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It's the same thing every Christmas season: an underlying sense of sadness, gloom, depression in the midst of this 'joyous' season. How many people wander about amidst the trimmings and trappings, 'just not in the Christmas spirit,' merely enduring it all? Aren't we supposed to be feeling 'merry and bright'? Seriously. All this Christmas Cheer seems only to magnify the human condition...the misery, the injustice, the evil of this world.

But it is for all mankind, especially these people, that Christ came into this imperfect world. (And who among us are not one of 'these people'?) And to top it off, we celebrate it at the darkest,  gloomiest time of the year: winter solstice. Ironic, eh? Or maybe not...for didn't Jesus say,

I am the Light of the world;

he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness,

but will have the Light of life.

John 8:12

Linking up with
Texture Tuesday

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I assembled this little collage as part of an assignment in a wonderful online class with Roxanne Evans Stout: The Thread that Weaves. I didn't really have anything in mind when I created it a couple weeks ago...it just sort of happened.

The other day I scanned it so I could play with it in Photoshop, enhancing it with some of Kim's

lovely textures: kk_1216 and serious magic. Also a bit of fun with Kim's new Vines & Lines brush set.

Thank you both, Roxanne and Kim, for sharing so generously the gift of your creative talent!

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Wishing you

Peace & Light

at

Christmas

waiting for salvation

I have waited for Thy salvation O Lord.

Genesis 49:18

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Here's a little mixed media still life I made - an assignment for The Thread That Weaves, an online class I am taking with Roxanne Evans Stout. I am excited to be getting my hands dirty again and playing with all sorts of possibilities. Just can't settle down and stick to one thing I guess.

The theme of my class project is Revelation. Here's what I emailed to Roxanne last week:

Hi Roxanne,

I am absorbing all your videos and images, letting it soak in. Notice I didn't say "hard at work." I have learned to let stuff simmer and percolate and evolve. Took years and sometimes I revert to old ways, but here I am.

I just knew your class would be a catalyst for discovery...and I'm right. There is so much going on inside my mind, heart, and soul. A bit of Artistic ADD in me LOL. So beware! Might be a bit of real ADD says my dr.
I don't think or act linearly but often in a web of tangents. :)

My theme is Revelation...in the Catholic, biblical sense...we're at the end/beginning of the liturgical calendar year at this late autumn/early winter season. It always feels a certain way this time of year.

I've collected some revelation quotes and passages that speak to me and periodically review them. I'm not very eloquent.

I've built my base book and am having fun compiling a still life collection of stuff to photograph. Love doing this...makes me be patient and persistent.

Studying wabi sabi lately...it has long attracted me, but for years I have done controlled stuff...mainly quilt and embroidery. Dropped that long held passion about 10 yrs ago, burnt out designing and teaching. Rediscovering my love for stitchery, but can't go back to the way I was. Life has changed me I guess. It's all good.

Creating in fits and starts, early mornings before work. The time limitation due to returning to work full time after years at home with kids is really good for me.

Pinterest has been a great way to collect my thoughts and dreams.

***

So I started with these berries,

which I photographed and collected awhile back.

I found one sprig that appeared heart-shaped to me

(a Sacred Heart icon maybe?).

I grabbed a seasonal page from this old devotional

and layered it with some lace

and a scrap of cardboard

onto this old movie tin lid

and a china saucer (resembles a Eucharistic host?)

I'm liking the circle imagery...Alpha and Omega

and set it all up for photography.

Here's the original photo...

...which I edited in Lightroom,

including one of Kim's LR presets: kk_likeadream.

Then into Photoshop

for some texture play:

(note the unused/invisible clone layer - I experimented with

'enhancing' the heart-shape by filling in with cloned berries,

but realized I was being over-controlling...not in keeping with

my new-found passion for Wabi Sabi-ness).

I was planning to use the image in my little book, which is the class project, but it would need to be quite small - too small to see the details. So here it sits in my studio, unsure of its fate.

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Linking up with

Texture Tuesday

Vintage Fest