"Back To My Moleskine..."

...after spending an exhilarating, and also exhausting,

Labor Day weekend

making & swapping 25 artist trading cards

at Illustrated ATCs.

So...now I guess it's time that I had better

"SNAP" to...cuz my Muse is really a "DRAGGIN' ".

Get it? Snap...draggin'???)

Hehheheh hahahah! :)

Yeah...I know...that was totally lame...:)

“Through humor,

you can soften some of the worst blows that life delivers.

And once you find laughter,

no matter how painful your situation might be,

you can survive it.”
~Bill Cosby

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...:)

"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 Few Peeks Before Packing.."

...up my little Maruman friend
"Journey."

The Maruman International Sketchbook Exchange

will be taking place between 4 artists :

Anita Davies in England,

Nina Johansson in Sweden,

and

Jennifer Lawson and myself

both here in the United States.

This week "Journey" begins her international travel adventures...
Flying
5,427 miles from her home in Arizona
and crossing the deep blue seas of the North Atlantic.
First stamp in her passport....Nina in Sweden.
Ahhh...
What joy and excitement "Journey" must feel!

Wish I could go with her! :)

AND... on this special day...

June 22, 2008...
A Big Happy Birthday Dad! Love You!

"Flying Solo..."

19th Annual Sketch Crawl Today!

However...

I was required to spend the morning in

defensive driving school for a photo radar enforcement

speeding "event"

which clocked me 1 mph over the "legal limit"

on the Loop 101 in Scottsdale

back in May.

Anyway...class was interesting...to say the least.

Hmmm...

So,

since the Phoenix sketch group had already met this morning

at the Heard Museum

I treated my happy little self to lunch at AJ's

"Purveyors of Fine Food."

My solo sketch crawl effort above documents my day

...of which one of the best parts

was a veal bratwurst (grilled outdoors)-yummy, yummy...

and a slice of Cherry Garcia chocolate crust cheesecake

which I am about to savor

directly

after

posting this!

Oh, I almost forgot...

the coconut macaroon was "delish" too...

but that was just a "wee little bit" of a

"snack"! :)

Uh...

Did I "mention" it was 115 degrees in Phoenix today?

That bratwurst wasn't the only thing cookin' out here! :)

"I Miss You..."

Gosh!

Lately, there are some things I have really been missing!

Like green grass, rain, summer flowers, black soil,

my beautiful columbine garden,

and drawing.

Well...

I am on a roll now...

the Maruman_X Project is underway

my fears about starting my book have been squelched

and I am now finding

TIME

to think about this beautiful summer season,

my midwest gardens of the past,

and NEW ART

to make and share with all of you!

This drawing was inspired by a photograph of one of my beautiful

red columbines

and is dedicated to my sister-in-law

Sue

who appreciates the serenity of quiet moments

and is awaiting with hope and courage the

blooming of summer in the beautiful mountains

of her Colorado home.

Sue, I miss you the most!

God Bless!

"Have You Ever Seen A..."

...Opuntia zactanglia imaginnia...?

...A unique species of cacti-born of a prickly pear and a zentangled pen.

Shown during the Day...

bathing in warm sunlight, just soaking in life,

and at Night...

...With sweet moonlight coloring her dreams

And setting her edges aglow! :)

Have a Happy Cactus Monday ...and a glowing Night! :)