Striking at Opportunities

Visual  journaling is so freeing!  After years of having a strict schedule and following a mandated curriculum while teaching, it feels great to let go in my art, have no plan and see what emerges!

Opportunities keep emerging since I started my own business, and there have been some very good opportunities that have occurred that I didn’t even imagine!

It is in my hands, and it is up to me to “Strike” and take hold of the opportunities or ignore them and let them go!

I began this visual journal page by gluing pages from Anne of Green Gables in my journal, then gluing in musical notes from an old piano music lesson book.

Next texture was added using watercolour paint, a stencil brush and ribbon, plastic mesh, a cork, and a plastic lid from a hairspray bottle.

Adding watercolour lines and squiggling a long rigger brush for abstract lines and delicious free flowing blooms of watercolour completed the background.

Next came the decision of what to do with the fairly busy and dark background.  I decided to add one of my favourite birds, the Great Horned Owl, with a dip pen and acrylic ink, holding the pen far from the nib to keep my strokes loose and free, resisting temptation to add a lot of details!

Next, adding words of advice.  Today I received a message with a business opportunity as I was creating this page, so I thought about what an owl would do if its prey were nearby... it would strike at it and not delay.  The opportunity will lead to some interesting adventures...  I have been thinking about taking some training and mentioned it last week, and voila, the opportunity involves that training and some new possible collaboration!  I used an old labeler.

Finally, some paint splattering here and there, a few black stripes, a signature and date and ta da...