the time traveler's wife

I finished reading "The Time Traveler's Wife" (Audrey Niffenegger) a little while ago and then saw the trailer for the movie since. It was a great book that was very moving and I can't wait to see how they try to portray it in the movies. I'm sure it won't be the same as the book, but I am pleased to have read the book first.

I had to do a journal page or two after reading the book, and this was the results. There were so many wonderful moments and images and quotes in the book that I didn't know where to start. I decided these were the quotes that I wanted to remember Clare and Henry by.

Henry's page shows him time travelling and shows him falling to represent what a dangerous and helpless condition he has. His wings are because of the constant references to angels and Clare's art and they relate to the central themes of the book (you will have to read it to know any more!)

Clare's page shows her self portrait. The full page doesn't quite fit in my scanner, but she is actually floating. The floating and the quote reflect the flying theme again.

There is a printed page in the background for both pages with all the years from the book printed in different sizes and fonts. Then there is a layer of gesso and water soluble crayon. Then I drew the picture of Clare using pencil and posemaniacs for a model. I did Henry falling by cutting a stencil from an internet image and sponging with acrylic paint. I drew in the wings, then painted with silver acrylic, highlighted with red acrylic and black Pitt Artist pen and tiny touches of white Uniball Signo pen. The text was done on both pages by hand with black Pitt Artist pen and black Sharpie. The stenciled edge was done with punchinella scrap and acrylic paints and graphite stick.

I know that some people found the book slow, but it is a book that you have to feel the characters slowly, not have them thrown at you in an exciting, fast paced way. I thought that the author got the pace just right and I can't wait to read her next novel.

partner journal

I am involved in a partner journal with Wendy in New Zealand. These are the sixth set of layouts that I have done. These layouts are in Wendy's journal.

The theme for these pages was self portraits with commentaries.

In the first page the frame is scrapbooking paper cut to the correct dimensions. The centre is painted with silver acrylic paint. The image of me is a digital photograph altered in Photoshop Elements. The poem is "Mirror" by Sylvia Plath, and it has been written in with black Pitt Artist pen.

The second page is a simple drawing done on the white page with black Pitt Artist pen, and smudges of acrylic paint on the butterflies. The drawing is a younger me. The verse is taken from a poem by Vivienne Plumb.

the scent of the roses

You may break, you may shatter the vase, if you will,

But the scent of the roses will hang round it still.

Thomas Moore

It is Autumn here in New Zealand and the beautiful roses are nearly all gone. So I thought I would post a few pics I took when our roses were in their prime. Yellow roses are my favourite! But the white look stunning, too!

strawberries and cream

This is a nursery rhyme I remember from books when I was young. I couldn't remember all the words so I had to do a little googling to finish a couple of lines. It reminds me particularly of going to my grandparent's house, because I used to get out a "Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes" book everytime I went, and read the old rhymes.

This is a collage page from a journal. I used scrapbooking paper, vellum, stamped images, vintage magazine image, and sharpies.

City

Through this broad street, restless ever,
Ebbs and flows a human tide,
Wave on Wave a living river;
Wealth and fashion side by side;
Toiler, idler, slave and master,
In the same quick current glide.

John Greenleaf Whittier (At Washington)

This is a collage page in a journal. It is a magazine image glued on a page coloured with stamppad ink. It is smeared with acrylic paint. The lettering is stencilled with souffle pen. Then it is doodled on with pencil, souffle pen and sharpies. The poem just suited it perfectly.

For Sleep or Death

I was trying to portray a more solemn feeling with this page. I haven't got the hang of the collaging the way I would like to at the moment, but instead I just went with my flow to see what would result. The poem by Ruth Pitter gave the feeling that I wanted and the collaged images underneath are pages from a vintage children's book about life for Victorian children. The woman is from a Dover Clipart book. I drew the line of washing and the hooded figure. The colour was a dilute wash of muddy green acrylic to start with then coloured pencils and coloured graphite on top. The words and the poetry were written with souffle pen and I went around the words of the poem again with coloured pencil.

It's not dramatic like other people's journal pages, but it contains the more sombre elements I wanted, and that is good enough for me!!