What do you wish for 2010?

On Wishcasting Wednesday, Jamie asked what do you wish for 2010?

I wish to:

Through my Art and Photography

And

that You will stay happy, healthy and have a fulfilling year ahead.

Well, we're all set to take a little holiday break. This is where we will be in the next 4 days. I look forward to be inspired by the beautiful landscape in this region and be totally immersed in the culture and lifestyle of these individuals.

Be joyful

steph

Mailart

The spirit of giving continues and I've been busy altering envelopes with paper collage. And here are some of them...

More to come in the next post and as I'll be away for the New Year hols, I'd like to wish everyone a

Blissful and Fulfilling New Year!!!

xo

Steph

Artful and heartfelt gifts.....

My little studio has never been busier....glue and all sorts of medium, paper and embellishments everywhere and an "artfully occupied" steph....but I simply loved it....kept me creating......

I organised a lunch time craft session about 2 weeks ago at work with some of the ladies, well it was actually my New Year's present for them :), but they had to choose their background from scrapbooking papers etc.....and I supplied the stuff... we had fun at lunch and afterwhich brought the frames home and worked around their choices of styles......what an enriching experience it was....and there was a "little" teeny bit of me in some of them....but it was good to know their styles and preference........

And this was how it looked like at the studio........

and some sneak peeks......

More to come once I get to photograph the rest......

Happy post boxing day....

steph

Wishcasting Wednesday

Jamie Ridler on wishcasting wednesday, asked what would you wish for this holiday season? I wish for love, joy, peace, safe travels for all and an artful holiday weekend......

xoxo
steph

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2009!!!

Here's wishing one and all a  Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!!

Here are some postcards of old Singapore for your personal artwork only.

And over here are some vintage chinese advertisements. Enjoy and happy creating!!!

Aren't they pretty? I sincerely hope you like them and create beautiful art for your personal collection only. And I am looking forward to see those completed art pieces posted on your blogs. :)

It's been a wonderful 10 days of creating and I have enjoyed every bit of it!!! By putting myself up to the challenge of posting my art muse each day, I've learnt to set my "creative timer" to spontaneous mode....and my oh my, it was one big learning journey and personal growth for me...

It's a tropical Christmas for those of us in Singapore, the weather is perfect with a cool breeze in the evenings which makes it pleasantly cool and nice at the outdoors......and this calls for some painting at the garden.....My wonderful husband bought me a standing easel for Christmas and I can't wait to use it.....well, I'm off to more creating....till the next post.....  :)

Live Life

Love Live

All the way.....

Joy and Peace...

Steph

1 day to Christmas....

Be thou my vision

Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise,
Thou mine inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of heaven, my victory won,                                                May I reach heaven's joys, O bright heav'ns Son!                                               Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,                                   Still be my vision, O ruler of all.

Irish Hymn

I heard this hymn being sung for the first time many years ago on a Christmas Eve....brings back fond memories. This hymn always gives me strength, courage and perseverance......

Blessed Christmas Eve........

xo steph xo

2 days to Christmas...

"Let us reflect on what is truly of value in life,

what gives meaning to our lives, and set our priorities on the basis of that"

The 14th Dalai Lama

xo steph xo

3 days to Christmas

"The real world is beyond our thoughts and ideas; we see it through the net of our desires,

divided into pleasure and pain, right and wrong, inner and outer.

To see the universe as it is, you must step beyond the net...."

Jack Kornfield

xo steph xo

4 days to Christmas

"Terrible or not, difficult or not, the only thing that is beautiful, noble, religious

and mystical is to be happy"

Arnaud Desjardins

xo steph xo

5 days to Christmas.....

" Awareness of impermanence is encouraged, so that when it is coupled

with our appreciation of the enormous potential of our human existence, it will give us a sense

of urgency that I must use every precious moment"

The 14th Dalai Lama

love life

live life

xo steph xo

6 days to Christmas.....

altered photograph on acrylic background

"The art of happiness begins with developing an understanding

of what the truest sources of happiness, and setting our priorities

in life based on the cultivation of those sources"

The 14th Dalai Lama

xo steph xo

7 days to Christmas...

