jo creates

Kiwi Lemon Spread

2012-02-11T21:11:00.000-08:00

Today I received two wonderful tags and other ephemera in the mail from fellow Book of Day-er, Kay Oft, which formed the springboard for the colourful spread below. I'm very much enjoying the kiwi, lime and lemon colours across the page which, as Xfacta Kel quipped, are "like Vitamin C for the soul".

Collage elements: Kay Oft, Tangie Baxter and Julie Fei-Fan Balzer

Materials: Watercolour crayons, acrylics, pitt pens, stamps and Inktense pencils

Garden of my heart

2012-02-07T12:57:00.000-08:00

This spread was inspired by a poem I wrote about harvesting my heart work for my friend Sara's blog, Soul Spackle. It is a parable of sorts about the intention I am sowing in my life these days. Hope you enjoy!

In the garden of my heart

I secretly sow seeds of intention -

Some named love

Others hope and connection

Each unique in shape and form

Carrying the energy of Jo-ness

And the promise of a beauty yet unseen

I eagerly watch as their first shoots emerge

Cracking through the earth of distrust

Twisting around weeds of self-doubt

Pushing their way upwards with purpose

Leaves unfurling to the warmth of my attention

Soaking in the waters of my compassion

Persevering through setbacks and pruning

Thriving with nurturance and care

Their blossoms turn to fruit ripe for the picking

And so it is that I harvest my heart work

Sewn with love, hope and connection

Tended with healing and intent

Harvested with plenty to share.

January 2012 Journal Flip

2012-02-01T11:52:00.000-08:00

Here's a glimpse at what I created in my art journal over the past month.

The lovely music throughout is composed and performed by my talented husband, Azi Crawford.

Stay True to My Sacred Truth

2012-01-30T23:46:00.000-08:00

Book of Days Week 5

Prompt - What do you need to tell yourself?

Challenge - Use an envelope

I seem to begin all my posts with "Here's my favorite spread yet!" but there is an element of truth as I'm loving how my technique is improving with each week. Having a daily art practice truly does make growth inevitable!

My theme for this week's full spread emerged on the page as:
Stay true to my self and my sacred truth, as it is divine.

I wanted a vintage feel to this spread and found some very fetching collage elements on The Graphics Fairy as well as in my box of collage treasures. I was drawn to images of artwork - sculpture, music sheet, ancient book and quill.

I wrote messages of affirmations to myself around or on each artwork :

Create Beauty in All I Do

Sing My Truth Song

Write My Sacred Texts

The quill represents the agency I have to stay true to myself as I figuratively write my life story.

My envelope pocket serves as the inkwell to my quill. Along the sides I wrote: Inkwell of Inspiration & Dip Into Divine Source.

Here's the spread in its entirety again - I really love the vintage blues and browns:

Divine Truth

Stay True

My Truth is Sacred

Year of the Dragon

2012-01-26T13:59:00.000-08:00

This week marks the lunar new year and the beginning of the year of the water dragon in Chinese astrology. I wanted to honor this energetic shift with a big spread to welcome in prosperity (hence the green).

The background was made with acrylic paint, alcohol sprays and punchinella. I found the dragon image in a free on-line printable colouring book. I used Sakura Gelly Rolls to colour it in - have I told you lately how much I LOVE those pens!

The stamp I used up and down the sides is of my name in Chinese Seal Script, which my parents had made for me when they visited Beijing several years ago.

May the Year of the Dragon be one of good fortune and prosperity for all.

Hand Doodle

2012-01-20T22:27:00.000-08:00

Art Journal Every Day

Prompt - Paint your whole page black

Prompt - Trace your hand

Black gesso & white Sakura Gelly Roll Pen

I am an artist

2012-01-19T12:24:00.000-08:00

Book of Days Week 3

Prompt - explore my relationship to creativity

Challenge - include collage elements

Here's my fuchsia and orange tribute to my creativity and identity as an artist:

I went to town with layering on this spread: pink watercolour crayons, brayered orange acrylic, collage, punchanella fuchsia and gold acrylic, more brayering and collage and finally gold stamping around the border!

