Clarity Stamp Challenge 11: New Beginnings

Hello everyone.  Here is my entry for Clarity Stamp Challenge 11: New Beginnings.  When I read about the new challenge I realised that I wanted to show that new beginnings always begin with us, the way we think and behave make such a difference to ourselves, those we meet and the world we live in.  Gandhi's phrase 'Be the change you want to see in the world' came to mind so I chose to use this as the centrepiece of stamp along with the Clarity sunshine stencil.

I masked off the bottom part of the card, taped the stencil in place and used Adirondack Butterscotch ink for the sun.  Then I masked the top part of the card and used Adirondack Meadow for the grass.  Following this I carefully stamped the phrase in place so that the long part was just above the horizon and 'Gandhi' in the bottom part of the sun.

I wanted the centre to be bright and the edges darker to show that who we are can make a difference.  Using my brayer I added black ink to the corners and ends of the card.

After this I used the Clarity split tree kit to stamp the trees on either side of the sun.  Nearest the sun the trees are in blossom, then in leaf, then naked to show that our positive actions can change the world we live in.

Finally a little torn paper and stencil brush to add the shadows of the trees.

This is the first time I've tried a piece of artwork that tries to express a meaning.  I hope you like it and thanks for looking at my blog, please do leave a comment as I love to receive your feedback and advice.