Mucha Harp Player

As I have a collection of Mucha designed cards, doing nothing in my drawers, I am working them into works of art of some sort.

The last Mucha piece I did was a Mucha dancer on canvas, this one is on board using Lici's look she has done on her blog (fashion art boards).

I have added fibres which are meant to be representative of the harp strings.

Art Journalling/Journaling: Session 14 - Receive a Revelation of Purpose

This week's art journalling exercise is all about receiving a revelation of purpose for your life. As a career counsellor, this is a topic that is quite close to my heart, especially when I am called upon to assist people in doing just that.

You need a nice bright coloured sheet of paper (the hope colours) and add other images you wish to visualise the content. For instance, I've got cyclists there in a race, their purpose is to win; I've got men up in hot air balloons, there purpose was to build a machine of some sort that could fly.

As a believer I have also added in there my notes from what I have learned from other people connected with my faith. You too, can also add proverbs, quotes from books, etc.

The second art journalled page I have done has been chalked with oranges, reds and pinks (colours that are 'happy' and 'hopeful'), I have then made lines and swirls to do more written journalling, where I have briefly explained what I believe my purpose is in life. You can get the idea, but as this is more personal I have made the image small, if anyone is keen on it being enlarged they can email me privately.

Have a great week.

Next week: art journalling exericse is "Come and have a cup of coffee with me"

Mucha's Dancer

I have cut up an old Alphonse Mucha design card, added some wings on her and other acrylic shapes that have been added onto the canvas. The paper is from Scrapbour.

With the wings I have sprayed Glimmer Mist. First one in the reddish colour and then have pressed them together, on pulling apart it creates a veiny look; and then I have re-spritzed with a lighter gold colour and repeated the process.

A circle of orange and gold beads have been inserted into the card at the ends and formed around the circle, before the card was mounted onto the canvas.

As it is autumn in this part of the world, I have added a few falling leaves. Lots of Glimmer Mist was sprayed over the entire project.

Reminiscing the Acorn Fairies - triptycht

It was autumn and she looked outside the broken window pane (there I've used mica strips) and could see her sweetheart's parent's olive grove in the distance. She had just come back from church dressed in her pretty blue Sunday best.

Next minute, he appeared from no where. "I saw you from afar off, I've been collecting acorns for you Miss Sara."

The fairies nearby were smiling to each other, happy that they have arranged a collection of acorns for John.

Then one day Sara went back into the garden, reminiscing about her time with John. And there she saw the basketfull of acorns and picked them up.

This is displayed as a triptycht piece with a very simple story line.

Byzantine ATCs Strip

I found this the other day, an item I made months ago. Rather than doing the usual ATC I decided to combine them together on trim and added a few metal embellishments.

These designs also have flakes of mica sprinkled over them, thicker in certain areas, and some rhinestones.

Art Journalling: Session 13 - Beware of the Masks

Okay, this week I've gone a little trivial after being inspired by Tristan's blog ... and I'm avoiding that cliché 'What Mask do you wear?' ... so it's about the various masks we hide behind. This journalling exercise is quite fun to do.

First prepare your pages with various painted strokes in purples and mauves. Then allow some of the paint to run over and down the page. I have then used some old scrapbook paper from NRN Designs and cut them out and pasted them over the painted page (once dry). I have also chopped up an old catalogue of Venetian masks (Commedia dell 'arte ones) and have glued those also onto the pages.

On to that I have added mardi gras microbeads and glitter for a festive effect, stars and, of course, bling.
Down the side of the left hand page I have added brightly colored trim.

My narrative is about some of the masks I wear, and why I choose to wear them; and then realising some are not masks, but what I am really like, but having to put a mask on to 'tone' the real me down. I have used white Souffle pens that give a sort of 3D feel.

And if you want some inspiration check out my old post on my Fabio Venetian Mask and also go to Tristan's post for some more Venetian Masks.

Mucha's Seasonal Ladies - The Face on the Wall

Mucha's seasonal ladies altered art book.

