finding refuge

in my art journal

home…

… this is probably my favorite word, my favorite feeling, and a theme I love to explore in my art, especially my art journal.

Just like a little bird in the cold of winter, we sometimes need a warm, safe place to land and gather strength, before we can take flight again. In this project we're going to create a snowy scene with white-on-white layers of gesso, dark branches and a bright little birdhouse.

One of my favorite ways to start an art journal page is with a layer of collage in soft neutrals, with plenty of yummy texture. Here there's also an under-layer of left-over paint, because that's usually where it ends up (better than down the drain). On this kind of background, anything is possible!⁠ And it’s a perfect starting point for white-on-white effects!

A jar of gesso is like a jar of possibility: when you spread it thinly with a brush, you can create subtle, ethereal, veiled layers. Then using a palette knife, you can apply thick, opaque, chunky layers on top! This works especially well with stencils and stamps (the little bit at the top of the photo above is tea-bag paper, which I used to dab off the excess gesso)⁠.

Another of my favorite things is to scratch and write into the fresh, thick layer with a needle tool or just the handle of my brush… and I love that I can simply erase these messages and designs if I want to, and start over with another idea.

Something else I love is the way gesso will grab onto the thicker textures of burlap, lace, corrugated cardboard etc. It turns them into something more, and blends them in with the page at the same time. I love both the contrast and harmony between all these layers…

On top of this snowy, fairly neutral and simple background, I wanted to create a colorful and contrasting focal point, with a bright little birdhouse! The idea of a nest appealed to me too, so instead of choosing between the two, why not combine them? For the nest I used some tangled threads (found while sweeping the studio…) and for the birdhouse, some Xmas wrapping paper in a beautiful red that felt warm and inviting.

There were already some dried grasses in my background, and they turned into branches where this little nest-house could sit, nice and cosy. Some scribbly lines and image transfers of branches completed the look. Then some candles felt like the perfect finishing touch: little beacons of light, guiding you safely home…

I always love to think of my art journal as a personal storybook. It always has something important to tell me, to support me on my journey. There is something so simple, yet so strong in this page for me. It feels comforting to my heart, and it makes me smile.

I hope it brings you hope, joy and inspiration! And I would love to share every little detail of this project with you, and help you create your own “refuge” art journal page.

Join me in a magical adventure through art journaling and mixed media painting: build your personal art journal practice, find your artist voice, and grow your wings from the journal to the canvas!

Leave a comment for me!