Robin's Egg Blue

A few weeks ago I was out geocaching and came across a robin's nest with 3 perfect blue eggs.   I was immediately reminded of the quote from one of my favorite little books "The Rabbit Box" by Joseph Pintauro and Norman Laliberte and knew this would be the prompt for my second blue-themed journal page.
"Robins, how can you tell the difference between your eggs and the sky?"  Something to wonder about.

Small Journals

Petite and portable, this small journal is perfect for travel and carrying in a bag for making notes and quick sketches.   

The small format also allows me to use some of the papers left over from larger projects.

I like the way the "Bottle Cap Button" looks oversized in this proportion.......

Here is your art challenge:  Get out the lovely papers and materials that you have saved from other projects and make something wonderful.

The Blues

The theme is "Blue" and this was the first idea that came to mind.  One of the things I enjoy about our art exchange is that we are free to interpret the decided-upon themes in any way we choose.
Billie Holiday (1915-1959) was one of the most notable blues and jazz singers of the 1930s and 40s.
You can read her biography and see the timeline of her life here.
For this image, I started with a plain black and white photograph and added the color variations and graphic designs in photoshop.   Below is the original photo.....

Sometimes it's fun to take a stock photo and experiment with color variations, filters and use different brushes to create layers of texture and interest.   Just remember to save a copy of your original in case you want to start over or use it again.

Dreams

Here is another visual journal page using red as a dominant color.   I have used images from a vintage field book about fish.... they have also appeared in many of my past works.     I like the way fish imply fluid movement and the ability to swim through a setting.
Go Confidently in the Direction of Your Dreams.

Theme Red

This month's art exchange is all about red.   My instincts were to explore the theme in relation to antique anatomy illustrations. The psychological influence of color creates a surreal and somewhat menacing picture.  
I have been influenced here by the works of collage artist Hope Kroll who often evokes intriguing and disturbing results through juxtaposition of images.
Choose a color.... any color.... and play.  Don't be alarmed if the results are a bit unsettling.  We all have nightmares.