"Compassion can be roughly defined in terms of a state of mind

that is non-violent, non-harming and non-aggressive.

It is a mental attitude based on the wish for others to be free of their suffering and is

associated with a sense of commitment, responsibility and respect for others"

The 14th Dalai Lama

xo steph xo

8 days to Christmas...

Acrylic on cold press paper.

" We must understand each other and work in harmony with one another, because

it is our responsibility to develop in human beings their natural disposition for peace"

The 14th Dalai Lama

xo steph xo

9 days to Christmas...

Acrylic on collaged background.

Textures created with molding paste and embossing technique.

"Listening itself is an art. When we listen with a still and concentrated mind, 

it's possible to actually be responsive to what the words are saying."

Joseph Goldstein

xo steph xo

10 days to Christmas....

Altered photo on acrylic background

It's the mad rush to Christmas!! And as we busy ourselves planning for all the social gatherings and the shopping and the gifting... there's always comfort and solace in our quiet time for ourselves.......

For me, I'll make it a point to post a journal page a day till christmas eve........and a little something for all on Christmas day.... ;)

A heartfelt thank you to those who visited this blog and left comments on my art, I appreciate them and it means a lot to me even as I continue to explore my passion in art.

And as always, a quote for the post:

"The mind in its natural state can be compared to the sky, 

covered by layers of cloud which hide its true nature"

Kalu Rinpoche

PEACE

xo steph xo

Love, Hope and Joy

Inspired to sew, the above was a combination of paper, hand dyed cloth and lace all sewn up together.....Had good fun.

"Let your teacher be love itself" Rumi

Have a wonderful weekend!!

just me  :)

steph

Being thankful.....

"Yes" and "thank you" are the opposites of selfishness.

The ego can only be erased through happiness and gratitude.

Arnaud Desjardins

xx steph xx

Exhilaration..

The dictionary describes "exhilaration" as a feeling of excitement and happiness. Today, I had such an experience when I met up with a friend whom I had missed catching up for a long while. Bettz is a talented artfriend and we've shared many a common interest in the world of art and crafting. Commonality was the precursor to exhilaration....and we found solace in sharing our thoughts and views about art...each has a quiet yearning to make better art....and to evolve and grow into our respective craft..

The question about the "intention" of our art lingered through thereafter and it sets me thinking and exploring my own...

while it was a brief moment, I experienced exhilaration! And that was something to be remembered....

And I close with a quote from the famous poet, Rumi..

"Whatever you love you are" 

xxx steph xxx

Monoprinting madness!

I went into a monoprinting frenzy the other day and had loads of fun doing it......18 pages in total!!!
I love the lotus flower and when I was given the lotus leaf by a sweet florist at the market place, I had to preserve the beauty of it. Well, this is just the beginning of a series of lotus themed art.......I see possibilities!!!

Happy Weekend Friends!!
steph

Art Journal Backgrounds

" The eye is meant to see things, the soul is here for its own joy!"    Rumi

 

Changes.....

"Nothing is permanent:

The sun and the moon rise and then set,

The bright, clear day is followed by the deep, dark night.

From hour to hour, everything changes."

Kalu Rinpoche

Acrylic on cold press paper with collage and layers of color blending

happy weekend!!

steph

we can always begin again......

"On days when the sky is grey, the sun has not disappeared forever"

Arnaud Desjardins

The above background was prepared with acrylic paints on cold press paper and collaged with vintage music sheets. Textures created with Tim Holtz's crackle paint and gel medium.

be strong......

steph

The joy of creating..

There comes

that mysterious meeting in life,

when someone acknowledges

who we are and what we can be,

igniting the circuits of our highest potential

Rusty Berkus, Life is a Gift

More from the Joyful Child:

"to help children reach their highest potential, hence their greatest joy, we fan the spark of creativity.Creativity is also a way of thinking and a set of attitudes.If we are to develop our creative thinking, we need to develop those attitudes".

Happy Happy Children's Day my Precious!!

Be courageous and stay happy!

only words will do....

The weekend has been physically tiring and I've decided to sit in the garden to enjoy the evening breeze and listen to the call of the birds before sundown. With my camera and moleskine weekly notebook in hand, I headed straight to our little sanctuary....

