In the Blink of an Eye - A Guest Artist Post for RubberMoon Arts Blog

Knowing . . .  a profound, deep knowing continually flows through me. It is not easy to define or explain yet it is there, as sure as my next blink. A knowing so intense that the mere thought of you made it nearly impossible for me to catch my breath.

Yes, I was a dreamer, or as you so finely said,  ‘A weaver of impossible possibilities and what if’s’. You saw the dreamer in me and begged me to give myself to you. Trusting you, I took a chance and shared my deepest secrets. You devoured them, as you did me, and we melted into a dream-filled boat that carried us over challenging seas.

Ever so gingerly, we cultivated deep love, understanding and respect as we tended to and nurtured our rose-colored garden. Time passed and we continued living our respective lives, mastering our craft, choosing other lovers, yet always knowing there was an unspoken bond calling us back together again.

I awoke years later to find I had blinked and you were gone. But wait! I was the dreamer and you were my dream. Many summers and winters came, ships passed, and still I dreaded the night, refusing to allow myself the luxury to dream again.

Then one recent morning I awoke to find that as I blinked the sleep away, I noticed my wounds had healed and the beautiful rose-colored garden, once parched and forgotten, is bursting with new impossible possibilities and  ‘what if’s’.

I am a dreamer and you were once my dream.

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This is a mixed media collage based on the RubberMoon stamp #417 (Dreamer) which reads: “When I was a dreamer and you were my dream”. The moment I saw that stamp, I instantly knew what to do with it. It pulled together all the words that had been wandering around in my head for so long and this piece came together easily.

My hope is that this collage theme is universal and you can relate to the quote whether it resonates as a lost love, a new-found joy, or a deep knowing and understanding that you are on the right path.

In addition to the RubberMoon stamp, I used:

Liquitex acrylic paints, 

Ranger acid-free pearl mica powders, 

Derwent Inktense watercolor chalk blocks, 

Archival India ink, 

handmade paper, a photography print and torn up letters to create this collage.

You can check out more of my stories and other artist’s stories on my blog at Artists Tell Their Stories. Thanks for reading my post today.

Blessings and may all your dreams be fulfilled!

Brenda

What If We Believe...

My 24-year old daughter and I recently had an art “play date” and we both decided to make something we hadn’t done before. She created a cool mixed-media collage which she's still working on. I am fascinated with all of the different styles of hand-lettering and haven't really tried to do any so I pulled out some RubberMoon stamps and started doodling.

I have been quite bothered by all of the escalating gun violence here in America and this is what came from a few minutes of us discussing how to live more peaceful lives.

Here’s to spreading more love and peace!

(What if we all just worked for peace? What if we strive for spreading love to everyone we meet? Believe in the power of your intuition to guide you through today.)

I used these RubberMoon stamps:

KP 5129 (flower stems)

KP 5132 (string of circles)

KP 5084 (3 circles)

KP 5009f (moon face)

and I used Crayola markers!

Please also visit rubbermoonarts.blogspot.com to see more of my work and the work of the RubberMoon Creative Design Team.

Enjoy your day!

Brenda Smoak

Journaling with Exceptional Students

February found me heading south to work in two schools for the month. At one school, for profoundly disabled students, I created journals to prepare 125 students for an upcoming field trip to see a very special play about Junie B. Jones and her "Very Own Personal Beeswax Journal".

These students are quite exceptional and the courage and perseverance they possess on a daily basis never ceases to humble me. It is my second visit there and each time I come away feeling blessed to have shared a part of their day.

That said, I want to share the journal with you. Since these journals are designed for a specific audience, I kept them crisp and clean and left out my usual collage layering. Instead, I used white card stock and my favorite RubberMoon stamps to create 6 inch by 6 inch journals.

I spent a week at the school, walking the students through each page and discussing the upcoming field trip so they will know what to expect. Each student received their own personal journal and they embellished them with colorful markers and pencils. Below is my journal along with pictures of their work. I think they all had a good time and are quite excited to go to the performance!

The RubberMoon stamps I used, shown above, can be found on their site, http://www.rubbermoon.com, if you're interested in purchasing any of them.

They are:
(a) Messages from the Center of the Universe - JC750h,
(b) Zen Garden - kp5129,
(c) New Moon - kp5009f,
(d) Girl with Star String - kp2913i,
(e) Corner Sun - mk679h,
(f) Checkerboard - m2770g, and
(g) Art Set - mk9199f.

Hope you're snugged up safely inside from this cold blustery winter snow and ice! Thank you for taking the time to read my post!

For more information about my work in schools, please visit my website at http://www.artandalchemy2.com and friend me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brenda.smoak.

Please also visit my blog here on Blogger at: http://artiststelltheirstories.blogspot.com,

Warm Blessings,
Brenda

Happy New Year Everyone!

Made this little bit of happiness to celebrate a fresh start and a new year! May this coming year bring you the best of love, health, happiness, wealth and abundance, in all of its glorious forms!

I used RubberMoon's stamps and Inchie's card to make this piece. If you're interested in finding the stamps at RubberMoon, the #'s are: db412 for Sprinkle, kp5084 for the 3 circle rings and mk180 for the stardust effect.

Spread light and love this year!