Tuesday, February 9, 2010

"Just To Double Your Pleasure ..."


...and to double my fun...
I'm posting two bitty hearts today...
Instead of just one! :)
These two ATC cards were made especially
for my two 7-year old twins nieces
for Valentine's day!
♥♥
"Happy Blooming Tuesday" everyone!!
May your hearts also bloom with
"double extra" joy
today!
♥♥♥♥
"The greatest treasures
are those invisible to the eye
but
found by the heart."
~Author Unknown

Monday, February 8, 2010

"You Won't Believe This..."..."


...but according to the
ultra newest update of the world famous
Wripley's Believe it or Not
Guide to Unique and Odd Cacti...Volume III
published right here in
Surprise Arizona...
(actually, just yesterday, as a matter of fact)
a brand spankin' new species of cactus was found!
Cacti aficionados from the Tucson area
are calling it the
"Lemony Prickly Pear Heartissimus Cacti Grande."
Amazing isn't it???
And there's more...get this...
would you believe that I just happened to
spot one...??!!
AND
as quickly to my ATC cards as I could fly
was able to capture it
in all it's Valentine Week magnificence
(during both the day AND the night!)
for your ultimate viewing pleasure
this beautiful Cactus Monday.
And it's all right here on my blog...
no need to even buy the book!
Imagine that!
I can hardly believe it either...!!!:)
You just never know
these days!
May you be surprised
by some wonderfully unbelievable events
today too!

"Nothing is so unbelievable
that oratory cannot make it acceptable."
~Marcus Tullius Cicero
Ancient Roman Lawyer,
Writer, Scholar, Orator and Statesman,
106 BC-43 BC

Sunday, February 7, 2010

"Last Year..."

...I artistically
celebrated the week before Valentine's Day
with a series of hearts I called
the "Black Heart" series.
The were heavily zentangled and very tatoo-like.
(You can check out the whole series here.)
This year...
I am looking forward
to celebrating with a week of "Lemony Hearts"
the palettes of which are inspired
by the luscious "lemony yellow" lemons on our tree.
This first piece
was drawn lead free in my zen journal...
and...
as you will see...
became the theme of many of the pieces to follow.
I hope you, in turn,
will look forward to seeing all of them.
Stay tuned...:)

Do you know the land where the lemon-trees flower?
~
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“The farther backward
you can look,
the farther forward you are likely to see.”
~Winston Churchill

Friday, February 5, 2010

"Tooled Leather..."


...the more it is
used...the more beautiful
it becomes.
Maybe that is true of all of our talents.
Listen to this...
When we first moved to Arizona in 2004...
I attended an art exhibit at the
West Valley Art Museum in Surprise.
It was a small exhibit...lots of room to
mingle and mix.
The featured artist was the legendary Bob Brown
nicked named by Norman Rockwell
as the "Leonardo of Leather."
He made saddles and chaps and gun belts and
a whole host of
other gorgeous art pieces in leather.
Many famous movie stars commissioned his work.
Bob chatted openly with me that day...
what a delight he was.
A wide smile pierced his weathered tanned face...
his eyes were soft and kind
and knowingly they peeked into my artistic heart.
His enormous hands were gnarled
yet nimble and agile...almost graceful.
His words were humble.
He spoke like a common man...not as the "rock star"
that he truly was.
He spoke of the west as it once was...
telling stories about real cowboys
yet
weaving in sweet anecdotes
sparkling with the fantasy of the legends and lore
of old Hollywood.
It was such a pleasurable and memorable event.
He seemed invincible.
That very day
I purchased a museum poster of Bob's work
which he graciously signed
and
dedicated to both Scott and I.
It became the first piece of western art
in our new home.
That print still hangs on the wall in our study...
right above my computer desk.
I look at it every day while
I await the computer to boot up.
My mind has become magically infused by his
gorgeous patterns and designs.
Today, 6 years after meeting Bob
and
after painting these simplistic ATC pieces
I began
the routine process of posting them
on my blog.
Then to my utter surprise
while looking for a link to Bob's work I discovered
that the 95 year old "Leonardo of Leather"
passed away in his sleep
in 2005...
a mere year, to the month, after I had spoken to him...
and he held my hands in his.
That fact sobered me like a slap in the face.
He was an American masterpiece...
a national treasure
unlike any
other.
I thought it fitting to pay him a tribute here
on my post...
from both the artistic Muse side of me
and
from the emotional spiritual side
deep in my heart.
With soulful admiration I salute Bob Brown...
for he was a man who lived his life
doing
what he loved to do.
We should all do that...and become better
because we used our talents.

