Friday Feature Artist // Ingrid

I can't believe it's Friday already! I'm so excited to introduce this weeks Friday Feature Artist. Say hi to Ingrid; she is the beautiful mind behind My Peacetree. Her blog is the perfect combination of art, creativity, philosophy and all things beautiful in life. When she is creating art she focuses a lot on experimentation and texture. She is such an inspiration to try new things and not be scared of the result; to focus on the process rather than the end. In one of her latest blog posts she used wax over paint and the result is stunning - check it out here.

What are some of your favourite blogs to visit?
The women whom I have found online are absolutely incredible, encouraging, and radiantly beautiful. Some of my favorite places to visit for inspiration and connection are authored by iHanna,  Goddess Leonie, and Brandi. I have a very long list of other dear blogging friends that you can peruse here.

What are your favourite materials and techniques to use?
Some of my most used materials are acrylic paints, gesso, a glue stick or gel medium, magazine images and phrases, bubble wrap and other found objects for stamping, watercolors, pens and pencils, tissue paper, old receipts and tickets, masking tape, embroidery floss, and image transfers! As you might have guessed, I experiment with just about anything I can find. I do quite a lot of collage and layering – paint on an image transfer on paint on collage, for example; I love when a page becomes so textural it just aches to be touched!

What do you usually journal about?
I tend to write very little in my journal, and instead explore texture, colors, layering, and visual representation of an emotion I am experiencing. Sometimes I will use one key phrase or word to capture something I am thinking about, but I like sharing my pages and am very aware of others reading my words, whether online or in person, and so usually only use writing as a visual element.



Where do you get inspiration from?
Flickriver is a great way to browse and soak up the visual pages of different artists; seeing others' journals always inspires me! I follow many artistic blogs, and often stop at the bookstore and settle into the section where the art journaling books and magazines are. The beauty of the natural world – lightning, a hardworking ant, the change of the seasons, or the sound of wind, for example – and big philosophic questions like "What does it mean to be human?" and "How can I bring light to the world?" always stir my mind, too. I did a whole post on inspiration here!



How often do you journal?
This question always leaves me with a sense of guilt, for I feel that I do not meet my own expectations of how often one must create in order to "be" an art journaler. Truthfully, I don't paint often - perhaps once or twice a month. Occasionally I will experience huge bursts of creativity and finish three pages in just a few days. Something I am continually reminding myself is that art journaling is as unique as every individual, and any form of it, no matter how quirky or unusual or rarely practiced, is absolutely, perfectly okay. This is something that I try to impress upon my readers, too.

Have you participated or taught any e-courses?
Yes! I am teaching my very first art journaling workshop "Beautiful You, Radiant You" at 21 Secrets right now - go here to check it out! Registration ends on October 1st.



When and why did you decide to start a blog?
I began my blog in May of 2009. I had stumbled across Hanna Andersson's beautiful blog a year earlier, and was so captivated and inspired that I felt compelled to start my own. I'm so happy I decided to take that step!



Do you have any future plans for your art journaling or your blog?
I hope to fill another art journal, and another after that. I'd love to develop more e-courses and host them through my blog. I hope to continue to sell my creations on Etsy, and I'd be so happy to have my art hanging in a coffee shop somewhere, too!



How did you start art journaling?
In a high school art class, I came across the book "Altered Books Workshop" by Bev Brazelton. I was absolutely fascinated, and began to experiment with painting, collaging, and writing in books. After I delved into the blogging world I came across many other women exploring what came to be known as art journaling, and through them I learned countless new techniques, started developing my own style, and made some wonderful friends.

How would you describe your blog?
I can only describe what I hope my blog is to others: a safe, kind, loving place of inspiration, art, self-discovery, photography, and a celebration of the beauty of life!

Where can you find Ingrid? She is all over the Internet:
Blog - www.mypeacetree.blogspot.com
Flickr - www.flickr.com/mypeacetree
Etsy - www.mypeacetree.etsy.com
Twitter -  www.twitter.com/mypeacetree (or @mypeacetree)
Facebook - www.facebook.com/mypeacetree

You can follow her blog on Bloglovin' here,

I hope you all enjoyed meeting Ingrid today. It was such a joy to be able to do this post with her and I want to thank her [again] for taking the time to answer all these questions and share her work and blog. I just want to add that Ingrid has also just uploaded some fantastic new collage packs to her etsy shop that are really affordable so make sure you have a look.

Hope everyone has a great Friday!

Rhiannon xxx