New Age A-Z: StencilGirl Art Journal Collaboration

Back in December 2019, artist Tina Walker posted an idea for a group project: an art journal using the alphabet. Each person would choose their own theme and the only real rule was that we use StencilGirl® products along with our other art materials. At first I was baffled about what theme to choose, but the light bulb went off in my brain as I realized that it was the perfect way to synthesize all of my years of reading about, and practicing, alternative healing and energy concepts.

My interest in things alternative started over 25 years ago. I had suffered from debilitating panic disorder--I was more than stressed or occasionally nervous. It was like the feeling of losing your child in a crowded store, or the panic when a plane is in a storm's turbulence. The fear didn't peak then subside--it peaked and stayed and stayed and stayed for hours.

I had to stop working. I could barely eat. I spent days in bed, in the dark, medicated and groggy. I missed my seven-year-old daughter's summer theater production because I simply couldn't leave the house. Fear of extreme heat was a trigger, so I had a some agoraphobia. I had the air conditioning so high my family was shivering, but freezing was the only way to stay calm. I discovered--as I bravely drove through the Midtown Tunnel one summer afternoon--that pharmaceutical medications for panic disorder didn't work. They also had side-effects I couldn't live with. After reading an article on reiki, I went for treatments, which led to rediscovering myself as an artist and practicing, in addition to reiki, xi gong and meditation.

The block in a circle is the Antahkarana healing energy symbol done in fabrics. The surrounding Japanese symbols are from a stencil designed by Jill McDowell.

A friend mentioned the book "Indigo Children" to me, and that further sparked my interest in New Age concepts. That interest continued over the years, and I found books by Lee Carroll and Monika Muranyi fascinating.

This Indigo Child illustration uses a stencil by Judy Wise.

I decided to call my book "New Age A-Z." I combined concepts from different New Age paths. Some of the pages are general, and others, like the X page, deeply personal. For X, I chose Xanthic, meaning yellowish, because during one of my first reiki treatments, my reiki master asked what was my favorite color. I replied "yellow" so she said "go home and paint yellow." That simple idea led me down the artistic path that I am now on. It gave me permission to be me, rather than try to paint what other people considered the right colors, subjects or styles. I had shied away from using straight out of the tube colors, such as yellow, for fear of being considered unsophisticated and artistically immature.

Shades of yellow, my favorite color, and a tapestry stencil make up this special page.

I started my A-Z New Age journal by making my own journal from 140 pound watercolor paper. I hand-stitched the binding and constructed a book with 6" x 9" pages, and the cover slightly larger. The cover background is made from recycled teabags, with a white tapestry stencil over the teabags, and a golden angel figure on top. It is accented with some gorgeous lace, and the tie closure has some of my own handmade tyvek beads.

On each top corner, I stenciled the letter of the alphabet for that page using an art deco alphabet stencil designed by Gwen Lafluer. Rather than working methodically from A-Z, I worked on each page as inspiration struck.

Some letters were easy, like A for angels or E for earth. Some were challenging, like X for xanthic, and Y for Yawee, an ancient name for a doctor who is pioneering studies in energy healing and macro-entanglement.

Here's a few of my favorite pages. Some are bold and simple, some are muted and subtle, some have notes written on them explaining my ideas and thoughts.

A golden rooted, blooming flower grows out of the Earth

Gaia, or Mother Earth, with a crown of leaves

The background of a geometric Earth-shaped stencil was overprinted with leaf and thistle stamps for a very organic look.

Freehand circles, spirals and joyful shapes were overprinted with a favorite shape--the paisley. A loosely painted flower adds to the joyful feel.

A feminine, pink and gold portrait represent Mrs. Takata, who brought reiki to the Western hemisphere.

A favorite stencil, Lacy Lotus, done in pink and white forms the background for the bold, loose flower, and vibrates with positive female energy.

Here's my video of the whole book.