February Art Journal Pages

Writing a love letter to myself

each February

began years ago in 2008

when I first put paint brush to altered book..

It is a tradition that I look forward to each year..

writing about the things that I do, say and think

 that 

I really appreciate..

This year however..

I had a new twist to journal about..

I have always identified with being Italian American..

because I was so close to my father's family..

and because my mother and I had been estranged for so may years..

not uncommon in families with 

alcoholism..

My Mother always claimed to be Irish..

She even gave her youngest son an Irish name..

and well she was beautiful, 

with red hair, freckles and blue eyes..

fast forward 

to Ancestry and DNA testing..

and suddenly 

I am not half Irish, but German and English

What a surprise..

not an Irish scalawag in the lot..

I knew I had an English grandfather that I never met..

(lots of secrets on that side of the family..

that we won't go into here today..)

but I was too young to remember my maternal great grandmother..

My Mother.. 

sigh..

I can understand her changing her heritage during WW2..

I get that part, it would have made high school very difficult..

and small town living,

 atrocious..

but to keep the story going all those years later..

that is so my 

MOTHER..

However..

No matter where my DNA originated..

I am happy to be the woman that I am..

So I gessoed and painted and painted some more 

and scrubbed back the layers to reveal the orange paint underneath.. to show the past..

and used the letters...

to emphasize 

the power of the written word..

to manifest what we truly want to create..

Ingredients: Stitched Mono Prints, threads, acrylic paint, colored pencils, pencil, paper ephemera, antique envelopes, wrapping papers, pen.

So gentle reader,

I will have the second half of that 

Mono Printing video for you on Friday..

we will be printing on large cloth,

canvas

and boards..

so I will see you then

dear ones..

xox

September Art Journal Pages

How do you illustrate 

a

Hurricane?

I had about a million ideas

swirling around in my mind...

and when that happens..

when my monkey mind starts up

I know it is usually time to just start 

with a meditative process that 

shuts down the chatter..

and listens...

to the deep stillness

that knows...

If you watched my last YT video,

then you know that I collaged and decollaged both pages

with a newsprint magazine,

to watch the video, 

just scroll down to the last post

I ripped up the pages and glued and tore

them back and you can still see the print below

in the center of the hurricane..

but 

I forgot to mention that I used my torn handmade paper

technique for the body of the hurricane in the center..

the white papers below..

that create the circle...

So...

 what is with all the little butterflies?

Ingredients: Collage and Decollage, acrylic paint, watercolor pencils, handmade papers, paper ephemera, Liquitex paint pens, pencil.

They followed us on our journey..

from our evacuation

and all the way home..

and we felt comforted by so many

tiny messengers of

joy...

xox

My Art Journaling Process -Part 4

Ciao,

dear readers and viewers..

I have the last segment of my series..

My Art Journaling Process

and I am sharing my pages as illustrations 

to my last step in my 3 part process..

My process is, 

Documentation

Listen and Let Go

Pay Attention

By Pay Attention, 

I refer to taking stock of what I have created

and reading a larger story..

something even bigger than what I had originally intended might 

be revealed to me..

the muse speaks in symbol..

and those symbols may magically appear or take on a different format

size or shape..

if you want to see the whole series just use the link on my side bar..

Thanks so much for stopping by..

I am so very grateful..

hope you all have a beautiful weekend..

xo

My Art Journaling Process -Part 2

It took me years...

to put my thoughts on paper..

because...

my Mother read everything..

and no matter what I wrote, it was always

used against me..

So I became an adult who kept it all tight

against my heart..

fortunately..

I had a great therapist...

and even though I am able to now write anything

down..

and I do write it all down..

I document ...

what happens, what doesn't, what I think and feel, I write my dreams and hopes,

and I work out my fears and concerns.. each month..

I obscure the text as a physical process..

a meditative process..

 that focuses 

the energy

and allows the images to be revealed to me..

Join me next week and I will 

share images and inspirations..

Have a beautiful weekend.. 

my gentle viewers..

xo

Art Journaling Article

Sometimes..

When I sit down to journal...

and I begin to write on the page...

I realize that it is all about me...

All About Me, Caterina Giglio, in Somerset Apprentice 2017

and in April 2015..

I just owned that thought..

I decided that since I was writing about all the things

that I was dealing with at the time..

that I would simply embrace that thought...

and found a way

to represent myself...

and illustrate the idea..

that there was no wiggle room..

it was all in black and white..

I am very grateful to

have the opportunity to work 

with everyone at 

Stampington..

They are so lovely to work with..

and again, I am in great company..

I hope you can

pick up a copy to read about how I created this

spread...

Ciao, ciao!!

February Art Journal Pages

February..

is the month that I always take the time

to write a love letter to myself ...

and I wrote 

a very long letter directly on the page..

in pencil

and took time to remember everything

that I have accomplished this year..

much of which cannot be seen with the eye..

Today is the first 

anniversary of my Mother's death..

and while 

I did not expect to grieve as one would..

for a Mother that is close and loving..

since

my Mother was estranged from me for so long...

I guess  I was a bit surprised by how much

work, spiritually I still needed to address... 

there was a dark cloud hanging over me

all year..

and it took a while to see it

and to release the issues.. habits

that I had been taught as a child..

and I think I will be continuing to work through them..

but they are recognized and the first step is being willing

to change, to let go and to walk fearlessly into the future..

A Red Letter Day was always an important day 

highlighted in red on the calendar..

I think it is also a day in which you realize how

much you love yourself...

Ingredients: pencil, acrylic paint, stencils, paper ephemera, mono prints, tissue paper, walnut ink, colored pencil

work continues in the studio

on my new collection..

and this week we are filming mono prints in the studio

for our YouTube channel..

as always I am so grateful to you for your

kind readership..

and comments..

ciao, ciao!