Cherish: Art Journal Page

I've been in the mood to work more in my art journal(s) lately. This is another page from my Goddess journal. I wanted to incorporate the word Cherish in this two-page spread. I listed three of the most important things that I cherish: the precious people in my life, magic moments I've experienced; and, finally, my sacred self.

My 70-year-old dad recently had a motorcycle accident. His bike was totaled but miraculously he escaped with no broken bones or internal injuries. He is severely bruised, though, over his entire body and is very sore. He came to visit last weekend and it was heartbreaking to see the bruising all over his arms and legs.

After he left I thought about the different aspects of my life that I do cherish and how I need to make more of an effort to acknowledge those people, places or things that mean the most to me. So I made this page to remind myself to do just that. Once again, I played with the lettering in Photoshop before actually inking the words onto the page.

It's been very relaxing and insightful to work on these two pages. I have fun playing with the inks, paints, techniques and embellishments. It's like an exercise in meditation; just keeping mindful of what I'm trying to convey on the page.

On another note, I thought I'd post a photo of the "before" portrait on wood that I'll be working on over the next couple of weeks. It will take awhile before it's finished and I'll be working on journal pages, new projects, etc. in between time.

Speaking of new projects, I'm learning to make and bind my own handmade "dream book" journal. I'll show you a few steps along the way for that, as well. I still have to pick out the fabric for the cover. I can't seem to decide on the right one! Anyway, here's what's on the agenda for this week:

It didn't photograph so well. For some reason there is a shadow going across the front that is NOT on the board! This is just a page torn from the sketchbook and adhered to a 6" x 12" plywood panel. The only thing I've done to it is cover it in Clear Gesso to give it that great, gritty texture. Yes, I ripped it adhering it to the wood. No worries. This will never show once all of the media get applied. I think I've written the perfect verse to go with the mood I want to bring to this piece. Now if I can bring it all to fruition, I'll have succeeded!