"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

:)

"Stepping Out..."

...of my artistic comfort zone

in an attempt to "urbanize" my art focus a bit.

It is also one of my 2009 art goals. :)

Well...

this little "piece" was left in the back seat of our car by an

auto tech who was working on it.

We didn't notice the gun

until we were clear across the valley at a shopping mall

and went to place our purchases

on the back seat.

(Here in Arizona car windows are darkly tinted

due to the intense sun...so seeing it

through the side windows

was next to impossible...obviously.)

Never even thought to look in the back seat

when the car was picked up...never even thought of that!

Sooooo...what the HECK

was a gun doing in our back seat in the first place???

Well...

we would soon find out...after a few phone calls.

And, of course, in the meantime

before we returned it...I felt it just had to be drawn.

However...

midway through my drawing,

my imagination got the better of me,

and

I felt compelled to google the gun.

I launched myself into "CSI trainee mode"...and found out that

this particular gun was luckily "only" a pellet gun

(and that the bag of white "pill like things" were not drugs, but pellets.)

The very surreal part of this though

was that the gun was

the same exact model style and specs

of the Walther P99 semi automatic pistol used by military

and law enforcement around the world.

On top of that, I found that

Walther also created several limited editions of the P99

including the MI-6 (James Bond)

a marketing tie-in with the new James Bond movies! Wowza!

So now...

my little artistic journey "into the urban jungle"

had instantly, by the click of a mouse,

became one that was

interlaced with espionage and

international intrigue.

My pen now hatched over my sketchbook pages

with a new energy and sense of adventure.

How artistically exhilarating!

And...yes,

to make a long story short...

heads rolled at the dealership and apologies were profuse.

"Move out of your comfort zone.

You can only grow if you are willing to feel

awkward and uncomfortable

when

you try something new."
~Brian Tracy

"The Final Two..."

cards (#5 and #6) in my ancient Chinese floral design

ATC card set

are now completed...

..all "dragon stamped" and everything!

"Nothing is so fatiguing

as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task."
~William James

"Eleanor, the "Art Elf"..."

...gifted my twin nieces

with their very first illustration journals

this past Christmas.

Since then...

both Jillian and Joya have been happily drawing all the wonderful

everyday things that matter

to an active six year old girl.

Their journals go with them everywhere!!!

This week was a biggie...

mom and dad's anniversary...

dad's birthday...

and even a crayon Cactus Monday piece by Aunt Peg!

Enjoy!

This last photo really recaps our happy night...

A fancy desert...

journals in hand...and crayons strewn about the table.

You have just gotta love it! :)

I wonder if "Eleanor" is watching! LOL :)

“Every child is an artist.

The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.”
~Pablo Picasso

"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

"Sun Shield..."

...#5 in my Sunlight ATC series.

“For an impenetrable shield, stand inside yourself”
~Henry David Thoreau

"A Dancing Sundala..."

...#4 in my Sunlight ATC series. :)

"A friend is someone who dances with you in the sunlight,

And walks with you in the shadows."

~Author Unknown

"Saving the Ta-Tas..."

...at breakfast Monday morning.

Our favorite little "local hangout" for breakfast,
burger basket lunch specials,
scrumptious "homemade from scratch" desserts,
and their infamous Friday night fish fry is
"Martin's"
a family owned and operated business...
located in Sun Village right here in Surprise, Arizona.
Last Monday, a day they are normally closed...
Martin's hosted their first ever
"Breakfast for the Cure."
Food was generously donated by suppliers for the event...
and the wait staff and kitchen staff
not only worked on their day off...but worked only for tips.
The atmosphere was exuberant and joyful...and celebratory!
The place was packed...and decorated in pink...
and even though wait time was bit longer than usual
everyone had a smile on their face
and a glow to their spirit...:)
The positive energy level that day was beyond supersonic!
(I even got a bit weepy it was so exhilarating.)
Susan , the owner and one fabulous baker, and her sister Peggy
partake in the 3-day breast cancer
"Walk for the Cure" yearly.
Proceeds from the breakfast,
as well as generous bids made on each and every one
of the numerous silent auction items,
made the day a stand out!
I get the "happy chills"
thinking about the power of small community coming
together for a worthy cause and making such a
powerful impact.
Days like this are "what it is all about"!

This piece was sketched with a borrowed ballpoint
on the back of a pink silent auction flyer
...taken down from the wall...
(It didn't even cross my mind to bring my sketchbook...really!)
first...on my lap...no backing board...while waiting for our table...
and then continued
while drinking coffee awaiting our food.
I used colored pencil at home to refine details
and improve the readability of my
jiggly lap lettering and lines.
A copy will be given of the drawing and this post
to both Susan and Peggy
sometime today...
as I definitely foresee a vision of a burger basket
on the lunchtime horizon!

Why not help save the "Ta-Tas" Worldwide!???!!!
Click here or here for information. :)

"You give but little
when you give of your possessions.
It is when you give of yourself that you truly give."
~Kahlil Gibran

"An Oldie...

...But a Goodie"...

originally posted last year...

for Earth Day 2008...
...and making her comeback today...by special request...
to wish each of you a Happy April!
And that's No Foolin! :)

"April comes like an idiot, babbling and stewing flowers."
~Edna St. Vincent Millay

"The Zen of Three..."

