Reflections of Me-My DNA-Journaling Class w Jeanne Oliver- Part 2

 My DNA journal pages, a free class, from the course, Reflections Paint Your Story, by http://jeanneoliver.com, from start to finish. At least, I think they're finished!

I shared this first layer of collage a couple of posts back and told a bit about each of the figures I chose for it. Rather than repeat it all, you can go here to read about some of my beginning influences and the start of the pages https://themoxierabbit.blogspot.com/2021/06/reflections-of-me-free-journaling-class.html

I added black gesso with my finger all around the background, and got a bit carried away with it! I covered up a couple of things I didn't mean to, but that's ok...

I am not afraid of the dark, but I have never liked it, so I added some white gesso back over some of the black, added black and white stars, and since the one figure has an aged yellowish tinge, I added a used teabag to the ink circle over my head, representing the moon for more vintage color. I stamped Rabbitt Hopp over myself, and sketched a rabbit, because it's the community I have lived in for sixty-nine years, since I was two, when I had polio, so the neighbors I grew up with are very much a part of my DNA. I also added a kind of distant photo of my paternal grandfather, who died before I was born, so I never got to know him, and I've always wanted to. October is the birth month for myself, my dog, who was born on my birthday, and both my paternal grandparents, as well as several cousins. The scribble flowers across the bottom represent all the different people who have influenced my life, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, neighbors, pastors, teachers, bosses, co-workers, etc. The stamped tulips represent a love of flowers passed to me by my paternal grandmother. The music was passed to me by both grandpas. My life number is 3, so it appears several times in different ways on the pages. I've added it and the semicolon in the circle on the right page for all the times I've wanted to quit, but haven't. White dots have been added to the black dress top to break up the solidness of it.

Here I've drawn an eye in the moon, because I've always been watched over by God, my parents, my husband, my inlaws, friends, etc. The 3 dots represent my core family of my parents and me. I've added some crosses above the moon to represent my faith, because I would not be here if I didn't believe in God. I added a modern Libra sign over October for the four Libras on the pages. I covered up the rabbit on me with a piece of scrapbooking paper with positive words on it to help balance out the blacks on the right side, plus I didn't really like the rabbit. I've also sketched in three houses to honor the houses of my parents and both sets of grandparents that I grew up in. Dashes of black inktense sticks with white gel pen stripes break up the flowers, but also represent the paths I have traveled and the ones I will travel from here on. I thought I was done...

But then I decided to circle the word, memories, on the black paper with words, and to emphasize the tree in front of the old house to honor my family tree. I also noticed the old discarded hot water heater appearing to come out of my granny's head, so I darkened it with a pencil. 

I'm sure I've left out something, but all of the marks are personal and mean something to me, and I could keep layering and changing and adding to the pages, but I'm going to stop here and move on. I learned a lot about myself and loved the memories brought up, so I might do another spread at some point. Besides that, it was a lot of fun!

I'm thinking it would be fun to do a separate page for each person and what they passed down to me and taught me through my life.

For now, in the new class I've bought, Storytellers and Mavericks, Jeanne added a bonus class from the Reflections of Me course, which is My Timeline, and I've already started the pages for it! So we'll see how it goes! 

Stay safe, well, and creative!