"Salvation Happened Today..."

...with the unshackling of my purple coneflowers from their
smothering floral imprisonment!

This feat of strength was accomplished by Scott...
powered by his affinity for garden work
and fueled by
some tedious, labor-intensive work

digging up yards upon yards of overgrown and resistant
lily of the valley.
He was indeed a garden warrior!

For the last few years the lilies have assumed

the reigning monarchy

of my Illinois perennial garden

running rampant over almost anything in their way...

including the lawn,

the coneflowers,
the day lilies,
and the black eyed Susan's!

Today they have indeed met their match in Scott!

The drawing above

reappears here as a revival...all refreshed and renewed...

plucked from the sketchbook garden of
my previously posted art.

I thought it was fitting...especially today...

that she, too,

would once again stand with her real life sister...
free...unencumbered...and
all on her own. :)

“Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others.”
~Buddha

"Full Moonglow..."

...and Mother Nature will paint the Sonoran Desert tonight

gently dressing her

in a palette of silvery blue magic

so soft and serene.

I made my little painting here

by using a base wash

of Chinese White with dabs of iridescent blue

purple, green, and coral DS paint...

then added

lettering and a bit of "border zen" with a silver gel pen...

all to bling out

a small sheet of Strathmore black paper

ripped from my field journal.

Hmmm...

"Ain't nothing like the real thing, baby

Ain't nothing

like the real thing..."

~Marvin Gaye

:)

"This Ancient Talisman..."

...was discovered deep within the Middle Kingdom tomb of

Queen Mar-Gara-Tiri...

the Egyptian Lotus Goddess...

guardian of Water Blossoms which grew profusely

in the ancient river civilizations

of the Near East.

The talisman itself is

in the design of the Udjat Eye...

...and is noted to be one of the most powerful of all talismans in

Ancient Egypt.

The Udjat, once brilliant in color, adorned a fragment of finely woven linen.

This potent charm was used to protect its owner from sickness

and

to provide eternal life in the afterworld.

The linen fragment itself was

found placed within a translucent alabaster carved vessel

which was sealed with a golden cartouche

and bound with

finely woven and intricately plaited papyrus reed fibers.

The reeds were tied with delicate knots

bejeweled in amulets of lapis lazuli, carnelian, and turquoise.

Miniature scrolls written in hieroglyphs

were also found within the alabaster vessel.

They indicated that

Ptah, the Egyptian deity protecting ancient artisans,

had befriended Mar-Gara-Tiri

and became her Muse

showering her with good juju.

It is believed, by many Egyptologists, that vessels like these

were used for watercolor painting

and that the colors painted on the cloth

designated the color palette used by the artist-owner

of the vessel.

Such vessels and their magical contents were buried with female owners

to provide colorful serenity

throughout their journey in the afterlife.

It has been said that whoever gazes upon such an artifact as this will be

inspired in the ways of the ancient artistic ones.

They will be surrounded with a lifetime of

good karma...where Every Day Matters...,

and

that the art produced by each viewer

from that day forward

will have

magical and joyful properties.

"So let it be written...So let it be done."

~Rameses II (Yul Brenner)

The Ten Commandments-1956

Illustration Friday Challenge: Talisman

"A Temple Singer..."

Yesterday, in the mail,

I received and invitation to a Member's Preview

at the Oriental Institute in Chicago

of a special exhibit entitled

MERESAMUN.

Meresamun was a musician-priestess

who worked in the temple of Amun at Karnak 2,800 years ago.

Her mummy and coffin

have been a highlight of the Oriental Institue collection since 1920.

Now,

through the combination of

Egyptology and history her life at home and in the temple

will be unveiled

while

the newest generation of CT scans reveal information about her

health and appearance.

This sounds so cool doesn't it?

Yes, indeedy...

It's times like this I miss my ol' Chicago "stomping grounds"

this I cannot deny.

So

it got me thinking...

maybe a special ancient Egyptian art celebration

"Waterblossoms style"

might just be what the is needed...

Hmmm...

Best stay tuned...:)

"Denial ain't just a river in Egypt."
~Mark Twain

Back in the Midwest

...for a break from the Arizona Heat...
I am illustrating a travel journal of this trip which I shall post when I return to the desert in Arizona.

This is a piece I preposted before my travels...
but is very typical of what I see in Illinois.
The contrasts between the fertile midwest and the desert are blowing my mind.
I have not been back here for at least a year...
AND
my mind has totally forgotton what the color green looks like!
I am absolutely stunned by its rich magnificence!

I guess trips like this are good for the soul...they make you appreciate what you have.

Enjoy your day and the richness in the world around YOU! :)

Oh! One more thing...My sketchbook has arrived in Maine and is with Jennifer Lawson. Thank goodness! She has posted Nina Johannson's gorgeous artwork in my Maruman sketchbook..."Journey" Click here if you woulfd like to take a peek! :)

They're BAA...ACK..."

...My Night Blooming Cereus is at it again...
for the second time this season!

Here is another drawing...
...of another bloom...
...for another Cactus Monday celebration!

Have a great Monday...
AND
take time to enjoy nature's beauty where ever you may be! :)

"Queen of the Night..."

Meet our Night Blooming Cereus!

She currently is laden with close to 100 buds

in various stages of bloom.

Our cactus beauty stands gracefully tall and proud

watching over the front of our house by day

and

wishing us the sweetest of dreams by night.

For the last several nights now

she has "tucked us in" with one spectacular show

after another.

Magically, each night multiple

saucer-sized snowy white blooms, tipped in crimson and green,

slowly open wide to face the black, inky sky,

dazzling the stars and other creatures of the night.

Then, like "fairytale Cinderellas",

they bid a hasty adieu before the light of the coming of dawn

takes a peek of their spectacular glory...

They simply and silently curl up in the light of the new day

their starlit escapade fading to fond memories.

Happy Cactus Monday to each of you...

And the sweetest of dreams to all!

"Hey, Get Down..."

...Let's Boogie Tonight!

Happy Weekend!

EDM #172

Draw Something that Sparkles :)

"I Scream..."

...You scream,

We all scream...for
Ice Cream!

EDM #171
Draw Some Ice Cream

Ooops! I almost forgot...

a special bulletin

for all my loyal Cactus Monday followers...

an update to yesterday's posted weather forecast:

Temps in Phoenix Monday reached a record breaking

110 degrees !

Sizzle, Sizzle...

Now, that's definitely

some really good ice cream eatin' weather!

Introducing..."

...Bountiful, Beautiful Bougainvillea!

Believe it or not...the actual flower of this beauty

is the itsy bitsy tiny WHITE flower

found in clusters of three

surrounded by bracts of wildly bright colors ranging

from pink,

to magenta,

to purple,

to red,

to orange,

and even white or yellow!

"Sha-zaaam!"

Bougainvillea

are fabulous, though thorny...I have scratches to prove it...

and,

like true show girls of the old west,

they display their vibrant magenta ruffles,

fluttering with the breezes,

dancing in my yard,

and decorating my sketchbook.

Ta-Daaa!

"105 Years Ago.."

Echinocactus damsii

Inspired by the original Schumann botanical print drawn in 1903.

Drawn by me, over a century later, with Prismacolor pencils

in my new

Strathmore Black Field Drawing Book.

Now,

how's that for a

Happy Cactus Monday ?!