"An Ivy Geranium..."

...a perfect bit of a virtual house warming gift

for my dear friend Jan.

Can't wait to see your new place and hear all your stories!

Soon...it must be soon! :)

"The ornaments of your house
will be the guests who frequent it."
~Author Unknown

"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

"Botanical Bits..."

in my large moleskine sketchbook.

This summer,

inspired by the rich floral beauty of July in the midwest,

I have been practicing "drawing large"

in my "big girl" moleskine.

It is so freeing to sit and illustrate this way,

especially,

after all the ATC work with which I have involved myself

recently.

These illos are actually the groundwork for

a floral project I have envisioned in a beautifully hand made

Japanese fold sketchbook

I won from the multi-talented Caroline Soer

so many moons ago.

I am very exhilarated by this project.

Soon I will make my first inked mark in that

beautiful little book

and be off and running!

Stay tuned...:)

Happy Blooming Tuesday!

“The picture of a flower in a botanical book

is information;

its mission ends with our knowledge.

But in pure art it is a personal communication.

And therefore

until it finds its harmony in the depth of our personality

it misses the mark. ."

~Rabindranath Tagore

"Back Home..."

...Exhausted...Elated...and on Email overload...LOL :)

Whew!

(A lot happens when one is unplugged!)

So

a little something soothing and serene for today...

...another "China Bloom"

...from my ATC series...#2 of 6.

"You must be a Lotus,

unfolding its petals when the sun rises in the sky,

unaffected by the slush where it is born

or

even the water which

sustains it!"

~Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Indian Spiritual leader

"May Blessings..."

...joyful peace...and....a full happy heart...

be yours-

not only on this Easter day....but on all the days of your life.

(Art originally posted, last year... here.)

"On Easter Day

the veil between time and eternity thins to gossamer."

~Douglas Horton

"Mum's the Word...! "

...And

as I recall, it was a place packed with fragrance and wonder.

I remember festive holiday flower shows there filled to the brim

with

colorful chrysanthemums and cheery red poinsettia.

I also remember meandering pathways ready to explore-

each

lavishly decorated with blooming "surprises" around every corner.

No matter how blustery cold or snowy it would be in Chicago

our floral hideaway warmed us to the core.

This magical place I speak of is the Garfield Park Conservatory,

in Chicago, Illinois,

home to rare tropical plants

and celebrating...this year...its 100th anniversary!

It has been called by many as Chicago's

botanical gem of "landscape art under glass"

and

is considered as one of our nation's great botanical treasures.

From November 2001 through November 2002 the conservatory hosted

an unforgettable glass exhibition by the world famous Dale Chihuly.

(Click here to view some of the extraordinary pieces exhibited.)

My post this late November day before Thanksgiving

is to honor the priceless memories of a little girl and her "mum"

and to celebrate

the fascination I have grown to nurture as an adult

in botanical art

and

meandering "zen-tangled" pathways.

...Finally,

as an interesting "aside"...

The Dale Chihuly exhibit at the Phoenix Botanical Gardens

here in Arizona has just now opened.

On December 6th I will be participating in a sketch crawl there...

and just like in the "olden days" I'll be

wandering those old meandering "pathways" again...

still looking for "surprises" along the way.

Fascinating how life works out...

isn't it???

"We do not remember days; we remember moments."

~Cesare Pavese, The Burning Brand

"Birds and Napkins..."

This is the final sketch drawn & painted in my workshop last Thursday.

A Bird of Paradise...right there in front of me!

What a joy to find her...she took my artistic breath away!

Bird of paradise (Strelitzia reginae) is a dramatic plant

with distinctive iridescent orange and midnight blue flowers

that resemble an exotic bird peeking out from the broad leaves.

It blooms in autumn, winter and spring.

This flower is often associated with tropical places,

like Hawaii,

but the plant is actually native to South Africa.

It grows wild in the eastern Cape

where it is an important nectar source for birds.

In the United States

it is widely used as an ornamental in Southern California and Florida

It is the official flower of the City of Los Angeles.

It is also commonly used as a cut flower in the florist trade.

(my resource for above info)

This is the first time I ever saw one in a natural habitat.

I can only imagine the stunning beauty of seeing them

growing wild in South Africa.

Ahhh...again Mother Nature surely outdoes herself doesn't she?!

Well...

No philosphical quotation today...just a bit of Bird of Paradise fun!

The holidays are coming...so check this out...

Learn how to fold a napkin like a bird of paradise! Click right here!

(btw...This one's in your honor Soulbrush!)

"A Montage..."

...of more of my artful musings in Nina's Johansson's marvelous Maruman

"Multitude"!

This is my artwork on pages 17-20 of Nina's book.

(Click on images to enlarge.)

My artwork on pages 5-8, posted earlier, can been seen here.

You can also

check out the Maruman_X blogspot for more "goodies"

and any recent updates.

There will still be much more to see and enjoy.

Two books remain to be completed before being sent home to

Anita Davies in England

and

Jennifer Lawson in Bali.

"Spend time every day listening to what your muse is trying to tell you."
~Saint Bartholomew

"Inside the Fruit..."

...Of a Night Blooming Cereus!

This is the first year our cereus has been so productive.

Currently there are 17 pieces of fruit...

(...plus the one on my drawing table which I dissected

specially for the Cactus Monday cause. LOL)
We have had a few tiny pieces of fruit in the past

but

once the birds get wind of the pending feast

everything is picked clean!