I chose orange as one of the base colours as it is associated with the sacral chakra, the center of our creative life force. The combination of orange and pink speaks to me of vibrant energy and is also the branding colours of my business, Crafting the Sacred.

The first layer of collage elements on the left page are made up of scanned and printed copies of artwork I have made over the span of my lifetime. The oldest is a copy of a stick people drawing I did at age 8!

I love this magical elephant image and have used it in other artwork before. I am drawn to elephants for their gentle strength and association with the Hindu God Ganesha. I included an elephant in this piece as a symbol of commitment to my creativity and to connecting to ancient wisdom when I create.

I made a little frame for the tag that was attached to a trophy I won in 1989 for the Most Enthusiastic and Promising Art Pupil in my high school. This serves as a reminder to myself that I have always been artistic (and apparently enthusiastic about creativity!). Unfortunately along the way I put aside my artistic endeavours for more "suitable" career choices. It's time to reclaim it!

I AM

always was

always will be

AN ARTIST

Karoo calling

2012-01-16T20:09:00.000-08:00

Today I want to share with you a spread that came to me quietly but with the urgency of a dream needing to be recorded. It is of a Karoo farm that I see in my dreams quite often and speaks to me of my ancestral lands.

It all began with a background I made a few weeks ago which reminded me of my maternal grandmother, Alvira van Aardt's favorite colors.

My grandmother grew up in the Karoo, a semi-desert region of my South African homeland. Last year, while doing some family history research, I came to find out that my ancestors had lived in that region from the 1700s until my grandmother left as a young woman in the 1930s. You can read my blog post about my family history here.

No wonder I feel a deep connection to that particular part of South Africa - it is almost like a body memory. It is a little odd as I grew up in the winelands of the Cape - a very different climate and vegetation.

For the past few months I've had these visceral dreams of Karoo koppies, windpompe (somehow the Afrikaans world for windmill resonates so strongly) and dry, red dust. In the dustiness of the background I had created, I heard the Karoo calling to me and so the spread took shape on my journal page.

Here's my Karoo farmstead done in alcohol ink sprays, watercolour crayons, pitt pen and collage elements.

A squeaky windpomp

Baa...bleat the sheep

Red dust on my skin

The Karoo calls to me

January experiments

2012-01-16T14:19:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned before I have signed up for a bunch of art challenges and free on-line courses this year - partly to encourage myself to be creative every day and partly to learn new techniques. This weekend I played and here's what I made:

Doodling Unleashed with Traci Bautista

This is the first time I have tried doodling in the freehand style of Traci Bautista. I enjoyed making the background with spray acrylics and masking but am not crazy about the overall doodle.

That said, I do have a few favorite spots within the doodle!

52 PlayDATES with Jan Fox

In week two Jan showed us how to transform a magazine image into a more painterly version. Here's my before and after using gesso and watercolour pencils.

Creative POP with Jeanette House

My last experiment was to explore shading and sketching with graphite pencils after watching Jeanette work in charcoal. It's been over 20 years since I last took a drawing class so I was a little nervous on this one.

All in all a busy creative weekend of trying out new (and some rusty) techniques.

Thanks for looking!

Wolf Moon Magic

2012-01-13T20:00:00.000-08:00

This past week I was reminded of the beauty of synchronicity and energetic connections -- you know when things align so perfectly that you feel divine intervention in your bones. I live for moments like these!

A few days ago, over the Wolf Full Moon, my Book of Days journal work and my prayer collided through an unexpected act of kindness by a friend.

When I prepared my altered book a few weeks ago, I had left in a few tip-in pages to add found objects along the way. This week I came to my first tip-in and was unsure what to incorporate in my journal.

Lo and behold in the mail I received a card and fertility goddess pendant from my friend Stephanie of owl and crow. It was a completely unexpected and extremely thoughtful gesture that literally brought me to tears.

My husband and I have been trying to conceive for a little over 17 months - ever since his successful vasectomy reversal surgery. As I enter the year of my 40th birthday, I have been feeling a sense of hopelessness as I do so want to be a mom soon.

