Some Inspiration from the Stars

Art Journal 52 2014. For the inspiration from the stars prompt page I wanted to look into space. A favorite web page I love to visit is Astronomy Picture of the Day http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/  Each day there is something interesting posted.  With the influence of the universe I did the background painting using acrylics. A few fun ready made silver star stickers were added.  The lyrics from Les Miserables entitled Stars written on an overlay completed the project,  Adding words to art is a difficult thing for me. Since I did not want to mess the surface of the painting I used the clear overlay with the lyrics written in gold paint. The effect was what I wanted. See both below.

The background painting with the stick-on stars above.

The final presentation with gold lettering.

What do you think?  I think I may do a larger painting with just a view into space. I welcome comments!

Have I made it_where I wanted to be when I grow up?

Another Art Journal 52 2014 prompt "When I grow up." Since I am long in tooth I wonder if I arrived. My dream, my hope, one of my important reasons for living, that which has sustained me is my art and my faith. ART! Making things, drawing, painting, printing, going to art museums, art shows, reading books about artists and how they work. Yes that is art. Sharing ideas and talking to other artists, continuing to experiment, standing in awe when a work is completed by my own hands to my expectations and beyond, loving it when viewers respond. That is art.  Trying new things like the art journal, foraging into mixed media and experimenting with ideas, adding words, using techniques from other disciplines all in one place. Now how cool is all that. It inspires me and others. That is art. 

Brushes, tubes of paint, an apron and palette. There is a canvas on the
easel. Painting is one of my favorite art media. Follow the link to Carbonmade at the top
of the page to see a few portfolios of other work. Check past blog posts
too.  

I wanted to be an artist as soon as I knew what an artist was I knew that was me. Art is a way of life. An artist is a problem solver and that is a characteristic that translates into many other aspects of life. Art can be a path to the divine producing a  meditation-like place in the mind. I go into a magic zone when I am working on my art. Time seems to stand still and all things seem possible. My mantra has been to paint beautiful things or to paint all things beautifully! The Art Journal 52 prompts are to inspire ideas or a direction for work and that is sustaining my connection to the world of art.

I would like to hear from you. Please leave comments below. Watch for posts of more pages soon.