Playtime! Gesso and snowflakes

Don't you just love it when you are working on a project that makes you jump out of bed to finish the last steps so you can see the end result? This is definitely one of those. My friend K- over at "running on ink" participated in a challenge and after reading all details I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get messy and play with gesso, scissors and paper.

Michelle Ward of Green Pepper Press Street Team hosts monthly challenges and provides wonderful information on the topic. This month's topic is Braving the Elements.

Below are two sheets I created with layers of gesso, handcut snowflakes used as masks and finally some smaller snowflakes stamped with gesso. These small flakes are my favorite part. I left the sheets dry overnight so the thicker gesso edges would be completely dry prior to a light sanding. I like the adds texture and contrast of the gesso used in this manner. I enjoyed trying Michelle's various brushing and monoprint techniques and look forward to trying some more. The blog also provides several complementary ideas from previous challenges.

Since this is my first challenge at this site I was not sure I wanted to start a journal so I considered alternatives to use this background. I thought about the challenge title "Braving the Elements" and then it came to me. Here winter brings many months of cold frigid weather so much so that one learns to prepare and to adapt in order that life can continue as routinely as possible. For instance last weekend when temperatures were 32 degrees below zero I didn't give a thought to stopping for fast food when running errands. I relaxed for a few moments in the car while eating and I watched a raven close by. Ravens are big time scavengers and in winter often tear open trash bags in the back of trucks in search of a few food morsels. As I saw that raven braving the elements, I shared my fries. Today I pulled out my large raven stamp and sat him on a snowpile as he was on that day. Here is a plain stamped image with my raven stamp. Stamped on the gesso backgrounds you will see the gesso behind the raven acts as a resist and didn't allow the ink to cover as the plain stamped image the gesso pattern becomes a part of the raven. What a serendipity to find each raven has its own style. Thanks K- and Michelle for tons of fun!