Diva Challenge #358: Pickpocket, or Mistakes

Mistakes. According to Einstein, "Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new." They prevailed in my artistic endeavors this week! A hot mess of mistakes. Trial and error. Attempts gone awry. I used to tell my middle school students, in their moments of frustration, that learning is messy, not pretty or comfortable!
Our Diva challenged us to use Tomas Padros' new tangle "Pickpocket".  My first attempt, not shown, taught me that I need to be focused on the connecting lines that imitate the "telephone" lines Maria describes in Huggins. And then, those pesky triangles, that remind me of the "Play" and "Rewind" buttons on my old tape player, which remind me of how old I am. Can I still learn? Ha! My second attempt saw me focused on direction--under, over, left, right. Not my personal forte, but I did it! My third attempt turned me on my head again, so out came the giant black marker to reclaim the space! My final attempt  s l o w e d  me down, and almost made me snap at my husband when he asked me a question!

Marks-a-Lot to the rescue!

My art journal, where I collect favorite quotes and try to learn how to keep paint and ink from falling off the page, reflected my experience with Pickpocket. If you were here last week, you may recall Michelle Obama's quote: "Just try new things. Don't be afraid. Step out of your comfort zones and soar, all right?" I continued in this vein with a quote from Mary Tyler Moore: "Take chances. Make mistakes. That's how you grow." I had this nice background that I created with watercolors and a straw.

I finished the page with some tangles and the quotes, and then without scanning, went back to work on the previous page. This was a simple page, where I just wanted to play with texture and acrylic. Forgetting to put wax paper behind the page, I spritzed it and finished the page with a quote from Chuck Palahniuk. 

And then I laughed out loud when I turned to the next page and saw the results!

Lesson 1: Don't forget the waxed paper! Stay away from the Gelly Roll! Laugh if you goof!

Finally, two more pages where I seemed to maintain my focus a little better!

"I love those who can smile in trouble, who can gather strength from distress and grow brave by reflection." --Leonard da Vinci

Photo courtesy of Duke Performances and Steve Olivia

Remembering a childhood friend who recently passed away

Thanks for checking in on me! If your week is messy, have a good laugh!