Art Journal: Gratitude - for me - it's every day.

Howdy! It's almost 80 degrees here at the ranch today... love it!!

Today I because I wanted to be supportive of a creative challenge given by Tracy Weinzapfel. She wears a lot of hats but you might know her best through DecoArt or from her LIVE broadcasts painting artwork on her Mixed Media Mondays. 

She said: I challenge you to take your thoughts of thanks to your safe place whether that be a canvas, art journal, or a wall! I would love to see what you come up with. 

Over the years, I have developed into a very thankful person. Life has not been easy for our family and one thing for sure... we never take anything for granted. I am just so thankful for even the smallest of blessings.

 I was thinking about Tracy's challenge... and my heart just felt full - like thankfulness/gratitude was just clinging to it.  As a result, I came up with the gratitude sentiment. 

Then I thought it perhaps didn't make any sense... leaves drop off vines and we wouldn't want gratitude to just go away!!! However, I realized that every day I am grateful for different things so if one of my leaves of gratitude dropped off - it would quickly be replaced with another - perhaps the same or maybe a bit different 'color'! 

I wanted my painting to be colorful and the vines unique. After using gesso on my pages, I began by misting DecoArt Media Misters onto my journal pages. 

I used:

Yellow Shimmer Mister

Orange Mister

Purple Mister

White Shimmer Mister

I added DecoArt Media Crackle Paste with the Tracy Moreau DecoArt Americana Classic Stencil Jacobean Floral.

For the vines... I just "had" to use some shimmer and chose DecoArt Metallic Lustre in several colors. 

Lavish Green

Radiant Red

Orange Flicker

Copper Kettle

Polished Coral

It just looked like it needed a fence so I drew it in with a ruler and a Faber-Castell Black Pitt Pen. Then highlighted the edges with DecoArt Metallic Lustre Silver Spark.

The tiny vines were done with:

Elegant Emerald, Black Shimmer and DecoArt Media Green Gold using my Dynasty Liner Brush.

I printed my sentiment the size needed, traced it with DecoArt Graphite Paper and then painted it by hand with my Dynasty Liner Brush In DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics Dioxazine Purple.

I'm thankful for dragonflies (more than butterflies) so added one using Misti, StazOn and a Stampendous Cling Dragonfly stamp.

Here and there...I used some DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics: Green Gold, Translucent White, Paynes Grey, Carbon Black.

A few close-ups:

As 2017 begins... I am thankful and filled to overflowing with gratitude.  Of course, I am thankful for all my family and my dear sweet hubby of almost 45 years.  I am thankful to live on our ranch, for our ranch staff and for our friends.

And I am thankful that I can paint...and for all of YOU - my artsy buddies - who inspire me each and every day to be more than I ever thought I could be. 

I am thankful for my DecoArt, for my DecoArt Media International DT friends and for Tracy and others who has motivated me to create, to laugh, dare to dream, and to BELIEVE that my art is 'good' enough to share! 

Gratitude clings to my heart abundantly. 

Hugs. j. 

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