A Book of Flowers...

Above is the 

 pencil layout of my art in my friend Barb's book...

Judy's work is on the pages to the left.

 Now...getting ready to play with paint!!!!

 Voila!

The pages in order above are Barb's, Judy's, then mine.

 A close up of my pages...and then

...the formal scan.

This book was exchanged in June

with my art girlfriends in our local art studio in Arizona.

It is part of the
Maruman Japanese fold ZIA sketchbook

exchange I am in.

As you might notice by the calendar above

that

I am trying to catch up with

all my art postings.

Sorry for all the timeline bobbles...:)

Click on any image to enlarge.

“To achieve great things, two things are needed;

a plan,

and not quite enough time.”

~Leonard Berstein

A Thistle...

and a hummingbird...

a card

specially requested by an artist friend in

New Zealand.

"There are no days in life

so memorable

as those which vibrated

to some stroke of the imagination."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Shoe Book...

...and every gal should have one!

Above are photos of my flip flop shoe pages in

Judy's shoe themed Maruman.

See... I really do own a pair of these!

Is it time to go home yet?

I keep clicking these damn shoes, but nothing happens.”

~Robin Hecht

Some More Telly Sketches...

"What do drawings mean to me?

I really don't know.

The activity absorbs me.

I forget everything else

in a way

that

I don't think happens with any other activity..."

 ~John Berger

Zen Play...

...fidding and diddling with some

new pattern options

while watching the telly...

and filling in some blank spaces in my

Zen calendar sketchbook.

“To understand is to perceive patterns.”
~Isiah Berlin

A Stardust Seeded Pod...

truly...a unique "star finder"...

made especially for you by my artistic Muse.
Supposedly it is perfect for

viewing the big meteor shower this weekend.

According to msnbc.com:

"The Perseid meteor shower peak

occurs Saturday night through Monday night.

The best viewing conditions will be Saturday night,

with a forecast of clear skies.

According to space.com,

up to 100 "shooting stars" per hour

will be visible Saturday night.

Start looking after sunset, especially in the northeast sky.

The meteors are easier to see after 10 p.m.,

with ideal viewing between 3 a.m. and 5:30 a.m.,

which are the darkest hours before dawn.

Viewing away from city lights

will triple the number of meteors you can see...

Increasing your chances of seeing

100 per hour.

You can help NASA

by letting them know how many meteors you count,

and there's an app for that.

Download the free app, "Meteor Counter"

on your iPhone or Android.

It will guide you through the counting process,

and turn in your findings to NASA."

Personally...

I think I may just keep it simple

and merely gaze upward in awe...just like I do

almost every single night.

I will let Mother Nature take its course...

no apps needed...

and let her shower me with some soul filling

deep "ahhhs" and dreamy "mmmmms".

"For my part

I know nothing with any certainty,

but the sight of the stars

makes me dream."

~Vincent Van Gogh

My ZIA Sketchbook Exchange...

It all began one day this past February when I taught a

Zentangle Inspired Art (ZIA) class

at my local Art Club.

 A good time was had by all...and as a result

ten of us decided we would enjoy

exchanging sketchbooks

with each other.
We decided we would complete two pages
in each others book
 and then pass the book to the next artist in line.

Pictured above are several of the group members

who were present the day

of our first exchange April 16th, 2012

We chose to use the

wonderful Maruman Japanese fold sketchbooks

for our exchange.

Japanese fold sketchbooks expand like an accordian

and are fabulous for this type of

a communal exchange.

I love the size and paper quality so much better

than the Moleskine Japanese fold books.

The Maruman books

have

a nicely toothed paper

which can take a lovely watercolor wash and

are simply delightful to work in.

I highly recommend them.

We bought ours online from Jerry's Artarama.

We each chose a theme for our books.

My theme is a

Zen Inspired Imaginary Garden

filled with luscious flowers drawn larger than life

and filled with

rich patterns and textures.

We made little instruction pages for

each artist to follow.

The tags above and below are the guidelines for

my book.

Click on any of these images to enlarge.

My pages also had a little fold out piece

with an inspirational quote attached.

 Above is a photo of my first pages in my own book
with the quote showing...

and...

...here are the pages with the quotation flap folded down...:)

The last photo is of the back cover of my book,

 the little packet of instruction guidelines for my book,

and

the ribbon tie to hold it all together.

Sooo...
to bring the project up to speed...

we are now on our fifth round of exchanges...actually

it will be taking place this Friday in Arizona.

