"Inspired by Hokusai..."

...are my entries for the Illustrated ATCs 2011 summer

"Choose A Theme" (C.A.T) Swap

Group #3...Landscapes.

First, " Fuji...Winter Serenity"...
next, "Fuji ...Through the Pines"...
next, "Fuji...Mountain Pass Springtime"...
then, "Fuji Reflected: Lake Kawaguchi"...

and finally, "Fuji and Sakura Blossoms".
Above is a group photo of the girls right before they were

set free and mailed out from

Sycamore, Illinois

to

Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

yesterday morning.

Indeed,

time spent researching the striking art of

Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849)

including his famous wood cut block prints

of Mt Fuji...

along with his not quite so famous 100 Illustrated

Views of Fuji

allowed my Muse and I to a travel into a wonderland

of

old world Japanese beauty and serenity.

Painting these tiny cards

linked me to his Muse...and to the soulfulness of Japan.

'Twas quite a wonderful experience...
for sure!

“When you are inspired by some great purpose,
some extraordinary project,
all your thoughts break their bonds:
Your mind transcends limitations,
your consciousness expands in every direction,
and you find yourself in a new, great, and wonderful world.
Dormant forces,
faculties and talents become alive,
and your discover yourself to be a greater person by far
than you ever dreamed yourself to be.”
~Patanjali

" I Got Hooked up...!"

...yesterday...many times...and in many ways!!!

Starting...

with a new Verizon "MiFi" Internet connection...

following...with a double visit

to Sweet Dreams for homemade chicken and biscuits...

(BTW...Where were you today, JGL???? LOL)

then...following that we topped off our meals

with the purchase of

a boatload of cookies and the

registering for a frequent buyer card...Geesch!

Then came the arrival of my

art supplies from Arizona

abundant enough to make any Muse dance with delight...

and finally...

a summer explosion of art ideas galore

from my newly invigorated

Muse

is flooding my mind!

We are ready to rock and roll folks!

Yippeeeeeee!

Ooops... I almost forgot to mention...2 THINGS...

We stopped by Kohl's...with our special 30% off coupon

and

found it was Kohl's dollar days too...WooHoo!

And lastly, seriously,

we can now get

Magnum ice cream bars

here "across the pond" in the good ole USA!

OMG...

These are "bestest" yummiest hook ups of all times!

Wheeeee!

"Stuck...!!!"

...in Sycamore, Illinois with sporadic internet connections!

Boy, am I ever one spoiled blogger or what???

Fingers and toes crossed that

things will be smoothed out soooon...

Until then,

I hope you will "Stand by"...:)

There REALLY is a lot more to come!

Happy Blooming Tuesday from the lush green midwest!

BTW, yesterday...

Phoenix 116...Sycamore 76...degrees, that is...
Just sayin...! :)

"Some Summer Zen...Ahhh!..."

Introducing...

my new "Sundays of Summer" zen feature...

right here...on my blog...every Summer Sunday...:)
Ahhh! :)

This is Sunrise Buddha.

At his back is the dawn of a new desert day

filled with the seasonal sizzling,
and the stressful, scorching summerness

of the desert southwest.

To instill much needed inner balance he turns away

from this bright threshold...

as he
allows his spirit to fly free and soar...

to dance high above the clouds so to eventually
emerge bliss filled,

serenely calm,

and refreshingly cooled.

His eyes peer ahead as he imagines great

possibilities.

Hmmm...he smiles...

"I wonder what surprises this day will bring?"

Stay tuned...:)

“All that we are

is the result of what we have thought.

The mind is everything.

What we think...

we become.”
~Buddha

"To Our One and Only..."

Happiest of birthdays to you...

"Johnny", "Dad", "Grandpa", "Papa", "Great Grandpa"

"JW" and "Big Brown Bear"!

We wish

you a wonderful year of clear skies...smooth flying...

and soft landings.

Sent with oodles of love...from

your loving co-pilot

Mom,

and your ever grateful ground crew:

Susan, David, Joya & Jillian...

Jack, Sharon, Vanessa, Lauren, Steve & Myles...

Mark, Katie, Christopher, Courtney & Corey...

and...Peg and Scott! :)

Thanks for showing us how to navigate life

with a happy heart

and a twinkle in our eye.

Soar high above the clouds as you celebrate

the first day of your 90th

flight around the sun!

You are now cleared for "take off"...:)

"It is not the cry,

but the flight of the wild duck

that leads the flock to fly and follow.”
~Chinese Proverb

"The very existence of aviation is proof that man,

given the will,

has the capacity to accomplish deeds

that seem impossible."

~Eddie Rickenbacker

"Happy Summer..."

...from the red-hot Arizona desert southwest.

Temperatures today are predicted to reach 108.

And, for tomorrow, you might ask?

How does 113 sound???

Pretty dang bloomin' hot I'd say!!! :{

Grrrrr!

I best settle myself down now...and wish you

a most refreshing and happy

Blooming Tuesday...

where ever it is you may all home.

"Holding on to anger

is like grasping a hot coal with the intent

of throwing it at someone else;

you are the one who gets

burned.”
~Buddha

"Happy Father's Day, Dad..."

...with love from Peg, Mark, Susan, and Jack...:)

We love you tremendously...♥

"Other things may change us,

but we start...and end...with family.”
~Anthony Brandt

...PSST!

It's not only Father's Day...it's also my 900th post!

Simply magical! ♥

"Under the Shade of an Elm..."

...sitting among the iris, just sketching the day away...

is where my Muse wants to be.

The desert is heating up somewhat fiercely...

105-107 degree range lately...

shrinking her energy and artistic endeavors

to minimal levels.

Thoughts

of the midwest keep flooding her mind...

and making her anxious.

She constantly questions me begging for change.

"Soon", I kindly tell her..."soon"!

"You cannot do a kindness too soon,

for you never know

how soon it will be too late.”
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Form Vs. Function..."

...my newest tree of life-illustrated in my Zen Journal...

drawn "ink straight in" and digitally flipped.

The inspiration for her

came from a wonky week of days spent dealing with

kidney stones, migraines, CT scans

and

and medical appointments.

I think
things are on the mend...I have a follow up

appointment today...

guess I will have to wait and see (hear)

what the good doc has to say.

Definitely not in blogging mode...funny how

quickly I can get thrown off my

game.

"The art of medicine

consists in amusing the patient

while nature cures

the disease."

~Voltaire

"Seven Years Ago...Today..."

...we officially closed on our house here in Arizona

and began adapting our

midwest state of minds into desert dwelling

"aficionados."

I reposted this drawing today to celebrate.

7 years!!!!!

Life is certainly good!

“The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time.”
~James Taylor

Old Cactus Garden Balboa Park

This is a fabulous video I just found on Jane LaFazio's facebook page...:) Here's to all our fellow sketchers out there...enjoying the artistic "good life" and sharing their art! Woo Hoo!