Some Cactus Zen...

 ...designed in mandala fashion...

just in time for the opening of professional baseball's

Cactus League spring training

here in the desert.

And above...she appears again...

this time

digitally flipped in celebration of the almost full moon

boldly lighting the desert night skies

with a bright cerulean glow.

Does that mean Spring is here???...

Well...just about!

Have a happy Saturday!

"That's the true harbinger of spring,

not crocuses

or swallows returning to Capistrano,

but the sound of a bat

on a ball."

~Bill Veeck, 1976

Studio Time...

...and a sketchbook pomegranate study.

Actually, these dried pomegranates were snipped from a

bush right outside the studio...

and included a small bulbous grey spider

which crawled out

of the pod painted in the lower right corner.

I am NOT a fan of spiders..

so he was "wisked" from the scene immediately!

I went with

paint straight in...no pencil...and added some ink flourishes

as decorative highlights.
(Click on image to enlarge)

Another day in artistic paradise?

Ahh...You betcha! :)

"Paradise is seldom recognized as such

until

it is considered from the outside.”

~Hermann Hesse

A Tropical Pinwheel...

...posted from here in the beautiful desert southwest

for all my friends and family

who are

"wishing and hoping and thinking and praying

planning and dreaming

each night..."

 for the first signs of spring 

"Up North."

(Thanks, Dusty Springfield, Burt Bacharach, and Hal David

 for the words...)

"It's spring fever.

That is what the name of it is.

And when you've got it, you want -

oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want,

but it just fairly makes your heart ache,

 you want it so!"

~Mark Twain

Happy Valentine's Day...

...celebrating the day

with an ATC size painting of one of the tin hearts

in my

San Miguel Allende sacred heart collection.

"The heart has its reasons

that

reason knows nothing of."

~Blaise Pascal 1670

Winter Trading...

...five of the 18 Artist Trading Cards

I made and traded during the January Artathon

at Illustrated ATCs.

I am expecting the lower 2 cards

to arrive at the studio of Veterok in Finland sometime

this week.

(Click on image to enlarge.)

My!  What wonderful places my art flies to!

“Voyage, travel, and change of place impart vigor.”

~Seneca

(Roman Philosopher, mid-1st century AD)

Seeking Zen...

...while painting a Persian blue sky portal...
perfect for a cloudy, blustery, cold Arizona day.

"Three things cannot be long hidden:

the sun, the moon,

and

the truth."

~Buddha 

Zen Line Dancing...

My brush and pen

swirl and twirl...spin and spiral...twist and turn...

all about the color wheel...

dipping and lifting in rhymthic syncronicity.

They virtually dance

day in...

and day out...

keeping kaleidoscopic palettes and patterned tangles

boot scootin'

and tangoing throughout the ballroom space

within my head.

Sometimes I get exhausted

by their vigor.

 "Dance first. Think later. It's the natural order."

~Samuel Beckett

Doing What One Loves...

...must run in the family this weekend.
Pictured above is

my brother Mark at Soldier Field in Chicago today

on the ice...

15 degrees F...snow gently falling...
a big smile in his heart.

 From the hand made back yard ice ponds

my dad

would make us whe we were kids...

to the most

legendary sports venue of Chicago...truly

living the dream...

and

bringing home a trophy to boot!

Ahhhh!

Love you, Mark!
Pssst...Thanks for the photos, Katie...:)

Hot chocolate anyone?

"Four out of five dentists surveyed recommended playing hockey."

~Author Unknown

A Fabulous Friday...

 ...was spent by teaching an all day art workshop

in Studio 2

with some wonderfully artistic women...:)

 The title of my class was

"Whimsical Botanical Watercolor Designs."

Above are several examples I used for inspiration.

Click on any image to enlarge.

 The paintings on white were examples showing

what I was making in 2006.

The Maruman Japanese fold sketchbook

on the table

is my latest solo effort...completed this fall.

 Carolle, my energetic-ever wonderful "assistant Muse" took this photo

while I did a demo.

Thanks, Carolle...this was a nice surprise.

It looks like lots of notes, ever so patiently, were taken...:)

Happily showing the results of their workshop endeavors

are

Pat, Sid and LaRayne...

...Judy...all by herself...as Kathy had to leave early...

 ...Cindy and Penny...

...Kay and Michelle...

...Marilyn and Lou Anne...

and, lastly, Paulette and Barbara.

On so many levels

it was a beautiful day from start to finish...

from morning coffee...through lunch...to an afternoon ice cream cone.

The sun was bright...the air fresh...the temps were springlike.

The studio was a-buzz with busy artistic Muses

playing, giggling

and making some very happy art.

You know...

each and every day that I do something artistic I feel blessed.

Sharing what I do with like minded friends

is sheer bliss...

a personal little slice of artistic heaven.

A Fabulous Friday??? You bet!

"You can discover more about a person

in an hour of play

than in a year of conversation."

~Plato