I will post all of

my art in my friends books in the next few weeks.
The themes each artist has chosen
and
 their finished pages are simply wonderful.
There is soooo much good art

going on here...

and I am lovin' absolutely every

minute of it!
Mmmmmmm !  :)

“In art...
the hand can never execute anything higher
than the heart can inspire.”

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Keeping Track...

A bit of zen inspired illos

in my

"Tangle-a-Day

calendar.

A whole bunch of us in the art club

purchased these little books this spring

after seeing those of my Canadian friends

Lise and Evelyn.

The idea behind the book

 is to learn a different tangle each day...

and

document it in the space provided.

At first...that is what I attempted to do...

but, alas, my interest level waned and my over zealous Muse

stepped in and took control.

She saw the beautifully illustrated daily journal

my art friend Barb W. was making

and pushed me into keeping

a tangled version

 of a daily journal...as mundane as my daily

life encounters may be.

Actually this suites me sooooo much better...

just don't let my muse know

I told you.

Sometimes, she gets a bit testy...hee hee!

All entries are drawn ink straight in...lead free.

Click on images to enlarge...:)

“When my journal appears, many statues must come down.”

~Arthur Wellesley 

An Elven Princess...

...the full reveal of Matt's moleskine...as promised.:)

The first photo is my completed spread...

the second photo is the transition

page between Audrey's art

and mine.

The third photo is the whole enchilada...

only one more artist to go before she returns home to Matt

in September.

Here is a bit of the back story to my pages:

She is an elven princess

of transformation and growth...

and

she is holding in her hand a crystal orb

reflecting the rebirth of Audrey's "heavenly phoenix"

from a ball of flames.

 She also brings with her

the magical auras of the changing seasons

as well as

the mysteries and starlight wonders of nightfall

to the elven forest lands.

Please click on images to enlarge...

especially the last one.

“The magic is inside you. There ain’t no crystal ball.”

~Dolly Parton

Yep...Another Work In Progress...:)

These are some working photos

I took while designing

my 4 page spread in Matt's Elven themed moleskine.

This is for a international sketchbook project which

I am involved in over at

Illustrated ATCs.

Feel free to click on images to enlarge them.

Here's a bit of the process:

After deciding on my artistic direction

and

how I will link my art with the artist before me...

(which takes quite a bit of thought and time) 

I jump in and add

my first layer in pencil...

usually on blank printer paper first...

then, after I am satisfied with my decision,

into the actual moleskine itself.

 The next layer involves the inking of my illustration...

scary, but great fun...no place for erasures!

This is shown in the first photo above.

After that, I begin working with my color palette...

blocking in colors here and in the book.

Once that process is complete

I begin to lay in the color in the book...

and for me...that's

 when all the magic begins to happen.

I will post the final reveal of my work here for you

tomorrow...

Come on back

for a peek if you are out and about.

:) 

“If you reveal your secrets to the wind

you should not blame the wind

for revealing them

to the trees.”

~Kahlil Gibran

One Thousand...

...velvety black starry nights

decorated with artistic dreams.

1000 desert days

brimming with a sea of endless possibilities.

One thousand chances to stretch and feed my imagination.

1000 art works,

uploads,

and commentaries.

One thousand opportunities to share my world

and my Muse's view of it.

1000!!!

My! The time seems to have flown by.

Who would have ever thought

it a possibility

when

I

took my first step in this blogging journey of mine.

Thanks to each of you

for stopping by and being there...

whether it be popping in for a minute...

or staying around for awhile.

1000 times over...

I am indeed so very grateful

we have met and that our artistic paths have crossed

My world is richer because you are all in it!

XOXO times 1000!

:)

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step."

~Lao Tzu

HABOOB!

One may as well stir in a hearty

"Haboob-bala...Mischkoo-bala"...and an "Abracadabra" too!

 It is extremely fascinating to me how

this billowing brew of desert dust

quickly becomes

a visual feast for hungry desert photographers!

(Myself, included...)

Yes,

'tis the season

of the amazing Arizona monsoons!

(Click on images to enlarge...)

“You may write me down in history

With your bitter, twisted lies,

You may trod me in the very dirt

But still, like dust, I'll rise.”

~Maya Angelou 

A Little Midnight Magic...

...artist trading card style.
This year

I have be making lots of art...I really have...really.
But...
for some reason though
my late night midnight art mojo
has not translated well into daily energetic
blog updates.
I apologize to all of you for that...
I cannot even offer any concrete reasons why either.
I just know it is happening.
It is my intent to become a more faithful
partner...
and not let our artistic good times fade away.
Hang in there with me...
I feel that soon that old familiar art magic
we once shared
will soon reenergize me when I least
expect it.
My fingers and toes are doubly crossed.
:)

“That's the thing with magic.
You've got to know it's still here, all around us,
or it just stays invisible for you.”

