The hand of a master...

Hello all... I've been journalling a lot recently (a subconscious resolution which seems to have taken hold - I was at it again at The Artistic Stamper over the weekend!), and today I'm sharing another exploration.

It started as a first attempt for the Vintage Journey recent Use A Portrait challenge, but I couldn't quite get it to go anywhere satisfying at the time.  But I let it sit and simmer for a little longer and now I think it's found its way to where it wants to be (for now, at any rate).

I'd like to share it over at Art Journal Journey where the January prompt is Inspired by the Masters.

I think it's pretty clear which particular master is involved in my page ... Leonardo da Vinci's Head of a Woman, also known as La Scapigliata, takes centre stage (as well as hovering in the background), and the words are his too.

I wouldn't begin to claim to be working in his style - so I hope it still counts for the AJJ prompt - but I have always been inspired by his drawings.  In fact, I've used La Scapigliata before, very early in my crafting days.









Seeing his cartoon of The Virgin and Child with St Anne and John the Baptist on a school trip was the first time I experienced the profound effect a piece of art can have on you.  I stood in front of it for half the visit, and missed lots of the things we were supposed to be looking at as a result!

Although I'm not trying to "do a Leonardo", the colours remind me of the cartoons...










... and I've also tried to capture something of a Renaissance fresco look...













... with plenty of distressed crackle...













... and weathered texture.










I started with adding some structural texture in the pages of an altered book created on the France Papillon workshop I was lucky enough to attend late last year.

I hope to get around to showing you what we got up to on the workshop some time soon - at least before we get to 2016.  I think these pages are influenced by her art too.







Once the tissue tape, lace, papers, stamping and some Archival stencilling were in place, I added crackle texture through a stencil as well as just smearing it on in some areas freehand.

After that was crackled, it was out with the Distress Sprays... Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain and Stormy Sky to start with.

Then a round of slightly more vivid colours, adding in Rusty Hinge and Faded Jeans.

There may be some others too.







I love how the colours have interacted with the textures to create whole new shades!

Now on to the focal points... Leonardo da Vinci's words and pictures.

I printed La Scapigliata onto some regular paper, and then also printed the image in various sizes onto tissue paper so that I could play games with it amidst all that texture.












The small version hovers almost on the periphery of your awareness, softly contemplative, and with a touch of sorrow too - partly because of those tear-stained spatters.











And I love how the large version hovers protectively over the main portrait.














The words are attributed to Leonardo...













I think they are very beautiful...















And probably true...









I hope you like my Leonardo-inspired pages.  There'll be some more art journalling along soon!!  Happy crafting, all.

I'd like to enter this in Inspired by the Masters at Art Journal Journey
And at the Inspiration Journal I'd like to join in celebrating A Fresh Start with all this journalling energy

Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen.
Leonardo da Vinci
How's that for Words and Pictures?!