This altered art book was a book bought from HOTP (who had specially designed books for altered art).

It was then given the ultimate makeover using Mucha's seasonal girls.

Sticker phrases have been added to this page.

And we start with Spring:

Move onto our warm Summer:

Then Autumn moves in with its vibrant reds, oranges and browns:

Icy Winter with its blues and whites:

The back cover of the book:
Side view of book:

Art Journalling: Session 12 - Hope

Today's journalling exercise is to look at a 'value' word e.g. hope, love, integrity, etc and then art journal this word.

For this week I wanted to look at the word HOPE and what it means to me.

Prepare your page with colours not necessarily indicative of that word. Hope usually signifies bright colours, but I wanted to use muted tones, greys, and browns .... those colours not usually recognised with the term hope, because it's usually in our grey moods, or our times of least colour in our life that we strongly need hope.

Don't forget these exercises, although private to you, you can share with other people; for instance I got one of my daughters to draw a cave for me (my disllusionment cave) and also a tunnel (with some light at the end of it ... I know it's a cliche).

After painting these colours randomnly I then used a calligraphic ink pen to outline my daughter's drawings and to write up my material.

I also added, yes bling; this is to illustrate the 'glimmer of hope' that we always need. I have added a clock as I write about time. The clouds are representative of my dreams and desires (as from previous art journalling exercise 11.

Add in your thoughts.

Although my thoughts I've added are again private, I have made them accessible for anyone who wishes to gain a better understanding of this word, (and how to apply that insight ... well it was the insight for me, in this case, but other people may have different interpretations).

Marie Antoinette's Hall of Mirrors and Garden

King Louis of France would like to present his wife to you.


Marie would like you to come with her for a stroll down the Hall of Mirrors with its beautiful chandeliers and 1,000 lights.


"Oh come ladies, it is too stuffy in here, let me take you out into my garden (I've got a hamlet too, but I'll show you that another day), in the meantime enjoy the morning sunshine by my herb garden."


"Oh ladies, do excuse me, Louis is calling for me, it is proper for me to attend immediately to his majesty ... heheheh ... I'll see you soon ... kiss, kiss."

"Yes, my darling."
"We have important matters to discuss Marie."
"Oh ... have you seen my necklace Louis?"


And those matters (well not the French Revolution here) .... how to construct this theatre (theater). William has illustrated and constructed this one for me, already for me to alter art it.

Here are views from the side, showcasing his brilliant illustrative work. He is so talented!



View from above:

Below is the book where the cherubs were taken from to decorate the front stage of the theatre (theater).

Art Journalling: Session 11 - Overcoming your resistors

The first page I have used an old NRN Design scrapbook paper and have adhered this to my journal page, then folded it where the wire spiral binding is.

I have then added the new Que Sera Sera (from K&Co) notepads, I've sold out of these but you can get more from www.scrapbookstudio.co.nz. I have headed up the page Desires and on those notepads I am going to write down what my desires are -- I haven't done them yet (for personal reasons I'm keeping those private ....).

On the flipside of the page I have used dark colours with pictures of resistors and have named some of the resistance I come across when trying to complete my goals or just when my desires seem to be up in the sky and unavailable for me to reach them, as the resistance is too strong.

On the opposite page of that, I've identified what my resistors are and how I can best effectively mitigate or eliminate them. Here I'm letting you guys read these (they are still personal), but if they can help anyone in anyway ... then great! Just my random thoughts.

Next to that I have collected some resistors which I ended up obtaining from a retro junk store (Electrical and Surplus Traders, 8 Upper Queen Street, Auckland) and glued them on.

For overcoming much of your resistance you need a good measure of hope.

Next Week: My topic is on hope. Some people make theme journals and will do a whole journal about value words and what they mean to them.

Captain's Log

Not to be out done, Captain Kirk of the Vintage Enterprise ship has decided to let you know a little bit about his travels, actually they seem to be more about his thoughts while he is away from his loved one. Now it's your turn to use your imagination as he unfolds his log book for you.

THE END.