mine onto some heavy printmaking paper (printed two sheets) I got eons ago in Woodstock (thanks Kate!), cut it down to 3 strips with room for four atc’s on each, put some color on this background with the Pan Pastels (very quick way to add color) and stamped away. I messed up one but later on I printed the drawing on some of that cheapo green paper and collaged the face over the mess. I designed labels for the back and for the first time put the reclinerart url on it with my e-mail address.
While I was doing all this I also stamped on a journal spread and ended up also collaging some of that green paper.
I’m having so much fun with this journal business that the kitchen is probably messier than it ever was. I don’t mean dishes in the sink messiness - nope - I ALWAYS wash my dishes and throw out the garbage and pick up anything I drop . I’m taking about art stuff - paints, pencils, stamp pads, homemade stamps, paper scraps - everything - what mess. But, I’m having fun and I’m happy.
Here are the atc's that I'm keeping:
Here is a temporary collage using the atc’s that I’m keeping. I positioned them on the piece of good paper that I keep below my work and which catches the drips and drabs and on which I check that stamps work and on which excess Pan Pastels collect. I just scanned this so I would have something digital to play with:
And here is the journal spread. The jury is out on this still but I tend to like it as it is and am trying not to overwork it. Basically I like it but perhaps I will go back to it at a future time.
Guache swatches
Yesterday I went on a mad shopping spree. I stopped in at Michael's, Pearl, Office Max, Utrecht and AC Moore. Spent a lot on loads of little things. One thing I bought was a set of Holbein tube gauche paints. Don't bother to ask why - I wouldn't be able to answer that question. I squeezed a dollop of each into little wells on two tiny plastic pallets and painted sorry excuses for swatches of each color in my journal. I suppose I don't have to mention that prior to this I had used some of my eraser stamps and also stamped using a piece of corrugated cardboard. In an effort to "unite" everything I took some pan pastels and rubbed them over the whole spread, buffed and erased parts that overlay the swatches so that maybe the true color would show. Maybe. Anyway, did a bit of journaling on the spread and then covered up most of it with some collage items. Whether it's any good or not is of no matter to me. It left me feeling good.
And, I have been informed that the pan pastels will not work on gesso - hence the reason why they rubbed off on the previous image - although they did work on the rougher white gesso.
Also, today, I received the complementary copy of Winter 2010 Art Quilting Studio today and two of my pieces are in the gallery section. The photography was wonderful. I also was reminded - by my own article - of the technique I used on "Take the F Train to 14th Street" and that made me realize that is probably the solution for one of the projects that was stalled. Duh. and Yay. Now as soon as I get the oomph I'll work on it.
Scott Lives Down There
I painted the bottom two thirds of the spread with white gesso which was kind of thick and streaky, and the top third with fluid black gesso (I'm a big fan of gesso). I stamped on the white with carved eraser stamps & Stazon ink. Then I rubbed the pan pastels on the black gesso but was disappointed - the colors did not show up unless they were in the dusty-pre buffed stage. As soon as I buffed them they pretty much came off. I did find that if I used a mask and buffed I could differentiate some faint color on the black. On the white gesso I noticed a difference as soon as I applied the pastels - the surface was very rough and there was no problem. The stamping showed through nicely. But, boy was it ugly. I used the edge of a credit card and the white gesso to make edges, erased a bit and finally wrote the text with the white gesso and then collaged a word. Not my best but it says what it's supposed to.
a small book of polaroids
You should buy me this for a present.
Chelsea
I finally tried the Pan Pastels and what has been said about them is 100% correct. They are less dusty, easy to apply (I used a small square of scrap batting - one for each color) and once you "burnish" them with a paper towel (or in my case, a piece of gauze), they do not come off the page. Not one bit. I've been compulsively rubbing the surface with my hand because I am flabbergasted. I stamped on top of them and glued the collage on with a Uhu glue stick. I also used some colored pencils here and there to help differentiate the shape edges. They are also erasable but I didn't try that on this piece. This was purely experimental and it ended up this way all by itself - I had no plan at all. I think my brain gets aerated after I come back from my walk and this is what happens.
Thoughts after The I-Heart Movie
Okay, this entry may look a little messy.
I really was just jotting down whatever comes through my mind after watching it.
During the movie, I even wish that I can just magically have a copy of what I think while I was thinking it without missing the movie.
The movie in terms of cinematography is not the state of the art. It's a good enough documentary but the message of it is clear, compelling and strong.
Here it is:
I don’t know anything. I really do not know anything. This is how the movie make me feel.
I don’t think anything that I know right now is significant for this world.
But one thing I am sure, Love. His Love. I know His love is sure and unconditional.
And maybe, with this one thing, I can do enough to make a change, even slightly.
“I like to be different, like the other different people that I would like to be”
It is about identity.
What are we striving for? Human race is not a competition. We thrive, strive, running to be the front in this so called competition where we don’t even know the end of the line. We don’t know the destination.