~Charles de Lint

"The Visitors..."

Above is the finished spread

of the WIP (Work In Progress) I posted yesterday.
You can click on image to enlarge...:)

And below is the back story

to accompany the art.

I attached a copy of the story to the backside
of my spread.

This book has only two more artists to go

before it returns home to

Elaine

in New Zealand.

And, now...the story:

Behind the “Back Of Beyond”…

floating above and between

all that is known and yet to be known…

is a sacred place

where

“Those Who Came Before All" live.

These beings are like no other.

Invisible and ethereal

they appear merely for an instant

as a

twinkle in the mind’s eye.

On occasion

they might visit human life forms

in the mysterious guise of

“Deja Vous”.

They dance on velvety black skies

creating shimmering auroras

and twinkling stars.

They slide through slivers of time

leaving stardust trails

in their wake.

They bring gifts of

imagination, inspiration, insight,

and

individuality

to those who are ready to receive.

They expertly guide newcomers to the

lands past the

“Back of Beyond”.

Cloaked in rainbow hued mists,

they have been known to reveal themselves

in the presence of

collaborative artistic promise.

And…such a spectacular event

has, indeed, occurred.

Hence…

let it be written

on this warm summer’s eve

that I,

Margaret Storer Roche,

an appointed rememberancer

of the years 200-230 of the Flutterby era,

have artistically documented

the appearance of these magical visitors

for all to remember

now

and for all of the time yet to come.

...And, Yet, Another WIP...

..."Work In Progress".

This time it is my 4 page spread in Elaine's

Japanese Fold Moleskine.

Elaine's theme is "People of the Village"...

who live in a special and unique place

"past the back of beyond".

In her own words Elaine wanted to create a place that

" is not on any map...

 it has attracted the type of individuals who are very individual

and haven’t found a fit anywhere else."

She was hoping for

"A great mix of fun characters –

from your imagination, fiction, mythology, sci-fi, real life –

hippies, different nationalities, occupations.

Characters can be humanoid or animals.

Anything goes except morbid."

Above is my start...tomorrow I will post the finished page.
Please click on any image to enlarge it.
Pop on back for a peek...

I promise

I will be here.:)

Happy 90th Birthday, Dad!

90 years!

What a treat and a privilege for me...

to have you hold my hand as I walked by your side

down life's pathways...

for most of them!

Happy, Happy Day, Dad...with love to you from me. :)

"If you are seeking creative ideas, go out walking.

Angels whisper to a man

when he

goes for a walk."

~Raymond Inmon

The Long...

 ...and short of it...

Above are a few of the watercolored bookmarks I made

as art favors

for the 18 participants in my

Whimsical Watercolor Botanical Design class

Thursday, June 7th 2012

held in our local art club studio here in Arizona.

Click on any image to enlarge if you like...:)

 We worked on leaves in the morning ...

 ...then we all took a break for lunch and ice cream cones...

 ...and designed whimsical watercolor flowers in the afternoon. :)

My students...new friends...Studio 2...and lots of smiles.

Wheee!

"Every child is an artist.

The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up."

~Pablo Picasso

"As Promised..."

..the final reveal of my 4 page watery green-blue spread

in Jen's rainbow themed Moly.
Please click on any image for better viewing...:)
In a spark of simultaneous serendipity

 as I posted this today

 (...just a bit after the noon time hour in

blazing hot Arizona...)

Jan is in flight crossing the Great Barrier Reef off the Australian

coast.

Next stop...for both this book and my girlfriend...

is New Zealand.

Both my art and my dear friend are really seeing

the world in all its glory.

Life is...
as it should be...:)

Another Work In Progress...:)

Just a couple of peeks of my 4 page spread in Jen's

rainbow themed Moly.

My color was

green!

This book is part of the international G8 Moleskine exchange

I am in over at Illustrated ATCs.

As of this past Saturday this book is

en route from the burning hot Arizona desert to

art studio of Elaine in New Zealand.

My dear friend Jan was also en route to NZ Saturday...

but due to a delayed flight out of Chicago...

her Qantas connection was missed!

She will try again tonight.

An adventure? or and Inconvenience?

Knowing Jan...it will be a memorable adventure!

I wonder who will arrive first???

Please click on images for detail.

I will post the full reveal of the final pages

tomorrow...I Promise!

For Jan:

"An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered.

An inconvenience

is only an adventure wrongly considered."

G.K. Chesterton