#AtoZChallenge, P is for Pearls

. . . Pearls of wisdom, that is, although I did add a few stick-on pearls to complete today's art journal page. Many of my most-beloved "pearls" come from my favorite books, lines of dialogue, description, often the opening scene. Today's page was inspired by Lawrence Durrell's Alexandria Quartet, the book I blogged about the first time I took the A to Z Challenge in 2014. 

The first book of the quartet, Justine, starts with these evocative lines:

The sea is high again today, with a thrilling flush of wind. In the midst of winter you can feel the inventions of spring. A sky of hot nude pearl until midday, crickets in sheltered places, and now the wind unpacking the great planes, ransacking the great planes. . . . 

I have escaped to this island with a few books and the child -- Melissa's child.

And I'm hooked once more! 

The Alexandria Quartet is one of the few books I re-read again and again. I don't think I will ever stop learning from the language, or discovering new nuances and themes in the text. For today's page I most wanted to capture that pearl of a sky, and as wonky as it might appear (as with all my art journal pages), it does do what I wanted it to do for me: remind me of the book. 

Always keep in mind that in spite of what I'm demonstrating for the challenge--sharing a page a day--art journals are essentially private. They're for you to explore, experiment, and be as fondly sentimental and personal in as you want to be. Never worry about what other people will think of your journal, or how they will judge it. Which is probably a good little pearl of wisdom for yourself: don't judge your journal too harshly, either. 

Now go scribble, play, write your heart out, run with scissors--and take some time to re-read a favorite book!

Tip of the Day: If you're still on the fence about starting an art journal, or looking for some new inspiration, there's nothing better than creating an illustrated commonplace book (the link leads to a post I wrote on the subject you might like to read for more information). People started making commonplace books centuries ago as a way to compile their own small stores of general wisdom, from daily aphorisms to recipes for salves and poultices. Today they make the perfect theme for an art journal. Just like our ancestors did, you can fill your book with inspiring quotes, soap and shampoo recipes, and guidelines to live by. Don't forget to add the pictures!