A peace map

Hi Everybody!

For Art Journal Journey, maps, I have another hybrid page. The background has been painted, dripped and glittered. The beautiful heart map is a free image which you can find here.

I added the text and the 'Shalom', which was cut from the piece of painted tyvek I showed on Friday.

Today was sunny/cloudy/windy, but stayed dry. Tomorrow we have been threatened with heavy rain again. The level of the Rhine has dropped a little, so I'm hoping it will keep going down.

I love this corner of the square by the Basilica:

The farmers were busy mowing the fields and baling the hay.

This always reminds me of my great Auntie Fanny. She once took me on a coach ride to a friend of hers who lived 'in the country'. I was very impatient, and kept asking when we would be out of London and in 'the country'. Then  I asked her how we would recognize 'the country'. She told me it would be green, so I 

answered that parks were green, too. Then she said, 'In the country they have haystacks'.  And sure enough, we saw some haystacks in a field and then we arrived at our destination!

There are always lots of boats chugging up and down the Rhine:

This name means 'With God's help', which is also the motto of Monaco.

And I was always thought Ben Nevis was in Scotland! It is in the Grampian  Mountains, and is the highest peak in Great Britain. I spent some time there when I was at school, taking part in an award challenge from the Duke of Edinburgh. Nice to see the mountain coming to me this time.

Have a great day you all, take care,

and thanks a lot for coming by!

Let's go somewhere....

Hi Everybody!

It's weekend - enjoy!

For Art Journal Journey, maps, I have another hybrid page. The background is a collage of number plates, and the three men are made with stencils cut from a prospect and then cut out of an old map. I  added the sentiment digitally.

This cactus is outdoors on my balcony the whole year, and seems to thrive, as it keeps producing 'add-ons' and even flowering. It started out some years back as one tiny 'finger' in a mini pot:

The water in the Rhine has started to recede, which is good, but we have been told to expect a plague of mosquitoes this year, as the flooded meadows and fields are giving them an ideal breeding ground. :

I love seeing these 'windows' on the old wall:

I walked home over the old fortification walls, which once served, together with the Rhine and the moats, to defend the town, which was virtually an island. Kaiserswerth means 'Emperor's Island':

The horses were grazing in what was once the moat:

I love this quiet path, and always think of all the soldiers and watchmen who used to guard the town way back when.

Have a great weekend you all, take care,

and thanks a lot fo coming by!

Another Friday mixed bag

Hi Everybody!

Where did this week go to? I have the feeling that yesterday was Monday,

although I know it wasn't!

For Art Journal Journey, maps, hosted by Mary Nasser,  and for Paint Party Friday, hosted as always

by Eva and Kristin, I have a journal page - what else? I used some Picasso stencils that I made some time back, and placed them onto a vintage map of Spain (courtesy of Wikipedia)
And in case anyone asks - I am not a fan of bullfights, but of Picasso!

I spent a lot of time this week cleaning and tidying my flat, getting some order into my stash and paints, and generally moving furniture round, and getting things done which were not possible in the last couple of months after the Knee-OP,  so there was not a lot of time for painting. But I did indulge myself in the early morning hours and made some backgrounds, which I can use as journal pages, or chop up and make die-cuts, or whatever takes my fancy....I just had fun squirting on the paint, brayering over the pages, and enjoying the results:

Here I painted a piece of tyvek and then used the heat gun to shrink and bubble it and make a fantastic texture:

 I walk past the castle ruins day by day, and am always fascinated by the thickness of the old walls, and the beautiful rust sculpture from Peter Schwickerath:

Next door is Café Burghof, where they also have a collection of vintage and rusty cars:

Have a great day, take care,

and thanks a lot for coming by!