This year is indeed different...the fruit is larger, there is more of it,

and nothing appears to be feasting on it.

I wonder what's up???

In doing some research

I ran across a night blooming cereus with red fruit called Pitaya or

Dragon fruit (cool pics here)

which is edible..and supposedly tastes similar to kiwi.

I wonder...

Will mine mature, get larger and eventually turn red?

Hmmm...

Guess there will be

NO snacking for the time being...:)

Have a fruitful Cactus Monday All! :)

"One is wise to cultivate the tree that bears fruit in our soul."
~Henry David Thoreau

"An Autumnal Array..."

...of natural beauty...bedazzled in jeweled tones.

"Where oils lumber...watercolours prance. "

~Doug Mays

"Berries and Leaves..."

...about to burst with splashes of autumnal glory.

These "gifts"

are brought to you courtesy of the one of the

"clump hawthorn" trees

in front of our house back in

Illinois. :)

"You Asked For It..."

...You've got it! :)

My Night Blooming Cereus in full nocturnal symphony,

with

a couple of early morning lingering solo notes

tossed in for good measure!

Enjoy!

Happy Cactus Monday All!
Total Bloom count this time around is 64!

"Inside My Mind..."

...and some more of my art
on pages 20-24
of Jennifer Lawson's little Maruman sketchbook entitled
"Transitions."

My art begins the first four pages
of the "backside " of the sketchbook...
and ends where the bougainvillea vines blend
with Jennifers wild roses.

I chose to include a postcard here because

it was through an international postcard exchange

with Anita Davies

where I started, with baby steps, on the path to "blogdom"...

...and now, just a short while later,

I am here exchanging Maruman sketchbooks with fellow artists!

That is a transition which still takes my breath away.

I chose the Monument Valley region to be on the postcard

not only because

of its "wild west" beauty and universal appeal,

but also because

of its unique location in both Utah and Arizona...

a space transition of monumental proportions to be sure! :)

If you look carefully you will see that

the cactus was painted in various stages of bloom...

The quote:

"Change is the only constant." ~Ghandi

is one of my most favorite...

and has especially helped me bear through many a bump in many a road.

The vines stemming from the bougainvillea branches

are from my imagination...actual "Bougies" don't have them...

Through bits of calligraphy I attempted to illustrate

how transition in its various forms

can be growth...a new beginning

for each of us.

This theme was an interesting challenge...

it went beyond visual pen marks,

and brush stokes,

and choices of color...

into a unique artistic space for me...

and a inspirational transition for sure!

The last full reveal of my work in "Transitions"

will be in tomorrow's post...

Hope you will stop back by for a visit! :)

"She's At It Again...!"

...More Nocturnal Activity...

Showing off 5 of her bloomers to her batty late night friends

for the third time this summer season!
TSK! TSK!

What a "flirt" my Night Blooming Cereus is!

I can tell

she's even lining up more activity for the coming nights...

flower buds are sticking out of her everywhere!

One thing she isn't...is shy!

One thing she is...is the local queen of the night.

Here's a bit of "bling"
left just dangling from one her arms this morning...
some "spent blooms" from her Saturday night out on the town!
Should I "ground" her?
...her life's foundations thus far have been pretty "rocky".
Oooh...but, she is such a pretty child...oooh!
What's a mother to do???

I confess, though, that
I did take a peek inside some of her personal things
in an attempt to try to figure out what makes her tick...
and I think she will be just fine.
It's just one of those "stages" youngsters go through! :)

Happy Cactus Monday All!
May all your cactus children treat you well!

" A Toast..."

...To the unofficial end of a bountiful summer
and
to the fast approaching beginning of a magical fall.

Happy Labor Day weekend, all!
Hope these upcoming days find your art re-energized
and
your spirits happy. :)

Oooh! Almost forgot...
My little travel sketchbook is getting quite full,
and
I can't wait to share it with you...
it will be VERY SOON!
I promise!
WooHoo!

"Imagine..."

...Visualize and Perceive...

Only positive things.

"In the midst of movement and chaos,

keep stillness inside of you."

-Deepak Chopra

For JWS on this day...Love you!

112 Degrees Today...

...Ahhhh...much better!

I "flipped out" again...I'll blame it on the heat!

See the original here.

"Pretty in Pink..."

...A simple Coneflower...

or

Echinacea purpurea...as they say in fancy circles. :)

"Efforted" on specially this night for

my Uncle Skip... :)

Thinking of you with love!

"The Journey..."

...Is the Reward."

-Chinese Proverb

"Sunrise...Sunset..."

...Cactus Mandalas.

I have become addicted.

I cannot help myself.

Everytime I design one of these...

I feel the digital "NEED"...

These "negative" color flips become an anxious anticipation...

A sensual addiction worse than dark chocolate...

Okay,

Not worse than dark chocolate...but verrry, very close.

Think it's time to put me into

Microsoft Digital Editor color rehab???

Funny, NOT!...

"They tried to make me go to rehab......I said No, No, No..."

Amy Winehouse

Happy Cactus Monday All!

May your sunrises and sunsets today be glorious!

And...

Triple Happy Birthday Wishes Today to...

Lexi...in Illinois, who is 5 today,

and to

Joya and Jillian, in Arizona, both turning 6!

WooHoo! :)