ARTFUL JOURNEYS - WEEK #12 "SPRING"

THIS WEEK'S PROMPT:  Represent "Spring" without using any flowers. This one is designed to make you think outside the box. 

Spring has officially arrived and for many of you still covered in snow and ice, we know it cannot come soon enough!  Here in north Texas, early signs of spring are popping out all over. A brief drive around my neighborhood and around the lake finds Jonquils, Daffodils and Lilacs in bloom. The Bradford Pears and Wild Sand Plums are showing a profusion of wispy white blooms.  The song birds are arriving and delighting me with each flutter of the wing and hop in the lawn, searching for those little creepy crawlies they love so much.  I love spring.  Spring rains (that we need so desperately), the emergence of the leaves, the flowers, the awakening of the earth, shaking off the last vestige of old man winter.  The world seems to come alive again after cold, dark and dreary days.  Spring in north Texas can be wild, too. It is not uncommon for us to have heavy storms, tornadoes and hail stones as big as soft balls.  But we're not going to think about that now.  Now, we are just grateful for the rain and the emergence of soft, natural beauty back to the land.

Spring is a time of rebirth and renewal and this was my inspiration for my spread this week.

Supplies Used:

Canson 9"x12" mixed media journal
DIY Texture paste, tinted green
Dylusions Blendable Acrylic in Lime Green & Cut Grass
Apple Barrel craft acrylics in Crisp Green and Parakeet
Plaid fern stencil
Magazine images from vintage Texas Highways Magazines
Black china marker

My background actually started as a page where I was using up paint that was on the stencil from creating a mail art project.  I certainly didn't want to waste it!   I really rather like this fern stencil so decided to tint up some DIY Texture paste I made with paint and added some more leaves here and there.

I went through about 15 old Texas Highways Magazines and found images that represented spring to me and cut out the letters S*P*R*I*N*G from those images.  And each of these images is from a specific geographical area of the great Lone Star state:

S- is a beautiful spring vista in the Pecos region of southwest Texas
P -is a recently emerged Mayfly from Athens, Texas, about an hour east of my home
R- is a bicyclist taking a leisurely evening ride through the beautiful Barton Springs area near Austin
I- is one of the mighty oak trees from the Austin, Texas area
N- is a creek in deep east Texas near Toledo Bend with gorgeous cypress trees
G-is a beautiful sunrise over the Gulf of Mexico just out of Galveston Bay

The "dot" over the "I" is a bird from a wildlife management sanctuary near Athens, Texas
and the butterfly is one emerged from the gorgeous Butterfly Gardens at Fair Park in Dallas.

I love being a Texan, and spring in Texas is always filled with a profusion of colorful plants, trees and flowers.  When we have a good rainy spring, the fields and highways will be filled with beautiful red clover, our famous Bluebonnets, and fiery Indian Paintbrushes.  As we heat up, the Johnny Jump Ups and wild sunflowers will appear and everyone's gardens will be awash in a sea of color.  From the dusty hills and cliffs down in the Big Bend Country to the lush gardens of deep east Texas.  We have a wild, wonderful and colorful state, and spring is glorious here.

C'mon down and visit us sometime.  You'll love it.

Thanks for stopping by for a little visit.  I hope I have inspired you with my take on our prompt this week and I will anxiously wait to see what beautiful spread you put in your journal this week to signal the arrival of spring.

Hugs,
Betty aka Arty Auntie