Through journaling I have found another portal to self discovery.
I am using art making as the medium to evoke memories of my own and unlock memories stored in my DNA because there are family members no longer on this Earth who's stories remain a mystery, as there was much they would not speak of while here. They are survivors of WWII.
My Grandparents had the courage to travel with a small child (who later became my Mother) across Europe, from The Czech Republic to Italy to board a ship bound for a foreign country (Australia) in the hopes of creating a new life.
They, along with many others, managed against all hardship to do exactly that. I am eternally grateful for the courage and faith they had in their ability and future, assuring mine.
This spread is a way for me to connect more fully to their journey. I am surprised by the depth of emotion I have felt using this process of art journaling.
The act of collaging old photographs, building and excavating layers of paint, pastel, ink and graphite, mirror the emotional digging, revealing and concealing so much more than I anticipated. It is a truly rewarding process and one that I will use as a means of expression, alongside of my daily painting practice.
