When Rachael Rice created this hand with an eye and healing symbols. I wanted to do something different, something that would have meaning for me. Following the shining sun, soaring with the crows as they float on the thermals created by that sun has a lot of meaning to me. The sun is the most healing thing I know. My aches and pains feel so much better and I love the warmth it gives me and it lights up my world. My hand has a stylized sun and soaring crows with three more crows in my sky. If you look closely you can see the bumps of my arthritis and the way my fingers are slightly bending from the bumps. The sun’s heat is making the hands feel so much better so I can continue with my art.

I love how the background on this piece glows. I was never a fan of neon paints until this course. I always saw them as jarring but used along with regular acrylics they can create a glowing page. Flora makes it all look so simple and I had a great time doing these pages. I did however have to paint over my dull and greyed backgrounds and start again. I’m glad I did. Simply sitting and wondering what I can use to stamp another design with was tremendous fun and freeing. This is an exercise I want to do again and again.

This pair of ATCs was created for the Life Book 2015 swap that was set up in June. Unfortunately the person who was picked to swap with me has not answered me back although I have emailed her more than once. Here they sit and if I do not hear from her by the end of July I will send them to somebody as a swap. To me being brave is having the courage to follow the sun which shines upon us with it’s bounty, warming us and helping us grow. When we stay in the shade of our lives we begin to face inward and stop reaching. We have to spread our arms and reach out to grow.