...Zendala ATC cards, that is...(Yep! It's another new series!)

“I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion.

These three are your greatest treasures.”
~Lao Tzu

"Roll Out the Barrels...!

...Happy Cactus Monday all!

May each of you have a barrel of fun today!

"Never pick a fight with people who buy ink by the barrel."

~William J. Clinton

"Layers and Threads..."

...Woven together by pen...then stamped with calligraphy..

...Cards #3 and #4

of my Chinese floral design ATC set.

“We all should know that diversity

makes for a rich tapestry,

and

we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry

are equal in value

no matter what their color.”
~Maya Angelou

"The Intersection Of..."

...Main Street and Brown...

right outside Bischoff's Shades of the West

in Old Town Scottsdale...

...wild, wonky, and whimsical...just like this drawing!

The area is a

riotous conglomeration of color, tourist attractions, shops, food, art,

music, carriage rides, trinkets, and treasures...

and it is all dressed up

in "old west kitch" with a splash of contemporary savvy

and a hint of old Mexican soul!

Drawn "lead free" while waiting for Scott.

"The traveler sees what he sees,

the tourist sees what he has come to see."
~G. K. Chesterton

"Really Wired..."

...all over my chest with sticky pads...electrodes attached...

...a gown "open to the front"...

waiting for my cardio stress echo to begin...

each resting heartbeat monitored

while

juggling my illustration watercolor journal in my lap,

...lines being drawn all funky and askew

with a pen running out of ink.

The sketch was made "lead free"...drawn in under 10 minutes...

and with no real pressure...right?! :)

It was then

painted at home..."barefoot, braless and blissful"...

with my BP back to normal...

on a gorgeous, but windy, sunny Arizona day

while

watching the NCAA "Sweet Sixteen" Basketball coverage on TV

broadcasted from the Cardinal's Stadium

in Glendale Arizona.

Last, of course,

the image had to be "digitally" flipped here...

just to go along with the theme of my totally high tech digital exam...

and...

"just because" it's fun...(the exam...not so much!)

"The goal of life is to make your heartbeat

match the beat of the universe,

to match your nature with Nature."
~Joseph Campbell

"Mission accomplished...in a heartbeat!"

~Me :)

"Waiting...X 2..."

Two different days...

Two different Doctors...both on time...

Two locations on opposites sides of the valley...

Two weeks apart.

Two sketches...one journal spread...

Spending too much time waiting?

NOPE...

just not getting enough waiting time to sketch! :)

"How much of human life is lost in waiting."
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

"A Bit of LOVE..."

...written in Chinese calligraphy

on a little bitty ATC card...

...The first in the "China Bloom" series...:)

I cannot stop designing these little treasures...

My brain does not turn off...

It is playing full speed and overtime in Fantasyland!

The "plan", as it now stands, is to design several series of cards...

with six cards to a series.

After that...I don't quite know what I will do with them!

(Some may be sent to Zazzle and made into cards or stickers...???)

Several people have offered to trade...

and I see that to be a wonderful summer possibility!

So...Stay tuned, if interested...:)

You can see all of them all here on Flickr...

Or, as a series...with # of cards completed thus far below:

Sunlight Series...3/6 completed

Branching Out Series...6/6 completed

Ancient Floral Design...2/6 completed

Desert Whimsy...2/6 completed

Time Zones...1/6 completed

China Blooms...1/6 completed

Blooming Desert...4/6 completed...1 gifted

"I like nonsense,

it wakes up the brain cells.

Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living,

It's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope.

Which is what I do,

And that enables you to laugh at life's realities."
~Dr. Seuss

"Resting Buddha..."

...inspired by Serena's statue in Australia

(see the actual photo here)

and reinterpreted here as the Illustration Friday challenge:

"Legendary."

“Look famous.

Be legendary.

Appear Complex. Act easy.

Radiate presence.

Travel light.

Seem a dream. Prove real.”

~Author Unknown

"Happy 50th Birthday Serena...You Go Girl!!..."

~Me :)

"Cactus ATC Fun..."

"Artists

are just children

who refuse to put down their crayons."

~Al Hirschfeld

Have a blissful Cactus Monday...use ALL your colors today!

"New ATCS..."

...inspired by ancient Chinese floral design

and stamped

with a red dragon for a bit of fiery punch.

"The man who fights too long against dragons

becomes a dragon himself."
~Friedrich Nietzsche

"SURPRISE...!!!..."

...hey there, "SISTA"!!!

...an award from the "Queen of Blogging Soul" herself...

Soulbrush in London...
WooHoo!!!...How fun is this???!!!

And then...arriving last Monday via "snail mail"...

...was a delightfully lovely Cactus Monday ATC surprise

( L*O*V*E !!!)

received from Laurel at Studio Lolo.

She individually designed a special little 'Somethin' something"

for each

tried and true Cactus Monday

participant!

Now I ask you...how cool is that!!!???!!!

“The moments of happiness we enjoy take us by surprise.

It is not that we seize them,

but that they seize us.”
~Ashley Montagu

"...Ain't Life Grand !???"

~Me