Leftovers.  I hated them as a kid.  Especially when my parents would mix everything all together to make dinner.  Now, I love leftovers. Not the kind you eat, but the artful kind in the studio.  The kind of leftovers that make me try something that I hadn’t thought about before, like the neon with the darker teal of my encaustic paper in these mixed media cards.

The leftovers:

• Book text that I experimented on during my first time giving encaustic a try that had a heart cut out of it
• Lime green ribbon that has been floating around my studio for what feels like years
• Neon yellow paint and stencil play (Tossed Blossoms)  with colored pencil scribble journaling on deli paper

 The cards they became:

Die cut letters with colored pencil scribbling all over it finished up each card.

While art journaling, this scar wasn’t a mistake, it was an Oops (Outstanding Opportunity Presenting Suddenly). And it had a very strong message for me.

Scars aren’t always seen but every person has them.  Maybe they shouldn’t be hidden but shared instead.  Maybe they aren’t something “ugly” but a reminder of the journey.

Random stenciling with my Verbage stencil created a foundation of action, words that are all about taking charge of your world, your life, your future.  The edges have a touch of Distress stain.

Using up leftover paints to add some paint here and there.  Absolutely no plan here and it shows in how randomly paints are placed.

Decided to add a woman to the page.  That’s when  then came the Oops.

The stencil stuck to the damp paint and created a tear in her forehead when I lifted it up.  Is she disfigured? Not in any way!  She was sharing the message she had for me.

I muted down the paints in the background bit with some white paint while I listened for her message.  Once I had that message, I knew what word to stencil with the Vintage Typewriter Alphabet.

She has a scar. Front and center on her forehead.  And she is proud of that scar. That is a scar she earned standing up for what she believed in, for what was right.  It wasn’t easy but it is a reminder of her strength.  A reminder of the battle she won.

As her story and message became clear in my mind, I scribble journaled out my thoughts with a fine liner filled with paint.

By the time I finished this art journal page, I had a new respect for scars- both in myself and in others.  Once again, my life is fuller and gentler because of art.

Supplies Used

• Verbage stencil
• Vintage Typewriter Alphabet
• Talaya stencil
• Distress stains
• Fine Line Applicator and High Flow White Paint
• Acrylic paints