day in the park (a project)

A focused look. 

Looking through piles of sketches from my NYC artist date, I can't help but shake my head. I am laughing at myself -- how my creative eye shares liberally "where I am" in life. All of my little-girl excitement, a hunger for color and the wonderment of "all things new" were definitely in the pile.  Also the conversations I was having with myself and my inner-wrestlings with God are played out in what my eyes saw and my fingers sketched.  

Seriously, I am such an open book!  

And this is honestly and prayerfully what I want for you too!

(So as I explain this funny picture, I hope you will see where your inner-focus, your art-heart, leads you)

Let's talk about focused seeing~ 

Here is the day, the time, and the place of my sketching:  Central Park in the heart of NYC and I am at busy pathway that overlooks the Great Lawn.  If you have been here in the summer you know the amount of people that pour into the park on a Saturday afternoon, it is packed and it is hot! 

Looking at this photo above, I can see the many things that would make lovely sketches (I penciled in a few). There were literally hundreds of interesting sketches ideas.  I worked like crazy -- documenting everything I saw.  However when I came back to wanting to work a sketch into my art journal, I chose the "girl with the dress".  

Look at the simplistic roughness of these sketches -- just capturing quick lines and movement. Not judging anything. I was letting my inner critic take a nap and letting my fingers practice moving quickly.  

It was so fun!  

The photo was taken after I hurriedly sketched when I realized I may need a reference for my scattered memories.  Always a good idea! 

    

We take in so much information everyday and it is fascinating what we choose to keep and use.  Why did I choose to sketch what I did?  

Well...it was me, it is me. 

I see my endless fascination with nature, children, feet and knees (lol!), lovely dresses and hats, and furry/flitting creatures. I also see a mix of who I was and who I am becoming~

And, if you and I sit on the same bench together, we would see and experience the same things, but our artist eyes and hearts would collect many different images.  Isn't that a beautiful thing to consider?   

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A Day in the Park Video~
(If you want to see it larger, just click on the little arrows on the bottom right.  The resolution isn't as high on this video, so it looks better if you keep it smaller.)

(it is a 30 minute long project)

I used the August kit and products from Christy's shop ~ Scarlet Lime.   

So...let's be brave~  

Remember you are loved and you are being supported and helped in your art-life, 

it is such a healing and growing place to be.  Let's keep at it together? 

I am so excited to see what your heart's focus will be this week~

in His gesso,

jj

*** A special note!!! Please take care of your art journal pages after you are finished.  I always use waxed paper between my pages if I know I will be storing my book and I rub a nice layer of wax from a candle over my mixed medium pages when they are dry, they don't stick to your next artistic project this way!!!