Hello again! My sweetie reminded me that I hadn’t posted here in awhile and that I have lots of new art to share…so, here goes! I recently stumbled across the quote above: “Good art won’t match your sofa.” How true! See the fantastic painting by the famous artist, Fred Babb.

Art is art and should be loved for its own merit–and if it matches your décor, all the better! As I progress in my online art classes I’m learning that I just need to create–the results can’t be controlled and shouldn’t be. Just make art. Make lots of art that feels right. Leave judgments out of the equation.

“Don’t think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it’s good  or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.” ~Andy Warhol

First, I learned to create my own hand bound art journal which has turned out to be exactly what I have been looking for but had been unable to find. It’s made with 140 lb. water color paper and canvas. Here’s a picture of the outside of the journal:

I hadn’t added the tie to my journal yet…I learned how to make this journal from Effy Wild of The Glitterhood. I’ve started her Book of Days class while working through Lifebook 2013.

Here’s some art journaling that I did in that journal:

In Lifebook, I’ve been stretching my creative skills…this is the lesson (three pictures) that was taught by Mitsi B. Loved it, even though the face that emerged on the paper sort of stunned me with it’s pointed look.

Here’s the finished piece:

Here’s another lesson from Lifebook, courtesy of Tam at Willowing.org. Tam is teaching me to be more playful and to fully explore whimsy.

Here’s another one of Tam’s lessons. LOVE this one. Played with texture alot in this lesson. Made it hard to write on, but added alot of depth to the piece.

This is a Moonshine painting…intuitive style. She just showed up on the page. I didn’t set out to paint with any ideas in mind other than I wanted to paint a face. 🙂  (Have I mentioned that I LOVE that I can paint and draw faces now?? I was always told that I couldn’t draw…hmmmpf. They were wrong, apparently.) The woman is Blodeuwedd, a Celtic goddess/queen. She was made of flowers for someone else…she eventually claimed her life for herself. I think there’s a lesson in there somewhere (grin).

This piece grew out of Effy Wild’s Moonshine class…getting in touch with the feminine divine, feminine beauty and power. LOVE it.

And I absolutely love this face…

This is a Book of Days painting…it says, “Dear One–Trust that you are enough as you are.”

I’ve been making art–lots of art. I’m trying to spend as much time creating and expressing as I can…and it’s been fantastically fun. Keep checking back for more…I’ve got a bunch of work in process in my studio!

Enjoy your summer! I know that I am!

Creatively yours,

Rachel