So I was perusing the recent issue of Somerset Studio, a paper crafting and mixed media magazine, and learned that their next issue was going to be focusing on Literary Moments. Basically, they wanted artists to be inspired by moments in great pieces of literature and create something that reflected that moment. I was sooooo excited when I read that. It seemed like the perfect theme for Celio Designs.
I have always wanted to submit a journal to a magazine but to be honest all those nagging doubts have always raised their ugly head and held me back. Literary moments was just the theme I needed to give me that extra push. I knew that getting published would be nice but it was more important to make the submission. I didn't worry about the end result so much. If it didn't get published this time I could always improve and try again...and of course you will never get published if you don't actually take the chance. So, pushing those fears down I decided, with book board, paper, and gesso in hand, to dive right in and take a leap of faith. 
On a high of excitement, inspiration, and courage I made not only one but two journals to submit. The first was a no brainer for me. I simply chose my favorite book, Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte and immersed myself in her beautiful, haunting, and dark world. For the moment, I chose the scene after Catherine's death where a tormented Heathcliff is crying out for his beloved to haunt him. I worked with watercolor crayons, embossing powder, stamps, acrylic paints, and gesso to create a dark, sad, and wild atmosphere. I also heavily layered the gesso on the front and back to symbolize the moors.
For my second submission I made a mini journal based off of Tennessee Williams A Streetcar Named Desire. I was inspired by the scene in which Mitch forces Blanche under the "naked" light bulb... unmasking her mental and physical fragility. To complete the look I took strips of pretty, feminine paper and ripped and singed them....layering them on top of one another to symbolize Blanche's tattered layers coming undone. I also incorporated a image of a woman with lines running over her face and finally an additional image in which she is forced into the light and finally does crack. I also included a sheet of music to reference the music she is always hearing in the book. On the back cover I wanted to illustrate Blanche's decaying world. I used a photo I took on a trip and distressed it a bit.
Overall, I loved making these two pieces...and to be honest being published would be thrilling but I'm actually just so proud that I put myself on the line. When you create something and ask someone to judge it... you make yourself vulnerable. But all you can do is continue to create, send it out into the world and hope it's received well. Fingers crossed!
