Grungy Momigami Papers with Crackle Paste: Art that Expresses Healing for Trauma and Loss

Come watch me make some very beautiful, interesting, grungy, layered momigami papers with crackle paste.I would like to share my art process with you. I did use konnyaku starch for the momigami.

I started off wanting to just make decorative papers for collage fodder on the gel plate. I remembered that last year, I made very nice gel prints on existing artwork. I loved how intricate, subtle, layered, and nuanced they were. I purposely made some drawings for this desired result. I was dealing with a lot of stress at the same time and decided that I would also use these drawings as an opportunity to relieve my stress and really express myself without censorship. I challenged myself to just let loose and even allow myself to express chaos or be overly busy. This then evolved to allowing myself to experiment and try new things and take risks! On the gel plate I use found objects like cake scraper tools, different textured materials, string, painter pens, and a bamboo stick. I used a patchwork style to create layers, combining distress oxide sprays with the acrylic paint. I used paper pieces as masks. During this process, I decided that maybe I could try some crackle paste to further express my stress and the underlying trauma feelings that were emerging. I do add the crackle paste off camera, but I do give you some quick instructions on how to use crackle paste, and you can also watch me color it with distress oxide inks and metallic watercolors.

However, I decided that it didn't express my trauma enough; it needed to be roughed up a bit more. Yet, I didn’t want to end up with ugly, ruined papers, but with something beautiful. This proved to be extra tricky and risky. I wanted to show that you can move past trauma and create new meaning, beauty, and vibrancy for your life. There are strong trauma themes in this video. I share generally and briefly, some of my traumas and losses with you in the hopes that I might encourage those of you who have suffered trauma/loss to move through it towards the light of a better day.
This process also becomes metaphorical for letting go of the old and embracing the new, especially as it relates to aging, but it could symbolize any great change or loss. My papers are constantly evolving and changing form and looks, much like the process of life. Because I'm sharing some of my own life story and I want to bring hope to you, I do share the source of my hope, which is Jesus Christ. There are very strong Christian, evangelical themes with some scripture references towards the end of the video. I know not everyone believes in Christ or has the same spiritual beliefs, however, I feel like because my art expresses so much of myself, and I am spirit-filled, I do not want to censor myself in this way- nor do I ever want to quench the Holy Spirit when He shows up. Hopefully, you nonbelievers can bear with me in this, or even consider what I share as Jesus brings so much hope and life. I hope to show that even with my demeanor, how you can go through the fire and emerge like a butterfly or rise up like a Phoenix.

This paper making process for these 6 papers took at least 5 hours. This is a 46-minute video. This video tells a story, my story, and how I used these papers to express it. I created them to put inside my trauma journal. Towards the end, I share some tips on how you could achieve similar results in less time. Then I say goodbye and offer some more encouragement about the healing process for trauma survivors and those who have suffered great loss.

For easier reference, I created chapters so you can go back later and find the sections that are more relevant to you.

Chapters
00:00:00:00 Chapter 1: Beginning
00:00:27:12 Chapter 2: Intro
00:01:22:02 Chapter 3: The Story of How These Papers Came About
00:03:58:21 Chapter 4: The Drawings and Art I started Out With
00:05:45:08 Chapter 5: The Gel Printing Process
00:09:44:16 Chapter 6: More Mark Making
00:10:51:03 Chapter 7: Back to the Geli Plate
00:17:54:14 Chapter 8: Adding and Coloring the Crackle Paste
00:20:21:18 Chapter 9: Back to My Story
00:25:20:00 Chapter 10: The Momigami Process
00:26:02:02: Chapter 11: Back to My Story While I Apply Konnyaku Starch
00:29:45:29 Chapter 12: One Example of How I Used These Papers in my Trauma Journal
00:31:14:02 Chapter 13: More about My Art Process and How it Reflects my Loss and Trauma
00:35:58:11 Chapter 14: The Final Results
00:41:14:03 Chapter 15: Some Suggestions Which Might Help You Receive Similar Results in Less Time
00: 43:22:11 Chapter 16: My Final Goodbye and Parting Words of Encouragement for Trauma Survivors and Those that Have Suffered Great Loss

For more information, background story behind my art, or scripture references visit my blog about this: https://creative-passages.com/2024/08...