"For Anita..."

...in love and friendship.

I hold you close in my thoughts and prayers.

I wish you peace.

"Perhaps they are not stars, but rather openings
in heaven
where the love of our lost ones pours through
and
shines down upon us to let us know they are happy.”
~Eskimo Proverb

"A Vintage Sunflower..."

...gifted to a wonderfully artistic friend in the fens of England.

Happy Blooming Tuesday! :)

"Every friend is to the other a sun, and a sunflower also.

He attracts and follows."
~Jean Paul Richter

"Well, Here She Is..."

...my postcard entry

for Anita Davies' 2008 Postcard Pen Pal Exchange,

which started me on my road to blogdom,

just 1 year ago...February 15, 2008!

I felt it important to post "her" again here today,

...in this most honored place,

as part of a very

special

Cactus Monday celebration!

Special?

...Did she just say "Special Cactus Monday"???

Yep, I sure did...

Why so special, you might ask?

Well, how about a 1st Blogiversary celebration

G-I-V-E-A-W-A-Y!!!

to spread a bit of cactus cheer and good will

around bloggyland!?!
Sooo...
...simply leave a comment here
by midnight next Sunday night February 22,
and
I will draw two lucky names to receive
one of the postcards pictured above
OOOH! Also,
Be sure I can get a hold of you via your blog or email
in case your name is drawn.
WooHoo!
This should be great fun!
Psssst...More fun Blogiversary goodies are planned...
stay tuned! :)
Have a Happy Cactus Monday All!

"Each day offers us the gift of being
a special occasion
if we can simply learn that as well as giving
it is blessed to receive
with grace and a grateful heart."
~Sarah Ban Breathnach

"Postmarked: UK..."

Early last week

a special little envelope arrived in my mailbox

postmarked from far, far away

in England.

Inside was a beautiful note card from Ely Cathedral

with a lovely handwritten note from

Anita Davies.

Oooooh! MY!!!! What a treat it was to receive!!!

I am sure you can imagine! :)

(BTW...in case you didn't know...

Anita has drawn a series of sketches from Ely.

What a charming and historic area!

You can check out her Ely sketch series here...

They are simply an artistic feast!)

So,

to celebrate receiving such fun overseas mail ...

I decided to post a montage of images of Ely Cathedral

drawn in my Moly.

The tower is known as the "Octagon"...

The colorful patterns in the lower left corner of the spread

are part of the flooring near the

shrine of Etheldreda..."Saint and Queen".

The patterns on the right side of the spread are

drawn from a medieval glass window.

(There is such rich and interesting

history here...

a visit to the website is highly recommended...gorgeous photos!)

Lastly, the simple candle

and it's "flame of friendship" was the central photograph

and main theme of the note card itself.

Anita...

you are the best ever!

Like this candle...

YOU have shined your artistic light on so many of us

and kindled our imaginations.

It was a serendipitous delight that our paths crossed.

What an honor and a pleasure

it is to have you as my

friend.

"Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle,

and the life of the candle will not be shortened.

Happiness never decreases

by being shared."
~Buddha

"Anita's Artistic Gift..."

...in my book Journey!

What a delight to at last open my own book

and find all this beauty inside!

Thank You Anita!
(Click on images to enlarge)

"The greatest gift is a portion of thyself."
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

P.S.

I was so secretly hoping that Anita would paint one of her famous

English roses in my book...and she did!

WooHoo!

She never disappoints!

Finally...!!!

Ta...DA...After a long trip overseas...I can finally post my artwork in Anita's Maruman entitled A Taste Of Home."

Hope you enjoy my taste of The United States Desert Southwest!

Click on images to enlarge view...:)

It's a bird...It's a Plane..."

NO! ... It's Anita's Maruman..."A Taste of Home"...

...boots dusted off...looking as "spiffy" as ever...winging her way

eastward away from the blazing heat of the Arizona desert

with fiery crimson colored skies painting her way

to

the cool green forests of northern Sweden

and the anxiously anticipated artistry of

Nina Johansson.