A most interesting bio of Bob Brown
and
a listing of some of his more famous works
can be found here.
It is well worth every second of reading.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

"A Tribal Heart..."

...with a soulful South African heartbeat
peers out across the seas to a blog network friend
in the U.K. who is celebrating a
"Happy Birthday" today!
(Yes, Joss! It's YOU! ...AND...this heart is winging it's way to you as I write!)

“Call it a clan,
call it a network, call it a tribe,
call it a family:
Whatever you call it, whoever you are,
you need one.”
~Jane Howard

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

"Totally Lost..."

but totally wrapped up in it...
was what I felt like
after watching the beginning of the end
of "Lost"
on television last night.
Wow!
I have sooo many theories....How about you?

“Not until we are lost
do we begin to understand ourselves.”
~Henry David Thoreau

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

"The Midnight Skies..."

...these past few nights
have been set abloom in a soft indigo glow
lit by our latest, seemingly "humongous", full moon.
Known as the "Wolf Moon"
this name was given the first full moon in January
by Native Americans.
You can read
all about the names and the mystique
of the rest of the year's
full moons here.
Isn't it beautiful to see something we consider so familiar
blossoming in a brand new light.
Mmmm!
Mother Nature certainly can put on a show!
Happy Blooming Tuesday and night all!

Monday, February 1, 2010

"My Cactus Monday Ideas..."

...have certainly gone down the drain this week...:)
Actually,
I find manhole covers quite fascinating...
so does Tommy Kane...
check out his manhole photo collection here
his blog here and his website here!
(Pssst...in case you can't tell...I am a HUGE fan of his!)
Happy Cactus Monday all...
watch where you step...art is everywhere! :)

Sunday, January 31, 2010

"A Few More For Haiti..."


Yesterday
a "little birdie" by the name of
Miss Claire
left a comment on my blog
informing me that Laure would love to reach
a goal of 100 Art Hearts for Haiti.
Awesome!
and
these two hearts posted today
for the cause.
There may still be time to join us...
depending on when you are reading this...
The new e-mail deadline is tonight
at midnight!
Think about it...:)
Click the "Art Hearts for Haiti" button
on my side bar for info...:)

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Friday, January 29, 2010

"Seeing Clearly..."

"A mind at peace,
a mind centered and not focused on harming others,
is stronger
than any physical force in the universe."
~Wayne Dyer
Illustration Friday: "Focused"

Thursday, January 28, 2010

"Bountiful Bits of Beauty..."

...beginning with two dazzling zentangle designs
from Debi in Illinois...
...BTW...Click on any image to enlarge it...:)

...and another zentangle from Lela in Utah...

...and, yet one more, from Robin in Alabama...

...an elegant origami Asian vase AND...
...an origami peace dove from Carey in California...
...a rockin' intuitive portrait from Sal in Canada...
...some funky cool retro art from Deb in the U.K....
...a sweet mama bird zentangle from Debi in Illinois...
...two delicate watercolor custom cards
from Sabrina in Canada...
...a juicy kiwi in colored pencil from Julie in Texas...
...a colorful landscape inspired by the movie Avatar
from Bonnie in Pennsylvania...
...a 3:3 awesome custom trade from Annie in New York...
...my Illustrated ATCs mandala swap goodies from
Kathryn in North Carolina, Tim in Belgium,
and Linda in Australia...
...a gorgeous zentangled raffle prize won from
Sandra in Oregon...and her new blog...
(a new raffle is featured here...check it out!)
...a delicate lacy monarch from Lucie in Canada...
...and lastly, but most recently,
a magical mandala ATC from Elina in Finland.
Beautiful aren't they???
My heart burst with thanks and gratitude
for being able
to both trade and receive
such spirited and heartfelt bits of artwork
from
all over the world.
Hopefully, you might find a bit of time here and there
to visit the wonderful art websites
of these artists. :)

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

"All Swapped Out..."




