Will They Remember Me in 100 Years?

Journal Page, February 13, 2016

A few weekends ago I purchased something I swore I never would: somebody else's paper. A big, fat, gorgeous 12"x12" pad of delicious India-inspired thick paper. Since much of my career was spent as a textile designer, I shied away from purchasing commercial paper, preferring to either print my own designs or paint the paper myself.

I decided not to save the pad of paper, tuck it in a closet, forget I have it, and find it a year from now. Or two years. So, I have been making a lot of small mixed media items with it. The leftover torn and cut pieces became this page. The center figure is not anyone I am related to, nor anyone famous as far as I know. It got me wondering who she was, and also what would become of my own photos. Will someone pick up an album 100 years from now and wonder about me, or my child, or my husband?

It also made me wonder about past lives. Was I a Gibson Girl like her? I have an affinity for clothing of the turn of the century, and a feeling of belonging in old New York, a feeling that I may have been around for the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. I get panic attacks from extreme heat, which kind of makes me wonder why.

Journal Page, February 7, 2016

Here is the journal page I made last weekend, using earth tones and sepia shades...kind of a different palate for me, but one I do love. Part of the journaling process is pushing through and doing something that might be uncomfortable, and learning to live with mistakes.

The page was really pretty before I added the stamps and writing, but once they were there, there was no turning back since I used ink that was NOT water based. The stamp color wasn't quite right for the background, and the shapes were all wrong--too bold for the subtleness of the background. The beauty of journaling is that it doesn't matter since I am not selling it or submitting it for publication.

The olive green strip at the bottom is a soy batik I made years ago. the map-like card in the top middle was a gift from another artist, as was the stamp and small tag. The swirly and cross shaped stamps were hand carved a few years ago onto an art gum eraser.

Here are the two journal pages side by side...I kind of like the way they look together. The contrast of the soft greens and soft pinks hint at spring.