I'm travelling into a new way of working, a new country, a new language, and a new hobby which I'm passionate about. Come with me for some of the journey...

Saturday 24 August 2019

But while there's moonlight...

Hello all and welcome back!  A second helping of art journalling in 24 hours - it's almost like the good old days here at Words & Pictures.  When I look back I am so befuddled at how I managed almost daily postings, and sometimes multiple postings in a day!  Now, after the sparkling dewdrops on yesterday's early morning mushrooms at PaperArtsy (if you blinked, you may have missed them!), I'm back with some glints of moonlight.









I spent a happy hour and a half creating this page for the Anything With Eyes theme over at Art Journal Journey this month.

I promised myself I would join in at least once a month this year, but I wasn't sure where to go with this one until I spotted this moon face in one of the Idea-ology ephemera packs.

Suddenly, I was plunged back in to the magical moonlight of my Midsummer Day and Night's Dream - two gleaming moons in one month here at Words and Pictures, who'd have thought it?

















And I suppose I was also following on from the lavender stems on my rusty ATC into these purplish shades.

There are some of the same Lavender and Wisteria spatters here as on the ATC...













... and in fact one of the major colours used here is called Moonglow (not planned!).  And so these creative cycles we travel in continue to whirl us round.













The page is done in the Dina Wakley Media Journal, on one of the canvas sides, and started with the necessity of trying out my new Tim Holtz Decayed stencil with some texture paste.















Over that I put a coat of gesso, and then smeared on Distress Crayon in Pumice Stone and Shaded Lilac, before adding some of the Daniel Smith Moonglow watercolour paint stick...















..., and then doing a layer of Picket Fence Distress Crayon to highlight all that scrumptious texture, and adding that lovely spatter.












By this point, I knew that the moon would be taking centre stage.  Part of me wishes now that I'd given her a touch of lavender in the irises, but there again, it might have made her a little too eerie.













Then it was a question of sorting out the selection and arrangement of ephemera to provide the right setting for her...
















Some torn book page strips, of course.  I had intended to give them a wash of gesso, but I rather liked how the warm tone of the original colour echoed some of my chosen ephemera.














There's some vellum, letting other layers hover in view still.  And some elements have a light mauve tinge which echoes the background, so they were easy choices.













And I suppose hovering in the back of my head I always knew that I would be using this Chekhov quote from my PaperArtsy EAB02 set, Darkness & Light.













Chekhov's talking as a playwright, of course - don't spell everything out, let me feel it through the drama - but I think the thought holds true for visual arts too.














(Hmmm... that means I should probably write shorter blogposts and let the photos speak for themselves.  But then again the blog is called Words and Pictures so...!)
















These beautiful lavender wings belong not to butterflies, of course, but to moths - why else would they be fluttering around by moonlight?















Look how glorious when the sunlight (oops, moonbeams) hit them!

They're from the new Transparent Wings edition, where you get some coloured wings as well as clear ones.  And a tiny Idea-ology safety pin provides the body (rather enjoying that idea.)















That glint of moonlight on broken glass is captured with some shards of fractured glass.















These are from that well-known Swedish furniture store...













... and I think they're probably intended to go in a vase to hold flower stems or twigs in place.  I've a better use for them than that!
















There's lots of tangled thread layered in with the ephemera...













... which along with the butterfly wings adds extra detail and dimension...















... and draws the eye back to the original texture underlying everything.









I had planned to do a nice simple page that would be quick to make and blog about.  I can do simple(ish) - witness the mushrooms at PaperArtsy.  But when the creative juices start flowing, I'm not going to be the one to stop them.


And I'm so happy I didn't, because this has turned into one of my favourite journal pages ever.  Again, it's that thing of not being in charge but somehow channelling something, and then you just have to let it happen.






There's definitely an interconnectedness about the last few projects - elements, ideas and colours which have been recurring through them (and which carry on over into tomorrow's final project for Simon Says Stamp too).  So I hope you'll be able to join me for the continuing journey soon.

Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I hope you're all having a peaceful weekend (or whatever day you happen to be visiting!).

We are all like the bright moon, we still have our darker side.
Kahlil Gibran






I'd like to share this at Art Journal Journey for Gill's Anything With Eyes theme
And there are plenty of Textures here for them to enjoy at Country View Challenges
I'm going to make this my second Anything Goes entry for the Bleeding Art Challenge Blog
And it's also Anything Mixed Media Goes at the Creative Artiste Challenge Blog

31 comments:

Sue said...

Wow this is magnificent Alison, so beautifully put together with attention to every little detail xx

Valerie-Jael said...

This is such a magical page, love everything about it- texture, colour and the wonderful moon. Fantastic! Have a lovely weekend, hugs, Valerie

Helen said...

I love this page too and can see why you would think it a favourite. I keep intending to get a Dina journal... one day! (like I need more..) I adore the way you've started the page off, and it was fabulous seeing how it developed. LOVE those butterfly wings. (haven't opened mine yet) The colours are beautiful on this spread.

My name is Erika. said...

You have some really cool details here Alison. Like the pin for the butterfly body. They sure work together so well. I only post as frequently as I write while I have my breakfast shake, but glad you still manage to post so we can see this great art. Happy rest of your weekend. hugs-Erika

froebelsternchen said...