Stephanie's surprise gift touched my heart so deeply - reminding me that the universe is looking out for me and that I have many allies blessing our baby's journey into this world.

As a reminder of this magical moment, I incorporated the card as a tip-in into my journal. Here's a pic:

May we never forget that magic is afoot and the Goddess is watching out for us.

Keeping Hope Alive

2012-01-10T13:31:00.000-08:00

This week's prompt for Book of Days was to journal and create a spread on something challenging and incorporate a mosaic technique in our spread.

I did some secret journalling about a few challenges I am currently facing and the feeling of hopelessness that it elicits. It felt cathartic to get it onto the page and then cover it with layers of acrylic paint, gel medium and lots and lots of little squares for the mosaic effect. Here's the entire spread:

As I was prepping the page, I noticed a few words and phrases from the book I am altering that I wanted to keep: "Divine. Gratitude. You are the sublime goddess who will be no less blessed"

How could I not use that as starting point for the page? It inspired my very first mini goddess drawing in watercolour pencils as the centre piece. I suspect she is the celtic goddess Brigid, with whom I am getting reacquainted.

On the right page I wrote what came up after I had journalled about my challenges, "I may never have the answers. All I can do is keep hope alive"

Thank you for looking!

Backgrounds

2012-01-08T18:28:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow Effy will be sending out the next weekly Book of Days prompt so I'm holding off on any major journal work until then. She's already given us a teaser though in that we know she'll be showing us how to make a mosiac background.

I'm psyched as I first saw her use this technique in one of her couch art spreads (pic here) and it had such a gorgeous Klimt feel to it. I loved it so much that I made this be brave spread in my pregnancy journal:

You may recognize this spread as it partially serves as the backdrop for the header of this blog, jo creates!

This weekend I played around with making backgrounds in my two journals - one is dedicated to my pregnancy journey (which I very rarely share publicly) and the other for my Book of Days journal. Here's what I've created so far:

The bottom background is one of my favorites ever as it is so subtle and layered already. I used ginko leaves from my neighbors' tree as a mask to create the dappled effect on the top and bottom of the page.

As I photographed it I had this flash memory of my maternal grandmother's handstitched quilts and patchwork cushions that were often in similar earthy and salmon tones (see pics on this blog dedicated to my granny's stitchwork). I'm not sure what I'll use this spread for, but I think I'll save it for something special.

Infinite Possibilities

2012-01-05T19:43:00.000-08:00

Oh I'm so excited to share with you my favorite spread in my Book of Days thus far, which turns out is a perfect tie-in with Creative Every Day's January 2012 theme of New (although it really fit the January 2011 theme of Cosmos as well)!

The Book of Days prompt was Looking Forward to 2012 with a fold-out tag to list what we're looking forward to in the comping year. Here is my take which states, Open to the infinite possibilities that 2012 will bring:

I created the night sky look with dark blue acrylic paints applied with a credit card and then brayered. The gold speaks and stars are a combination of brushstrokes, brayer and punchanella.

This is the first prompt where I felt this urge to make it my own as "looking forward to" did not resonate with me. As I meditated on what I was looking forward to in 2012, I kept coming back to the same phrase: infinite possibilities.

The concept that my life path is one of infinite possibilities has been on my mind since I saw this mash-up of my favorite astrophysicists talking about the beauty of life within the vastness of our universe.

I have had a love affair with the mystical space where science and spirituality meet for years. When I was about 8/9 I really wanted to be an astronaut but deduced it was not possible as a) I was a girl (this was in the early 80s before the shuttle program made women in space more common); b) my math and science grades were good but not excellent; and c) I'm South African and not from USA or the then-USSR, which had space programs.

Being the pragmatic little girl that I was, I realized that as space travel was not to be in my future I'd better find other ways to experience the stars. Mostly this has been through my mystical nature.

Over the years astrophysics and sky goddesses, especially Inanna and Nut, have featured strongly in my spiritual practice. Knowing that we are made of star matter chemically and atomically blew my mind. This is the physical evidence for my spiritual belief that we are intrinsically connected to every little thing in this universe. As Carl Sagan said,

The cosmos is also within us. We are made of star stuff. We are a way for the cosmos to know itself.

