AEDM #14 and ALAW

So how many of you remember ALAW?  I've been conspicuously quiet about that project, but I haven't forgotten it.....just had it on the back burner.  Quick reminder:  ALAW is "a letter a week" creation with the goal of completing two complete alphabets over the course of a year and then come up with a way to display the letters.

My zentangle alphabet presented in a concertina format was selected for the exhibition.

Started and hosted by Fiona at Paper Ponderings, this is the third year.  This year she realized a long-held goal of creating an exhibition of some of the works created in this challenge.  She gathered 63 works by 29 artists from 6 countries (and I'm one of them -woohoo!) and the exhibition goes through November I think.  Unfortunately for me, the gallery is in ...... Australia!  But for my long distance buddies, try and go see the works in person!

My first alphabet for the year is actually my least favorite so far - the lettering was only okay and the book didn't match what was in my head - disappointing.

The brief for the challenge is that the individual letters max out at 7cm X 7cm (about 2.75") and that one of the two alphabets follow a suggested theme.  This year the theme is peace.  I have to say, that gave me the most trouble......LOTS of thought went in to how to represent that.  I finally settled on an idea and have been working on it now and then.

I plan to make a flag book - I've loved the idea of this form forever but never tried it, so now is the time.


I couldn't get my head around how to represent peace on any sort of global peace, so I brought it down to my level.  My personal peace, how I find it, how I see it.  Calm, tranquil, quiet - words that evoke peace.  Blues, greens = peaceful colors. I am incorporating my photography by using closeups that capture a peaceful feeling then adding lettering in the calm of blue and green.  Here's what I have so far:

(an Instagram pic! :))  Each of the 26 images will have a word on it that reflects some aspect of peace to me.  The black letters are my patterns....I now have to cut out each letter in the actual paper. I have all 26 photo/word 'pages' done so.....I'm on my way!  One of the hard things to figure out is what to put on the reverse side of each photo/word image - haven't decided if I should paint, color, paper, or what..

Shared with AEDM - almost half way!