It felt really good to just write my thoughts in my moleskine everytime....particularly today, where i felt physically tired and a little low in my "creative quotient". One of the reasons why  I keep both a visual journal and another one which allows me to only write.

The scent from the frangipani flowers around me  (an example above), the gentle breeze and the call of the birds, proved to be just about what I needed to revitalize. And of course these beautiful works of nature......

ginger flower

 jasmine species

Stay Happy!

steph

Courage

"I am the being, who in spite of my miry surroundings, have remained untouched and stood up to be the exemplar of beauty and purity."  Anonymous

Happy Weekend!!

A Good Heart....

"The true essence of humankind is kindness. There are other qualities which come from education or knowledge, but it is essential, if one wishes to be a genuine human being and impart satisfying meaning to one's existence, to have a good heart"

The 14th Dalai Lama

Acrylic on cold press paper with collage 

and color blending.

This painting is one of my husband's favourite and I chose the quote on kindness for this post because I am so thankful for a wonderful husband whose heart is filled with kindness for others and have given much joy and hope in their lives and in return we are blessed by their gratefulness.   

Happy Anniversary!!

Be Still....

and LISTEN to our inner voice.....
be still and LISTEN to others around you...
be still and discover yourself....

Acrylic on cold press paper, textured with modge podge 

and collaged with scraps from the table.

I love this verse from the bible "..... in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength". We lead busy lives which may rob us from listening to ourselves, spending quiet moments to reflect and recharge...

Have you had your quiet moment today?

steph

The Joyful Child

Years ago, a good friend of mine recommended me a book aptly entitled "The Joyful Child". Although it says that it's a source book of activities and ideas for releasing children's natural joy, this book transformed my life. It gave me a new perspective in life and living. This is my "Joyful Child"...

Acylic on cold press paper, collaged and lots of blending

And here are some quotes from the book by Peggy Jenkins.

" Joy is you at the deepest level, and your joy is one with the infinite timeless joy of the unbound universe".  

Robert Ellwood

"The closer you come to your core, the greater is your joy".

Torkom Saraydarian

"The only obstacle to releasing joy is the unwillingness to express love for someone or something". 

Arnold Patent

"Joy is a state of oneness with the universe, it is an expression of love and a healing energy".

Peggy Jenkins

I hope you'll claim your healing energy, it is there awaiting our recognition and conscious awareness. Choose joy and create your "Joyful Child".....

steph

Art Heals

I'm sure many of us have experienced making art as a therapeutic process... have you ever felt "liberated" after a session of playing and experimenting with paints or the various mediums, where one is engaging her whole being, creating and as she creates, she gathers positive energy to keep going... The art piece below was created on sketch paper with acrylic paints coupled with collage papers and various textures incorporated, stitched and then pasted onto a book board. The words mounted on the bookplate reads:

 " I will go with thee and be thy guide".

This is now the front cover of my art journal.

  

Have you experienced healing through art lately? 

Take flight and create!!

Have a good week everyone!!

steph

09-09-09 here we go!!!

Well here it is, my art blog!! I thought I'll start my first post by sharing a book I bought 2 years ago, "The 1000 Journals Project" by "Someguy" and when i picked it up again recently i was transported back in time that perhaps two years ago, i had already started my journey into creating art. This fabulous journal is a journey into the lives of many individuals through their illustrated pages. "The journals had travelled far and wide, brought to remote mountain tops, abandoned at airports, and even stolen at gunpoint. It started as an experiment and and now have both body and mind" says Kevin Kelly. Truly an enriching experience poring through the pages of this book. And when I looked at it today, I thought about my own journey into mixed media art and how I am evolving.

I've found art journaling to be a wonderful avenue to express myself. Through experimenting with different mediums, paper , paints, crayons, found objects, etc. etc background pages are created from  building layers after layers of paints, collage materials and textures, up till the  final process of finding a spot to write. More on this in upcoming posts as I've found some lovely nooks where I journal.

This blog is also dedicated to sharing my artful journey as I've found that in the world of blogging about art, there are wonderful and creative artists who are both kind and generous in nurturing the creative spirit.

And so, in closing.... here's another page.....

Believe

Be...

Live Artfully

steph