This is all to say, that as I look ahead into 2012 I see so much possibility. I sense forces bigger than myself and beyond my comprehension laying a path ahead. I want to be open to vast unknowness of what is to be. That is the magic that I sought to convey on this page with its heavenward glance at infinite possibilities.

Word of the Year & New Year Spread

2012-01-02T15:53:00.000-08:00

A quickie show-and-tell post of my Book of Days progress.

I made a spread for my Word of the Year - Receive - with dictionary definitions on one page and a space for personal journalling on the other. The green paper with pink writing is printed that way and just waiting for my thoughts on receiving this year.

And after yesterday's frustrations (see my previous post), I finalized my New Year's spread and am very happy with it. Nothing like a little brayer-ing to work it out!

Here's a pic of my entire New Years Day spread:

And a few close-ups of my fave spots. Look I got a crown thanks to some of the floral elements in my paper (see my previous post for a pre-doodle pic)!

Here's to a blooming good year!

New Year Spread - WIP

2012-01-01T21:23:00.000-08:00

I hope you had a restful New Years surrounded by friends and family. Azi (my husband) and I spent New Years eve and day quietly at home - him devouring the Game of Thrones books and me watching art tutorials and arting.

I had been feeling major FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) for not being able to sign up for Life Book, which started today. So I've been filling myself up with a bunch of free offerings: Art, Heart & Healing from Tam of Willowing, Doodles Unleashed from Traci Bautista, and of course Book of Days with Effy Wild! I now have so many new techniques to try out.

I spent New Years Day morning attending Effy's Church of Art livestream chat where she's on webcam showing her art process. Today she created a full special day spread for New Year's Day. I like to "art along" on these chats. Here's my kitchen table set up with my cup of coffee (essential for morning arting) and my Book of Days all gessoed and ready to go!

For a fresh start to the New Year I picked green for the background - using watercolours and layering over with acrylics through punchanella. I love the depth of the subtle shades and detailing I was able to achieve.

The background made me think of a spring garden so I thought I'd add flowers across the page. I wanted to include a photo of me in the center of one of the blossoms as a focal point. I already had an idea of the text I wanted to add - May the New Year Blossom - but wanted to play around with composition before making a firm decision on placement. It's not often that I'm this clear about composition from the get-go.

As I placed my photo in the largest blossom, I made a fun discovery - some of the detailing on the pink paper I used for the flower made it look like I was wearing a crown! This was a completely unintentional kismet moment for me.

At this point I loved the spread - the fresh green with popping pink and simple layout was working for me.

Earlier this week I had seen a spread on someone's blog (sorry for the life of me I can't remember who or where) that was simply framed with a shabby outline of a contrasting colour. I had liked that effect and thought I'd try it on this piece . I mixed up a rose pink and applied it around my spread but hated it! I removed as much as I could with a baby wipe. It left a washed out look that I thought might look good around the border so I added it to the entire page. Big mistake!

I was so disappointed as the freshness of the piece seemed to disappear. I also worried that it looked too scrapbooky, which is not my personal style. It was a very up and down arting day - from digging it to regretting it in a matter of minutes!

I toned down the washed out frame by adding white acrylic dots around the border (applied with an earbud/q-tip). I also started doodling but need to wait for it to dry properly before I can add more.

I plan to continue doodling with white and black markers (I do not have any suitable colour markers) and add Jan 1 is some sort of fancy or doodled script to flower on the the top right corner.

Thanks for looking at my WIP (work in progress)!

Releasing 2011, Receiving 2012

2011-12-27T21:22:00.000-08:00

I am so grateful I had the foresight to take this week off work from my clients and blogging, so that I could set aside large chunks of time for my Book of Days journal.

This morning Effy sent out the next step - to prepare our inner covers with pockets to say goodbye to 2011 and keep secret dream notes for 2012. Here's a partial sneak peak before I show you all my steps:

Before I got started my inner covers looked rather intimidating. As any artist or writer will tell you, there is nothing quite like the glare of an empty page!

