More Journal Work

I am trying to keep sane with the health issues here- (my husband's angiogram is tomorrow) and the very scary things happening in Washington. I am going the include the copy for each spread that I  wrote for the journal group.  Orly Avineri's group A Stand for Art Journaling  is a wonderful supportive place to share  journal work. So the references to comments and such were to that group.
The spreads will  go from newest to oldest and were done in the last week.

This is my spread from this afternoon- Some of you have asked about some images that reappear in my journal work. I like many of you I am sure- am drawn to certain things and use images of them a lot- collect pictures of them. The house - house shape- is big as I find it important to me- some people have stayed in their area where they grew up but we have kept moving around-we are hoping to move to the SW if we get the good news we hope on Wednesday after my husband's angiogram. Anyway the house shape is a symbol of warmth- safety- nest. I also use windows chairs and birds a lot- they all have different meanings for me- it's like my vocabulary- these inconagraphical (is that a word?) images I have used for decades really. Anyway this spread is called Discontented Man.. It is hard to feel contented in these current times- we all try to go about our lives but there it is on our mind- and that added to waiting on a medical test- well it is hard to find an easy chair or to stay seated.

 

 

 

 

Today was productive- well in the studio- I guess the house work can wait. I had some fun and this cold is getting better. I a couple of years ago took a beginning class on Sketchbook Skool- Danny Gregory started that. I use to draw a lot- then fell out of the habit- I am feeling the need to do more again. This spread was taking drawings I already had and scanned I printed some out and cut them out. The drawing I did of myself is a contour drawing.

I want to first thank you all for the supportive comments- I realize some found my spread to be a bit much but sometimes that's exactly how things now feel more than a bit too much. Your comments mean the world to me. Here is a quote that inspired today's spread.
When you come to the edge of all you know, you must believe one of two things: either there will be ground to stand on, or you will be given wings to fly. O.R. Melling.
Given the times not so sure about ground to stand on but I am very honest when I say this group has given me wings. Thank you all so much.

I am so angry that I can hardly think straight- seeing the rising hate- families tore apart deported, people that were born here not allow back in- This government has turned this into the United States of Rejection. Replacing the health plan it their version that pads the rich and makes it out of reach for so many- and the arts- We are in sorry shape. I just can't wrap my head around how they can be so cruel and gut everything unless it will make them money. Hate groups have been emboldened. I just watched a very scary news video of one group excited for the liberal genocide to begin. It is hard to keep the dream of a loving nation alive. So I did this spread it helped for a while. So very thankful for this group- an artful loving sanctuary The United States of Rejection.

This spread is called Dream Construction. I was thinking about how we can make our dreams into reality sometimes- One has to make the dream as real as possible in your head- I think many of us are doing that- dreaming of an end this nightmare in the country. I am also dreaming about a new neighborhood in New Mexico. It's March 9th and our actual temp for tonight is to be 14 below zero- windchills they say will be 30 below-

Well I will try to not write book here but this spread today was very cathartic for me. Things sometimes get to be a bit much sometimes- many of you have major challenges as I have read about some of them. I have come down with a really bad cold- I haven't had a cold in years and this one is a doosy. Things seem to have really gotten even more insane in Washington. So worried for my friends that depend on The affordable care act. We had a lab today- I am amazed that my lipid panel was all in normal range- Ron has the angiogram next Wednesday fingers crossed. Then we will know if we are able to resume plans to move. I did this spread in a Dylsions journal with black pages. The chair is a dollhouse chair that I set on a hosta leave- I did a whole photo shoot in Minneapolis of dollhouse furniture in the garden we had. Just came across some of those. This quote is for this spread:

Some days you just need to jump into the vortex and let the universe do its job.

Today was a very gloomy day here- fog drifting in and out- I don't do well with this kind of day- and Ron is sick with a cold and we are hoping he will be better for the appointment at the clinic Wednesday. I needed to write today so filled the background with writing- lots to process. I need to lose weight to help with my overall health and cholesterol. This has been a battle forever- at age 64 one would think I would have it together but I will once again and have lost 12 pounds in the last month. With the craziness in the country right now and this health stuff it has been a challenge as my way to cope has bee to self-medicate with food. So far so good- the body in the spread is an ideal and I have never had that- needing to be realistic -   Update as of March 14th- I have now lost 15 pounds!