Spring has arrived in my little woods

I love living in a woods not only do I get to enjoy my bulbs in the spring, I get to see my woods wake from winter's sleep.  I start to see flecks of colors sprinkled  randomly among the trees.  Little whimsical wild flower patches scattered about intermingling with the bright green moss. Spring is such a magical time.  The pictures I have added include bulbs I brought here from my Grandma's garden.  My Grandma passed away a few years back and was a gardener.  She ran her own greenhouse for many years on her property.  I like to think in the Spring when these bulbs that once bloomed at her home, return to my home that she has stopped in for a brief visit. It is such a gift to live in such a beautiful place.        

Paperwhites narcissus  from  my Grandma's garden

Grape Hyacinth from my Grandma's garden

Violets take over our lawn in the back yard leading up to the woods in April and May

I could not find the identification for these little flowers that grow on the edge of our back woods. 

Dutchmen's Breeches

I thought it was Spring

I created this journal page last year and felt it was appropriate today.  Over the weekend beautiful weather, flowers blooming, birds chirping...Spring had arrived... Right?  Nope, Winter decided to stick around a bit longer.  On my walk today all my Daffodils were slumped over and snow covered, the robins trying to keep warm.  Nature's little reminder that a storm can arrive at any time, even when all looks well.   The robins came back for the season, the daffodils bloomed and the snow came. We can weather this storm and have faith Spring will prevail. 

Fairwell March

The month of March is one of my favorite times of year. I had a very special March day about a week ago. I went for a walk in my little woods and could see melting and new life pushing through the soil.  Only a couple hours later Mother Nature decided to make an abrupt change back to Winter.  In a matter of minutes the earth was covered in a Spring snow. My crocus and daffodil growth stood strong poking through the white blanket of snow as if to say we are here to stay, now is our time for life. Just before the snow stopped falling, the sun returned, shining through melting away Winter once again. This is how life can be sometimes, I hold on through the cold Winters and just when I think I cannot take anymore, the sun shines through bringing hope.  March represents for me perseverance in the the midst of life's unexpected changes. So I dedicate this post to March.

As I have mentioned in my past post I enjoy digital journaling. Sometimes this can be as simple as jotting down my thoughts on some of my pictures. I often do this on my iPhone.  I will snap a shot of something that inspires me and type some notes right on the picture.  These sometimes become themes for my art journals. Below is one of my quick snap shots and a collage I created using multiple shots taken with my iPhone.            

Magnum Journal Page

This weekend has been bittersweet.  We had to have my husband's beagle Magnum put to sleep due to complications with a congestive heart condition.   We did not have him for long, he was an old man by the time he made his way to us but a very special soul. It was as if he had been with us his whole life. I believe sometimes our pets find their way to us, it only seems as if we find them.   My husband raises beagles for hunting and beagle field trialing and had bred Magnum.  Friday we had to let Magnum go but Saturday some new little lives came into the world.  I am new to art and this was my first attempt a few months ago of drawing a beagle and have much to learn.  My husband said it reminded him of  Magnum. Interesting this is how I envision Magnum now in doggie heaven blue skies and plenty of room to run.  

Digital Journaling

Today I am going to share a few of my digital journal pages.   The concept of digital journalism is what started my fascination with mixed media arts. Back in 2010 when I got my digital camera I started taking nature pictures and from there I started to manipulate the images using different programs like Photoshop Elements. During this past summer when I got my iPhone, collecting different images became easier and I found there were apps I could get to apply different effects to my photos.  At the end of last year I read about an online class provided by Traci Bautista called 'Digital Canvas'.  In this online class Traci uses the iPad to do digital art journaling.   She introduces some great apps and techniques for digital journaling, really opened up a new world for me.  I want to mention here in 2010, I had my digital camera, however I was still behind the times.  I had one of those old cell phones that you could not even send a text.  I really did not know what an app was and never considered wanting an iPhone or iPad.  So in a few years I have really broadened my horizons.   After taking this class I am now addicted to doodling and creating on my iPad. I truly do journal.  Sometimes I will write  how I feel and paint or place images right over it.  Sometimes it is just images.  Here are some that I created on my iPad with some of the techniques I learned in Traci's e-course.     

Love Storm

Hope

Memory

Hope for spring

Spring is coming.  On my walk yesterday I found some of my crocus peeking through the dead leaves. Though winter is lingering on the surface, spring is forming underneath.

Owls on the mind

I have been seeing owls everywhere lately, in stores there are decorations.  Artists on the internet love to draw and paint them.   My sister in-law has started a neat collection.  Once she told me she was starting to collect owls, I started seeing them more than ever before.  Owls coming out of the woodwork....  All of this inspired me to explore owls in my art journal.   After researching on the internet I  found that there are over 200 species of owls and they exist almost everywhere in the world with a couple of exceptions including Antarctica. I looked at many pictures on the internet and they really are beautiful creatures.  I was amazed with all the different faces, shapes and sizes. I started doodling in my journal as usual not really knowing what to expect.  I love the idea of looking at animals and the different wild life including flowers and their symbolic meaning. I often will choose a plant or specific animal to research and journal with symbolism in mind.  I painted some different variations of owls and added different words that I came across for the symbolic meanings.  Wisdom is one of the most common meanings, I chose some others.  Obviously my owls in my journal are not true to life but more of representations in my imagination.  I really had a great time researching and painting these journal pages and I totally get the fascination that many people have with these interesting creatures.   

The Presence of  the Owl Announces Change

Night Messenger

Intuition, See Beyond

Capacity to see beyond deceit, masks