I used a Walnut-coloured alcohol ink spray and matte gel medium to get the background covered. I'm not super happy with how dark it turned out but that was partly my fault for being a little over-eager with my new alcohol ink spray. Note to Self: Less is usually More (in all things).

Next up was to construct pockets - one on the left for our letter to our 2011 self and one one the right to store our dreams and visions for 2012.

I decided to go through my scrap papers to find the right materials to make my pockets. I have a stash of postcard size cardstock that I use to to doodle, stamp or place excess paint on when I work.

I chose the cinnamon coloured paper with silver stamps for releasing 2011 as I loved the pattern of the stamps - almost as if they are being released and floating upwards.

The blue and gold dappled one on the right felt fitting for the the flow of my 2012 word - RECEIVE. If you look closely you'll also see there is a fish trying to peak out in the top right corner.

Constructing the pockets was a little finicky as I did not want to lose too much of the length of the card, which meant there was only about a third to fold back to affix to the page. I made a small one-fold accordian hinge for the left pocket and a larger one for the right.

A few weeks ago I made a list of all the things I had accomplished or created in 2011 as a way to close out my year. Usually I end my year focusing on what intentions I did not achieve so my I Did in 2011 List was a powerful reframing to own my success. I used what I uncovered there to set the tone for what I wrote in my letter to my 2011 self which will live in the left side pocket.

I had not picked a word for the year at the beginning of 2011, so I felt free to put whatever I wanted on my first page. I decided to go with RELEASE 2011 as so much of my energy over the past few weeks has been to release 2011 into the ether. It was not a terrible year but it was challenging. I'm ready to be done with feeling like life is a struggle.

By contrast the word that I have picked to set my intention for 2012 is RECEIVE. I chose receive as I am wanting to move away from feeling compelled to take action to manifest my dreams and move towards being receptive to goodness that comes my way. It encompasses implicit openness, trust and faith as well.

For my secret notes detailing my 2012 dreams, I cut up cream and gold card stock which will live in the right pocket. I stamped each with the heading receive as my extra special magical touch to ensure I receive my secret-to-everyone-else 2012 dreams.

Finally here is the entire inner page spread with pockets and secret notes:

May I release all that was 2011. May I receive all that is to be 2012. And so it is.

Book of Days begins

2011-12-21T19:00:00.000-08:00

Throughout 2012 I will be joining Effy Wild for her year-long Book of Days project. Just a few months ago I tried my hand at a new medium - mixed media art journalling - and I'm LOVING the process. It's been creatively freeing and healing to art my way through what's on my mind and in my heart.

I am not sure I will be journalling or arting every day in 2012, but my intention is to make my personal creativity practice a more regular feature in my everyday schedule. Today I took the day off for Solstice and used most of it to prepare an altered book with cover for my Book of Days.

I found a suitable stitch-bound book at a local thrift store. Turns out it is a collection of Marcel Proust's personal letters from the early 1900s. I have to admit that I have never read Proust but was feeling rather literary when picking a book. My inner gay man also leaped for joy reading the subtle homoerotic letters between Marcel and his friends. Love it!

Tearing pages out of a book was actually quite hard for me. I was taught to treat books very carefully so I had to keep reminding myself it was ok to repurpose Mr. Proust's words.

After reinforcing the binding, I chose greens and a dash of light blue to paint the cover and then added papers for a layered effect.

I chose RECEIVE to be my word for 2012. The photo on the cover is from my wedding in 2009. It's one of my favorite shots of myself as I feel like I was so open that day energetically. I used Picnik to edit the photo to give it an old-fashioned feel and add the text.

Here is my cover all done and ready for yummy entries inside! The colors are a little muted in this pic as the light was waning due to Solstice :)

I love the fresh green and blue tones - makes me think of spring and the ocean, both open and receptive energies. I added a few gold and silver stars as I've always been ok with receiving gold stars.

Thanks for looking!

Repurposing this blog

2011-12-21T18:10:00.000-08:00

I am repurposing this blog to share my personal art and creativity projects. If you want to follow my writings on creativity, spirituality, tarot, seasonal wisdom and more, please pop on over to my main blog and website, Crafting the Sacred.