This is an absolutely charming wowser page Alison. All about it is just perfection! I love it over the moon and it just makes me happy to see you linking it to AJJ! Thank you so much for joining in again this month!
Susi xxx

Craftyfield said...

I love everything about this one, the subtle colours, the textures, details… Makes me want to play too… Enjoy the bank holiday! xx

Anneke said...

This looks beautiful! Love the collage and the color you gave it!
Such a good and beautiful idea how you made the butterfly!

Cestina said...

Oh what a wonderful description of just how the creative process can flow and take you where you never dreamed you were going.

Indeed another Midsummer Night's Dream xxx

Nan G said...

Fabulous pages Alison! I’ve been following along just not able to leave a comment. Today the hand Is working. Hoping to do some painting today if it cooperates. Hugs

Gibby Frogett said...

Wow... love LOVE this! I spent so much time reading and looking closely at all your amazing textures and details Alison that my pC got so hot I had to turn it off for a while and come back now to comment - probably not helped by todays heatwave outside & inside ...its sweltering down here on the Essex coast :)
I love the soft colours and the butterfly wings - love it all - thank you so much for sharing this with us at AJJ and thanks for the lovely comments you left me too... yes that smiley face in the sky was so well timed for this theme... funny thing was, on Friday when they did it again they didn't draw the mouth for some reason so it looked a bit umpy instead - oops :)
Gill xx

Anne (cornucopia) said...

This is fantastic. I love this art piece.

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...


Where do I begin? What immediately caught my eye were the two "moths." The safety pins are so clever. I was also drawn to the focal image. I have that in a stamp somewhere, but for the life of me I can no longer find it. It's one of my favorites, so I can see why you used it.

I also LOVE the texture, the threads, the ephemera and of course, all the wonderful layers you built up over time. This is one stunning beauty and I'm thrilled you chose to share it with using Gill's theme at Art Journal Journey.

Dorthe said...

Dear Alison, what can I say .. this speaks volumes to me, and my eyes are feeling happy watching over again. So filled with beauty and layers of wonderful papers, on top of the stenciled background !! I so love the tones of old paper, too- the glass you used and the wings too- Everything say :"take me to the place of dreams and fairy tales " Thank you for making this afternoon special !! xoxo

Fonda said...

This layout is gorgeous.

Chrissy said...

FABulous page Alison, I love that texture with the paste and the colours over the top are gorgeous..the butterflies wings are so pretty and I love all layers and details..

Luv CHRISSYxx

Mac Mable said...

Such a creative and organic creation. The texture and layering of the elements look amazing and love the shades of lilac and the fluttering moth x.

Redanne said...

I can see why this would be your favourite, it is beautiful, full of wonderful textures, the lavender moth wings seem to glow, the safety pin bodies are a great addition. Most of all I love the face of the moon, I love the serene facial expression. The glass pieces are a nice touch too. Beautiful! Anne xx

Patty O'Malley said...

Beautiful!

craftytrog said...

A fabulous composition Alison!

experiments in paper said...

A stunning journal page, Alison - I can see why it is one of your favorites! I love your scrumptious treatment for that decay stencil, and the little glass shards, the moth (the body is brilliant!) The spread is very moving, archetypal and inviting - well done! xxx Lynn

Felix the Crafty Cat said...

Brilliant piece. You always offer us so much detail and gorgeous texture and this is no exception. Wishing you a lovely creative week. Oh and before I go you are right about the grapes, just like the figs. They get going really well, producing even more each year and then just as they need those last couple of weeks of sunshine it disappears. At least the birds enjoy them and they look pretty on the plant. Off now. Hugs, Angela xXx

Andree said...

A wonderful page Alison. Lovely soft colours, delicate textures and fabulous elements.
Thank you for joining in with our August challenge "Anything Mixed Media Goes" at Creative Artiste Mixed Media. Good luck x

Astrid Maclean said...

Ohhhh, a new favourite for sure!!! The background is awesome, love, love, love that colour combo (I had never heard of the DS paint-sticks), and of course I had to run off(virtually) to Jackson's and 3 of them popped right into my basket. The fabulously composed collage finishes the whole page off beautifully, LOVE THIS!!!

Annie said...

A beautiful page Alison x I love the textured layers in the background then the collaged papers. The threads add further dimension and the moon...what can I say...I love it !!!

Sending hugs
Annie xx

pearshapedcrafting said...

Wow Alison! Such amazing texture and a lovely mystical look to your page! Wow! (again) Hugs, Chrisx

Marci said...

I love the textures, colors and layers here.

rose AKA Walk in the Woods - she/her said...

Beautiful journal page ~ I love the palette and textures!

rachel said...

Oh alison - this is exquisite in its detail - really gorgeous texture and that fabulous moon too. I love the softness of it - fabulous!Thanks for joining us at Countryview Challenges and good luck! Hugs rachel xx

Emma Goddard said...

This is an awesome project, great texture and design....thanks for joining us at BleedingArt.com, Good Luck xx

A Pink said...

So LOVE this page, Alison . Its 'wall worthy' for sure . Fabulous texture, detail and use of muted colour. Your layout of all your collaged elements and choice of focal imagery is spot on . Those eyes really draw you in .

Hugs x

Let's Art Journal said...

Many congratulations on being in the Top 3 over at Country View Challenges with all the beautiful texture that you created on your page 😀. Hugs, Jo x