Phoenix Rising

I would like to share with you an art journal page I created in my 5" x 16" Moleskin journal, using the beautiful digital phoenix image from Susanas Custom Art and Card Design. 

There was so much detail and power in this phoenix, I loved how regal he is, so it seemed only appropriate to paint him in silver and gold lumiere paint. I didn`t capture the real life shine in the pic above because I wanted you to see all of the detail, but the phoenix was so smooth and shiny, he positively glows :

Once I had painted him, I filled in the non-phoenix areas with a regal blue india ink pen, then fussy cut the image.  The blue added to the feeling of warmth, the heat coming off the bird in flight.

The background was done with black gesso and perfect pearls. I didn`t want the background to be too detailed to detract from the phoenix, but I wanted it to feel magical and glow. Perfect pearls certainly helped me achieve that affect. I made a sheet of paper with the same ingredients as for the phoenix so that I could die cut the word `Rebirth. I love the whole idea of being reborn, or reinventing oneself, it is relevant in so many peoples lives at one time or another. The symbol of this 'rebirth' for me is the phoenix. A mythical bird, a thing of beauty :

The poetry on the right side of the journal page is beautiful and very inspirational :

`A bridge of silver wings stretches from the dead ashes of an unforgiving
nightmareto the jeweled vision of life started anew`. 

Aberjhani, Journey through the power of the Rainbow.

I am actually very fussy about what goes into my art journal. I do not do pages on a whim, it always comes from a deep place, with a lot of significance for me. To me this page is about returning from another place, a dark place and rediscovering life and all its beauty.

Thank you for visiting x