Woman Flower

The Archaeology of Self Series

Another round of the Archaeology of Self series where I document some of the journals and art that I was reunited with when we returned to Canada. Thes next two journals explore the Woman Flower archetype, a metaphore I have use a lot and still use today.

This includes using real petals which is something I enjoy very much. I may not paint flowers so they don’t die like Frida did, but do love to I press them and add them to my spreads.

I filled this journals with song lyrics, half-formed thoughts, bits of poetry and all manner of drawings of bones and anatomy. As mentioned, these are elements that are still a big part of my art today. I also used calendar pages and scrapbooking paper for the base pages.

The next journal also takes up similar themes. I believe it was for Get Messy’s Season of Nature. I used an art joural bound by a friend who had given it to me years before. I absolutely love that cover!

In it you can see a lot of the things that I saill work with: theme or archetypes, florals as blessings, bones as metaphors for how strong we are, appreciating things around us and…noticing.

And cats…don’t forget cats! I liked revisiting the seasons within these pages and playing with texture and different materials.

I had forgotten all about this little journal but how I loved getting lost in its pages again. This is what has been so revealing about this series: the joy of re-finding one’s self and recognising ourselves!