Inspired by the old ruins I had seen in Europe I decided to run an art journaling class called ‘Out of the Ruins”
I asked “What have been the ruins in your life” and “What are the flowers that have grown out of the ruins?” Speaking metaphorically of course, not literally. I used photos I had taken at Tintern Abbey in Wales Here are some process shots to show how the page developed.
- Image of ruins, Undercollage of medieval script, patterns, tissue paper for texture.
I painted greys, browns and soft green around and over the collage. 
3. Then I added another image of the ruins and the rather depressed and distraught looking woman (from a 19th century painting of Sappho)
Finally i added some cling wrap paint textures (trying out a new idea) a red poppy flower and some brown hessian braid on the left for more texture. 
Then I quoted some of this poem. here is the whole poem: The Unbroken by Rashani
“There is a brokenness out of which comes the unbroken.
There is a shatteredness out of which blooms the unshatterable.
There is a sorrow beyond all grief, which leads to joy.
And a fragility out of whose depths emerges strength.
There is a hollow space too vast for words through which we pass with each loss, out of whose darkness we are sanctioned into being.”