dreaming of tutus.

I love going through my childhood art. I'll have to tap into my mother's stash, which must be prolific because she never threw away a single drawing. Oh the possibilities.

The tutu and legs were the first element on the page because I must have a pink tutu and polka dot rainboots, hopefully by my birthday. I shall wear it with my rice paddy hat when I go backpacking in the rockies in May...okay maybe not.

-♥-

Inner Child.

What I love about this spread is that it's kind of ugly and full of primary colors (♥). When I use primary colors, I feel connected with my inner child. I found the background in my stash of art and writing from childhood. It's amazing to note the freedom present in all childhood endeavors. How the page was just my playing with a shape stencil, and the primary colors were scribbled randomly yet a pattern emerged. I embellished it with a little extra color and sharpie where it pleased the eye but kept the playfulness in tact.
I also love doing contours because they get me off the hook so to speak. I find drawing to be extremely daunting, but when I already know the drawing will turn out weird and ugly I can resign myself to it and move on. I'm going to push myself to draw more because I think childish drawings are more expressive and appealing than photorealist ones. So I can't really screw up. Everything is relevant.

I've been wondering about style lately, and whether or not I'll ever develop one. Each spread seems so different from its predecessor. But style shouldn't be a concern in a journal. I'm starting to relax, viewing my journal as a safe place to play and infuse with my "me-ness."
An important aspect of play for me is writing down everything that is inspiring or thought provoking. Words, quotes, revelations, lists, dreams. That is the purpose of the molitos and I finally have a new one thanks to my lovely lady :) It's a plain pocket journal and I adore the plain pages and it's thickness.

The cover: more primary colors and white polka dots.

Dreaming of Bucharest, fun words, and inspiration from J.J. Abrams (creator of Lost!)
Ahem, my addictions...

I'm going to go drink some chamomile tea with my inner child now and we're going to think of ways to have fun during the winter months because being couped up in one's room all day is no fun.
-♥-

Snow Chicks.

I'm feeling frustrated because the ground is covered with glittery snow but the sub-zero temperatures are preventing me from building snow chicks.

I can't wait for spring, sunshine, and kissing in the rain!
-♥-

Listing.

Listing away, pretending that my big moleskine is a molito since my molito is finito.

Things to try:

Things to buy:

-♥-

celebrating new art supplies! (self portrait tuesday)

For Self Portrait Tuesday's theme of celebration I am celebrating my new schtuff. My lady and I went to Hobby Lobby and I replenished my red and black paint supply and added island blue and royal fuschia (♥) to the pallete. I also got some ink to play with, an alphabet stencil and a fun ceramics tool that's great for scratching, poking and dripping. Can I get a whoo whoo?!
The furry hat is a staple this week as it's been hella cold in Chicago. But it snowed yesterday so I can't wait to build some anatomically correct snow chicks to scar the brats on the block ;)
-♥-
PS: I wish my Russian hat was as cool as the purple one Thereza drew here.

madre.vida

"The desolation and terror of, for the first time, realizing that the mother can lose you, or you her and your abysmal loneliness and helplessness without her." --Francis Thompson

I was feeling down for a few days my mother and I watched After the Wedding, a painfully beautiful Danish film by one of our favorite directors. I won't go all film student on you, but it's a must see. It's one of many films we've watched together in the last few days with a theme of loss. Naturally, I started thinking about what I would do when she's gone and how it will change me. She was never the same after her mother died sixteen years ago and I don't want to become broken when it happens. We've always understood each other from the time I was a toddler and told her to get a divorce. She's the most brilliant person I have the pleasure of knowing. We'll stay up until ten in the morning watching and discussing films, and discussing anything from the influence of religion on the progression of modern psychology to sexuality. She's my soul mate and I love her to death.
So while the quote is rather morose, the bright colors represent my commitment in trying to strengthen and heal our relationship because we don't know how much time we have left together. So this is ultimately a positive spread about healing. My mother drew the woman in the middle years ago and I went over it with Portfolios. She likes this one best :)
I love how cathartic both art and film can be. Consequently, I've been interested in practicing a fusion of art and film therapies some day. There's a great site called Spirituality & Practice where you can take a quiz that helps you choose a healing practice such as forgiveness, faith, or love and films are recommended based on your practice. Mine is love, hers is shadow.
-♥-

molito.

This is the little Molito that lives in my purse (it has a thing for Frida Kahlo). The fact that it's full has been fortuitous for the word challenge because it's where I scribble, jot, and list with abandon. If it wasn't beneficial, it would be in the dog house for not duplicating on command. Since I go through them rapidly and typically only carry one at a time, the ongoing lists would work better in my big moleskine because it has more longevity. When it's done it goes in a cute yellow box with the six old ones and my pens/markers that don't travel with me daily.

-♥-

hats make the party (self portrait tuesday).

The theme this month at Self Portrait Challenge is celebration. Fun hats are one of my favorite ways to celebrate especially with my lady love. They get us in the mood for crafty good times and adventures. We have a whole list of things to do while wearing our "rice paddy" hats including slow-mo day, baking cupcakes, and being the dancing entourage for our friend Mary.
♥

growth.

a

Growth, originally uploaded by kaliji.

acrylic & sharpie in moleskine

-♥-

What Would Frida Do?

What Would Frida Do?, originally uploaded by kaliji.

acrylic, sharpie, fabric, found objects, etc. in moleskine

-♥-