My, we had such fun together!...She will be greatly missed! :)

Next to arrive for a desert visit is Jennifer's "Transitions"

sent all the way from Anita in the fens.

I have open arms and a tall cool drink awaiting her! :)

"Brand New Peeks...! "

And...Here they are...Fresh from the scanner...
A few teensy-tiny peeks (to assure the surprise of the reveal)
of my 10 new pages in Anita's Maruman sketchbook
"A Taste Of Home..."

Stay tuned...
our little adventure only gets better and better and better!
I cannot wait to get my next book!
JOY!...Margaret :)

"A Picture...

... is Worth A Thousand Words."

How True! :)

I can't wait to get started in this beautiful book of Anita's

which arrived here in the desert of Arizona this very morning

after only 6 days travel from the Fens in England.

Four of us are participating in a

Maruman international sketchbook exchange.

Participating artists are:

Anita Davies-England,

Nina Johansson-Sweden

Jennifer Lawson and

Myself -USA

So,

sit back, get a "cuppa", and just enjoy!

"Happy Birthday Anita Davies...! "

Palo Verde blossoms,

Float through the sky

Quails flittering about

So quick and spry.

The cacti is in bloom...

spring air swirls all about,

That the desert is alive

there is absolutely no doubt.

In my heart are these wishes

from me sent to you...

Joy, Peace, and Happiness

in all that you do.

Now as I close

from across blue sea,

I send from the desert

A "Happy Birthday" to thee!

WooHoo! :)

Of Special Note:

I consider Anita Davies a special mentor.

I treasure her as a person and and applaud her as an artist.

She lights the end of my tunnels.

And,

On this day of her birth..I both celebrate her life

and thank her for all she does.

:)

"Woo Hoo!...It Arrived! ! ! ..."

I was so happy when the mail came yesterday I almost cried. Tucked in with the bills and the usual flyers was a small soft-padded envelope from the UK. My special token from the Pay It Forward exchange from Anita arrived...and special it was...just in time for spring. My gift is a TAB (Anita's term for her Tiny Art Books) and every part of it was created by Anita...I'd even believe it if someone told me the girl wove the ribbon herself...she is so amazing.

Anita Davies has truly been my guiding star on the jumbled road to blogdom. Her professional and sincere ways and her artistic enthusiasm has influenced me greatly. Our paths may have crossed by chance but her specialness will be in my heart always. I hope, in turn, I can do for someone else just starting out what Anita has done for me. She truly lives by the spirit of Pay It Forward.

P.S. There is still time to join in on the Pay It Forward campaign. Just follow this link for information if you are interested. Hope to be hearing from you! :)

"My Postcard From Anita..."

This is the lovely card I received from Anita Davies as part of her international Postcard Penpal exchange. It arrived here in Arizona much to my "squealing delight" several weeks ago. It is so amazing looking in real life. It is a loving drawing of the "fens"...of which she writes poeticly in her new column in the Cambs Times. Check out this link and enjoy her description.

While I was exploring around in my fellow artists' blogs I saw Anita's return cards posted all over the place. It was then that I realized I MUST MUST MUST get my act together and post this little beauty for all of you to enjoy. What a "silly little goose" am I to have not thought of this until now...!!!

"Love's Got a Hold on Me..."

To collect your award, click on the image and the select "save as."

Anita Davies kindly gifted me this award. In return, I am to list to 5 blogs I love to visit.

First, I wanted to give special mention and thanks to the artists who inspire me greatly and to whom I visit regularly. Their names-familiar to most of us-are listed on my sidebar. I LOVE you Andrea, Anita, Danny, Grace, Desiree, and Jane! A visit to their sites is ALWAYS a special treat.

Second, now..for the awards...TA DAA!!! Since I am what you would term a "newbie" in the blogging area, I have used a little beginner's artistic license here with this award and would like to use it to honor 3 blogs that are brand NEW to me this week that I am loving to visit:

"Envelope Please" (...after all...it is Oscar night... :)

Jennifer Lawson- Jennifer's blog is fresh and filled with delightfully delicate, refined drawings. I really enjoy her attention to detail and her use of colored pencil. Plus, I am still giggling to myself about her EDM post featuring "popcorn" (as well as its follow-up posting) ;) Check them out for yourself-they are brilliant!

