This page was another one where I had lobbed down scrapings of leftover paint and scraps of collage material. As with the majority of the pages in the green section of my Rainbow Art Journal, my brain wandered to plants. Because I was thinking about all of the weird bits of rejected odds and sods that made up the substrate of the page, I thought about weeds and that idea that weeds are just plants growing where someone doesn’t want them. The plant doesn’t know it’s a weed; the plant thinks it is a flower with as much merit as the one a human is caring for in a garden. So then I thought about the fortitude of weeds and their feisty attitude. I pretty much started identifying with weeds. So that was the theme and idea for this journal page.
I used a negative space painting approach to pick out the shape of a weed growing across the page. I then stamped “survive” and “thrive” on to some green paint chip cards I had. Unfortunately, I was distracted when gluing them onto the page and transposed the words. Oops. It didn’t bother me enough to either remove them or cover them up, however. Anyway, survival and being determined to thrive no matter what seem like good messages for these pandemic times we find ourselves in.
A Pict in PA 
I love the two words you chose, because “thrive and survive” seem so perfect for weeds and for us in our current situation. I was drawn to the idea of borrowing your idea and using the present participle forms “thriving and surviving” to emphasize that both are on-going active processes. I really wanted to use the noun forms “thrival and survival,” but realized that “thrival” is not a word. Why not? English is such a complicated language. 🙂
I think you should just start using the word “thrival” and see if it catches on. The English language is as rich as it is because of borrowings and corruptions and inventions.
I think this is lovely Laura. I like your “weed” idea – they are feisty and strong. They are all beautiful too, in their own way. I’ve just done a few watercolour studies of some buttercups, which are “weeds” of course but they are beautiful and vibrant…
Thank you, Evelyn. I actually find that I prefer wild flowers and blooming meadows to more pristinely arranged flowers.
Well around here weed certainly do thrive. They are endless so maybe they are ment to be.
You pulled this on off pretty smoothly.
Thank you, Beverly. Yes. Weeds are a pretty pernicious problem here in Spring too. I feel like I can weed and then turn my back and they’ve sprouted again. That is why I just leave the attractive ones.
You are so right about weeds – they are unappreciated flowers! Many weeds have nutrients to offer the soil and gardens would be healthier places if we learnt to look at what keeps coming up weed-wise! And what about the healing herbal qualities they also give us!! Way better for the environment than the over bred, expensive and twee little annuals we’ve been conned into buying 🙂 I love what you did here, it’s a great process!
Thank you very much. I have never been a very capable or confident gardener so I have always just grown whatever can pretty much look after itself without my support. That may be another reason I appreciate weeds. I will get rid of the ones that are undermining other plants or are taking over but otherwise an attractive weed is welcome in my garden.
Cool idea! I like it.
Thanks, Anabel!
I love this, everything about it. And I like the thrive/survive order. It made me think about the words rather than glossing over them as you do when the phrase is familiar. Reach out for life, grab at it, and you have a better chance at surviving, I think.
There’s a symbiotic relationship between the two so perhaps that is why the word order being topsy turvy is not so problematic.
This reminds me of grandmother’s aprons and screen doors and honeysuckles.
Thank you. My Granddad had a wonderful honeysuckle growing just outside his kitchen door so I especially like that I conjured up that memory for you.
This is wonderful!!! Love the thrive and survive!!! Love the colors and patterns!!!!
Thank you, Sue!