And this so called success, power, it will never be enough. It is always be around the corner.
Then why is it always about us, me, one individual if we don’t know what we’re looking for?
Why don’t we, instead, just focus our energy to living the moment, and be together? We are so keen in fixing the future, or change the future that we miss the moment.
We are all in the same moment. It may look different in diff parts of the world. diff times, diff climate, diff weather, diff looks, diff condition, but same moment. the moment that cannot be retrieve back.
I like how in the movie it says that ‘There is people saying that we are the future. yeah I agree, but we’re not just the future. we are also the present’
The condition that we live in today is here because of the decision of our past generations. It is the result of the actions and decision of the generation before us.
This is our moment. This is our time. What are we going to do and decide right now for the generations to come? For the possibilities of a better world, ideas, concept which can be shaped by our decision right now, this moment.
It is interesting that we so want to be different where in the end we are pretty much the same. Looking for the one thing, value.
It is interesting that 5 companies in America controls 90% of what we see, heard and read. And out of all that, all other countries looking at America as an example, trendsetter.
Knowing this stats, are you sure we’re that different?
I have noticed that most of the past revolutions consist of young people. youth that are not happy or content with how the things go.
We as a young people, we have a drive, passion, an energy. An unexperienced dream that is not touched/polished yet wanting a better world.
If we can utilise or mobilise this drive, passion to the right thing, it’s right, it’s going to be bigger than a revolution.
We have the atomic bomb-like passion and energy, why not use it, utilise it while we can? while we are young.
If we just shift our focus from being different, being wanting to be recognised, doing whatever the society wants us to do, to be into this generation that spread God’s love and unselfless act, giving without taking credits (cos there is nothing for us to gain), then I think it can be a better world.
There are so much thought come out of this movie, that I cannot even talk about it with friend who were watching it with me.
We just smile and said ‘yeah’ without saying anything. We don’t know what to discuss, we tried but in the end I think we all know that we need to pull out and ponder on some thoughts.
I hope we don’t just get inspired for the first 2 weeks and then dies out. Like a friend, J, said, it is something that we easily forget. But I hope at least there’s a thought, a conclusion, a revelation coming out of it, if it’s not an action.
It is not about us giving to charity and give our money and then feel good about it. It is us constantly showing God’s love in people’s lives. In the lives of the people around us. Constantly. Day by day.
This way we are preaching the Gospel, showing God’s love. Acting on it, instead of just gather week by week together with our Christian friends.
We are the church, we don’t need to wait for our call. our call is to reach out to the people next to us, around us. I know this sounds cliché and has been said and done before. But I think for me, this takes to a different meaning today. I really feel I don’t know anything. I don’t think I can do anything. Yet maybe, just maybe, being nice to the people at work, the customers, to the coffee guy, the reception do make an impact. Showing love to colleague, giving our change to the homeless, do make the difference?
And hopefully by showing these people around us God’s love, it will create a ripple and network and it continues onward.
Now, are we too optimistic about this? Is it really that easy as we put it? Is that little action in my daily life will make a different to this world?
Is it just by loving daily we will create this ‘bigger-than-revolution’ love, fight the injustice?
I, myself, am not sure about this. I still feel incapable of doing something and think what is this lil thing even mean anything to this big world.
J puts it ‘It is hard’. Just to create a ripple is not as easy as it sounds. I think even to sustain a ripple is hard.
Or are we too pessimistic?
Not even believing of something can be different. And already think of the negative outcomes of it.
then again, there is always poverty to address to, there’s always a natural disaster to fix, there’s always a conflict to settle.
We can’t fix everything or fix one thing and expect it never comes back again. But at least we’re doing something. And that something with the others something around the world accumulate to big thing.
Even if it will not result into a better thing, you will not know unless you try.
At least we’re trying. Will you not question yourself if you’re not trying?
So what am I trying to say?
I don’t know. These are just the thoughts reeling on my mind. It is a mess, it is totally challenged. I don't know.
I don't think I dare enough to be the person of "Yeah, let's make the change! Yeah! Let's do something!" and be fired up. And then what?
I am afraid that I will be the person who is inspired and flaming for the first few weeks then settled after. And I really hope it won't result that way.
I think it comes down to identity. Of knowing where is our value and identity. When we know who we are in Christ. If every human being know what their self-worth in Christ and their value and what they are made for. Then none of this striving, thriving or achieving to be the first would happen. We would have a better way to distribute resources. Half of the injustice issues would not even exist.
I think ultimately if we receive His Grace and understand that His love is unconditional, it will compel us to move, to act and transfer this love outwards.
Tangent
Last evening
I came back from my walk - (took some pics as the sun went down while listening to Joan Armatrading on the iPod).
Washed my breakfast & lunch dishes and started to get things ready for cooking (cooking - ha ha ha) dinner and found myself going off on a tangent.