Draw Daily- I found "Pedalpower's" blog this week through EDM links. I so enjoy the midwest nostalgic flavor of her architectural art (I just love that route 66 gas station) and some of her newer vintage drawings. Also, "Pedalpower" is fortunate to be in a work environment dear to her heart where she can both work and enjoy her love of art at the same time...what a great combo that makes!

Desiree-Desiree's blog "The Clothes Line and other Laundry Lists" makes me want to literally bathe in my watercolor paints! Her use of color in her fruit and veggie series is so juicy and scrumptious and rich. M.m.m.m.m! I love to look at and learn about beautiful things. Desiree's website provides one with artistic beauty and a feast for the eyes. Plain and simple...Desiree inspires me! She is my newest addition to my sidebar inspiration list. Check her out!

The participation rules are simple:

1. If you get tagged (and want to play along) write a post with links to blogs that you love, too.

2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme, created by Emilia.

"Don't Box Me In" ...Why not? Its FUN!

The other day on her post Anita used a very fun design element to break down her "mountain" into a "mole hill." I have tried that technique several times in the past myself and highly recommend one tries it. I found that not only was it fun thing to do but that also the results were very visually pleasing. The grid can be as large or as small as one desires. Also, the grid boxes can be in whatever shape or arrangement that suits your fancy. Be loose and enjoy. In the example above I drew my boxes in first and then filled them with images. I was reading Danny Gregory's book The Creative License at the time and decided to combine an EDM of sorts into my composition. Hope you enjoy!

A Step Back in Time-To show a Start of Wonderful Possibilities

As you might have suspected, due to the absence of entries :) , I am very new to the world of blogging. "Water Blossoms" is my first, and one and only, blog to date. So, to provide you a peek into my world, I thought I would share with you some of the things I have been working on during the past few years since I retired from my career as a middle school teacher in Illinois. I also thought I would enjoy sharing some of the delightful artistic experiences I have had through the years with some very special people in my life. These people have not only encouraged me in my artistic endeavors but have also made me a better artist and observer of life in general. My deepest appreciation to each of them.

The artwork in my very first two blog posts (February 15th) is the result of a "leap of faith" on my part. Hence, I whole heartedly want to give credit for their success to the creative mind of Anita Davies-who "took me under her wing" as a member of her POSTCARD PENPALS group. I had no idea what I was in for...my first artist exchange...and let me tell you, what a fun ride that has been...and now I have a blog??!!..."Whoa Nellie!" Yea! Anita! You set the artistic bar high. You are awesome!

So, now if you're ready, here we go...my third post..."Back in time..."

In April of 2006 my art local club offered a workshop for members entitled "Sketchbook Journaling." It was taught by Grace Haverty, a woman who I now consider a "mentor" to me. Grace brought not only her vast knowledge of watercolor painting into my life but also her love for observing the beauty in everyday life. She also brought with her that day stacks of well worn journals-each one depicting intriguing everyday life scenes of her travels around the world. As I looked through each and every page of each and every one of her journals, a fire was lit in my spirit. This is something I wanted to experience-the joy of drawing the beauty in the world around me. In my post above is a scan of the title page I drew after the workshop was over, incorporating some of the thoughts and "words of wisdom " shared that day. The photograph is of Grace painting that day. We spent the entire day-long workshop only yards away from the art studio...but miles away in creativity...just observing life, painting with gusto, and breathing in the sweet April air of Arizona. Our results from that day were simply delightful...

As you visit my blog periodically I hope you enjoy stepping back in time with me and seeing how this one single little workshop grew into a passion..."stay tuned" as they used to say. :)

Belated Valentine's Day Greetings!

A belated Happy Valentine's day to each of you! Here is a card I sent an on-line friend in the U.K. as a Valentine's day surprise. Hope you like it-this is what results when one is filled with "excess artistic energy"-it's such great fun, too.