...my contribution of 4 art cards
for the
January 2010 Mandala ATC Swap at Illustrated ATCs.
(3 were for the actual trade/swap...
plus one extra as optional hostess "ThankYou" card.)
What a fun event!
I will show the cards I received tomorrow.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

"Another Tropical Fantasy..."

...inspired by my
"need to be trimmed badly" bougainvillea! :)
The pink "leaves" are not the bloom...they are called bracts.
The blooms are actually very tiny
and found within a cluster of several bracts.
Pssst...I took total artistic liberty here to just have fun with
my inspiration and play. :)
Have an inspirational blooming Tuesday!

Monday, January 25, 2010

" A Talking Treasure..."

...from a post in the distant past.
For some reason,
while fiddling around in my art files last night,
this flipped image appeared...
then
actually spoke to me...
and said
"I want to be 'dusted off' for a another Cactus Monday post."
So, I agreed...:)
I am such a pushover...:)
Plus, I didn't have a new piece finished yet!
SHHH Don't tell anyone...:)

Happy Cactus Monday All!

Sunday, January 24, 2010

"A Mystic Spiral..."


...drawn lead free in my Zen Journal...
and, of course, flipped
digitally...:)
My design is inspired by North African
henna patterns
and was colored in the rich palette
of the desert Southwest.

For [man], no circle is ever closed.
We walk ever in spirals.”
~
R. Scott Bakker

Saturday, January 23, 2010

"Put Your HEART Into It..."

...and let your artistic Muse play...:)
Make it a family event!
The most simple of art tools can design
a HEART felt artwork to help the people of Haiti.
Just pencil and paper...add color for fun...Think about it.
Click on
the "Art Hearts for Haiti" badge
on my side bar
for project specifics.
There is still time to play...and it's so simple to do.
Why not put your HEART into it!? :)

Friday, January 22, 2010

"Art Hearts For Haiti...#1..."

The heart of a devastated country needs life support.
We can help.
Collectively, as a group of artists,
we can hold
her people gently in our hearts.
We can attempt to mend
lovingly, with the simple tools of an artist,
the
jagged gaping wounds of poverty.
We can
replant seeds of HOPE and LOVE and FAITH
deep
into the spirits of a shattered people.
We can nourish these seeds with kindness and light,
...with inspiration...
and with the exuberant joy of our art.
We can hope,
with all of our collective hearts...
that there will be that one fabulous day,
when the art we have shared might
encourage sprouts of
new growth...green, fresh, and full of innocence...
awaiting a moment in time to bloom
into bountiful trees of life...
with sturdy branches...and glorious leaves...
and strong, independent, and deeply planted roots.
We can do so very, very much...
Ahhh...
yes, we certainly can...:)

Won't you join us?
It's so very simple...just
click on the "Art Hearts for Haiti" badge
on my sidebar.

"There is no pebble so small
that it won't make ripples when tossed
into a body of water."
~Charles Peck

Thursday, January 21, 2010

"(be)Thankful (this)Thursday..."

...and generous, too!
Join with other artists and share your
(he)art
for a worthy cause.
Click here for details...
Deadline is January 29th, 2010.
All it takes is a bit of your Muse's time
and
few artistic waves of the old magic wand.
...I will post my heart tomorrow...:)

“Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can, in all the ways you can,
...In all the places you can,
At all the times you can, to all the people you can,
...As long as ever you can.”
~John Wesley (1703-1791)

“If you can't feed a hundred people, then just feed one.”
~Mother Teresa

“We make a living by what we get,
but we make a life
by what we
give.”
~Winston Churchill