Hello everyone and welcome to May's Monthly Muse! This month we are exploring the various landscapes found in this beautiful world of ours and how we react to them deep within our own souls. We are all diverse so it comes as no surprise to learn that each of us will react to different landscapes in different ways. A “landscape” can be defined as being a part of the Earth's surface, viewed at one time from one place. A natural landscape is made up of a collection of various landforms, such as mountains, plains, lakes, streams to name a few, with their own natural vegetation that is unique to those landforms. The word, commune, perfectly defines what happens when we still ourselves long enough to connect to the natural world around us - we enter into a state of communion. When we are in the presence of a landscape that is special to us, our inner space grows quiet as we observe light, color, shape, and shadow. There is an exchange that takes place between us and the land. You may notice your breathing slows and the noise that once filled your inner world is replaced with birdsong, the babbling of the nearby stream, or the wind through the trees. Your thoughts, once preoccupied with your own inner musings, turn outwards and now ponder the shape of clouds, the starkness of the mountains, the curl of the waves or how the light and shadow play on the landscape before you. Different landscapes will however appeal more strongly to each of us, more so than others and that is what makes us all so unique and important, and that is what we will explore this month. For our challenge this month I would like us all to look inside ourselves and discover what emotions or feelings come to mind when we look at various landscapes. Each week I will post a group of similar landscapes along with some quotes, keywords, a colour palette and an inspiration board. Use any of these tools to springboard your own thoughts. Each week think about: What makes this type of landscape special (or not) to you. What feelings does it invoke? Is there a favourite place of your own within this type of landscape? one where you like to go to when you can? Expresses what you love about this sort of landscape (or dislike) through your art. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Week 2 - Plains | Deserts | Moors (prairies, lowlands, fields, heaths, meadows, grasslands, flatland, tundra) Keywords: barren solitude open spaces loneliness sad wild desolate survive moody overwhelming Quotes about flat open spaces: “The desert, when the sun comes up. I couldn't tell where heaven stopped and the Earth began.“ - Tom Hanks “Magic of the shadows can best be seen in the deserts.” - Mehmet Murat Ildan “In the springtime hope blooms in even the loneliest forgotten meadow.” - Angie Weiland-Crosby “In dreams of lavendar fields, dancing in the summer sun, is where I always find her.” - D. Walton I need solitude. I need space. I need air. I need the empty fields around me; and my legs pounding along roads; and sleep; and animal existence. - Virginia Woolf (The Diary of Virginia Woolf) “Sky above, earth below, and peace within.” - Laure Wanders Co. “I craved those open spaces, burned down to the bare bones of nature. but what did I hope to find?” - Liz Weber (The Desert Flower) “Wide open spaces are good for the heart.” Pinterest “I love places that make you realize how tiny you and your problems are.” Pinterest Inspiration board created with images from Pinterest: Color palette: Use any of the keywords, color palette, quotes or images above as inspiration or use your own. About this month's challenge: So this week we are looking at all the types of flatland that cover our earth, totally opposite to the majestic tall mountains we covered last week. By flatland I am referring to those lands that just seem to go on forever when you are viewing them, they could be plains, deserts, tundra, meadows/fields, heathland, moors etc. Of course across these types of landscapes you will also see a diverse array of climates, from hot to cold. Vegetation will also be different, or there could be a total lack of it in some cases. What do you feel when you are looking at these types of landscapes, how do they speak to your soul? What is it about that draws you in, or repel you? What are your favorites ones to look at? Why? Once again you can use any of the inspiratioin tools above like image board, keywords, quotes or color palette........ or, you can venture off and do your own thing in regards to create art around the landscape that fits in with this week's challenge. My layout: I ended up creating a page about the Australian outback. This photo was taken by me back in 2013 when we went on a driving holiday to Uluru (Ayers Rock) in the Northern Terrority. This particular photo was taken just outside of Broken Hill and features a typical outback snapshot of the dry sparsely vegetated landscape. However, as you get nearer to the 'centre' the soil turns into a red desert like landscape. If you continue westward from here you would then hit the desert itself. This is the first time I have experienced this type of outback landscape and I must say that I was a bit surprised by my reaction to actually being there and seeing the vastness of it all. At first I was excited but as we drove for hours that day, the landscape never changed and after awhile it became a little bit depressing and I was feeling a bit melancholy. The few times we stopped to have a break, we drove off the main road and standing there in silence with no trees or birdsong around was a bit strange. In all directions there was nothing to be seen, a mountain range in the distance but that was still so very far away. The dry soil was a crumbly, gritty rock, and the low growing bushes were pretty sparse with prickly leaves on some of them. Certainly nothing 'pretty' about them. So that is what I wanted to convey on my layout this week, those feelings that felt when I first saw this landscape and how I felt driving through it. Credits are in the gallery. Challenge for Week 2 This week's challenge is to create a layout about how a flatland landscape and it affects your soul, does it do anything for you? or not?. You can create any type of page ie. clean and simple, artsy, pocket style etc,. Your page can be all digital or hybrid. Wherever the inspiration takes you as long as you include TLP products on your page. Please post your layout to the Art Journaling Gallery HERE prior to Midnight EST May 31, 2023 and then post it in this thread by copying the code (at the right of your gallery image) from the box under "Share BB Code". We will draw a winner at the beginning of next month for a coupon!! Every layout you create is equal to one entry in the random draw. So if you create 1 layout you are entered once, if you create 4 layouts you are entered 4 times. You can use any products in the Lilypad store or retired products from current Lilypad designers, (just make sure you follow our gallery guidelines). As always I am looking forward to seeing what you guys come up with!
Thank you for this. You inspired me to write a poem, then I found the perfect kit in the store to go with it.
I love landscapes, and being in contact with nature, for me represents freedom. Every time that I'm outdoors, walking in our nearby forest I feel free, that's the reason why I didn't journaling, because I hate journal my layouts, and then they won't be any more free, I know sounds weird, even to me, when I'm writing down this. Anyway, here's my take, although I've never won in the Muse after years participating, I like to create some pages, and I thank for the inspiration. Wishing you a very beautiful day!
Boom ..... week 2 done! I loved this page, although the photo is my favourite part. All I wanted was to scrap about the wild, windswept Moors and Highlands of Scotland and luckily I found a free desktop image of The Storr online .... but I can't wait to scrap with my own pictures when I get back from my upcoming trip! Thanks for another great challenge Ona!
@amandac Ohhhhhhhhh!!! Well I will be you in spirit when you go on your trip Amanda! I enjoyed myself so much when I was in Scotland in 2012. I would have loved to get out to see these sorts of landscape but our bus tour took in more of the castles and cathedrals which was awesome as well! Amazing page!!!
Sounds like you had a great trip Ona! I will definitely be thinking of you while I am there. We are doing a 6 week self-drive trip through Scotland, England and Wales so no doubt you will be bored of all the photos I will no doubt be taking
OH NO! I won't get bored!!!!!!! lol! I remember seeing so many castles during our European river cruise and then our bus tour of the UK................ a LOT of people were moaning about 'having to look at another castle' by the end of Day 3 on both of those trips!! hahhaaa!!! After finished the bus tour on the Friday, on the Saturday my sis and I went on short bus tour........ to Leeds Castle!!! hahahaaa!!! The scenery was breathtaking during those two trips so I won't be complaining when I see all your photos!!!
