Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Being Me - Weeks 8 and 9

Week 8 of Being Me occurred while I was on vacation at the shore. So needless to say, I'm playing catch up.  The theme for week eight was finding solitude.  The theme for week nine was reflection.  And to me, these two go hand in hand, I use solitude as a time to reflect, gather my thoughts, recharge, and start anew. So I found a lot of overlap in the two layouts I created for these themes:

Week 8 - Solitude:

This page started with a photo of sunrise at the shore that I printed at roughly 10x7 on regular copy paper. I laid the photo in place and painted a background around the space that the photo would occupy. Then I adhered the photo down and went to work trying to blend the photograph into the background. Obviously, I couldn't get a true mix of all the colors in the photo, nor am I able to paint quite as well as I photograph, but I was happy enough with the results.

The quotes read:  "Solitude is not a way of running away from life ... from our feelings. On the contrary, this is the time we sort them out, air them, get over them, and go on without the burden of yesterday." Joan Chittister  and "Solitude is aloneness you choose and embrace. Great things can come out of solitude, out of going to a place where all is quiet except the beating of your heart."  Jeanne Marie Laskas

Week 9 - Reflect:
For this one I first painted a background of sand, sea, and sky. And added bits of stamping and texture. I printed off two 4x6 photos on actual photo paper and fit them into  background I'd made. Both photos I chose have reflections in the water, so symbolic of the week's theme. I had to trim down the one on the right hand side to fit. Then I went back with paint and blended the photos in a bit with the background.  The quote reads "Women need real moments of solitude and self-reflection to balance out how much of ourselves we give away." Barbara De Angelis  

While I'm happy with both pages, this second one is brighter and just feels more like me.


9 comments:

Deb @ PaperTurtle said...

I think you did a great job in blending the photo into the entire page. It's a really cool look, Cheri, and I love the quotes you chose to go with the artwork!

scrappyjacky said...

I just love the second page....the colours...the beach...the way the photos seem to seamlessly melt in....and, of course, the actual quite.

Melissa said...

Wow, I love the way your photos blend right in with the painted page - great job!!!

Amy said...

Wow Cheri - these are both stunning and such a clever use of a photo ... I love the colours in both!

Maria Ontiveros said...

These are both beautiful. I'm looking forward to a little reflection time at the end of September when I take Henry to Oregon. He'll be practicing with the soccer team, and I'll be doing some photography and reflection.
Rinda

Missus Wookie said...

Both of these are gorgeous, extending the photo is always a cool look. Like the quotes too - I'm planning on looking up the Joan Chitticher book.

Sian said...

both beautiful pages, which struck a chord with me today as I'm at that point in the school holidays when I feel like I'll never have another moments peace and quiet again!

Carola Bartz said...

Beautiful! I love how you blended the colors of the photo with your background and I think you did a really good job. Very beautiful pages, both of them!

alexa said...

How cleverly and skilfully this is done! Both pages are lovely to look at, and really hold the eye. I really like both your quotes, especially perhaps your second one.