layering, layering, layering & MESS

my favorite thing about collaborative journals is the building up of layers. you can, of course, do this on your own, without another person, but there is less surprise involved--less challenge when you're playing art with yourself. it's like visual chess, almost, except one person doesn't beat the other person--you just strive for a kind of aesthetic resonance.





i started using some tape and sewing together, and i was struck by the way the laters of gesso and watercolor have built up with one another on this spiral binding. i also accidentally ripped the bottom of the page when i was sewing, so i had to make a little makeshift repair to keep the page from wobbling too much. the thread was later stained with watercolor as i painted other areas of the back page. mmm. in this case, messy is good!



and then came the orange. you may remember that maralena did some fabulously orange and gold pages with acrylic. i edged them with black tape, then took down the orange with gesso, leaving it showing in places where i scraped or dabbed through. i edged in orange watercolor, kicking up the vibrancy. i might go in with a drawing, but i haven't decided yet...

next up? a skinny girl with a scarf...