An In Flight Illo...

...letting my mind wander and dream as we flew

over the quilt like ranches and farmlands of the central plains...

a "no holds barred" peek at some

imperfect pen dancing.

“Dreams are illustrations...from the book your soul is writing about you.”

~ Marsha Norman

Part One of a Double Page Spread...

...drawn in my Illinois travel sketchbook
while waiting to board our flight from Phoenix Sky Harbor

to Chicago ORD.

One of the joys of carrying a sketchbook is that 

one has a constant companion

and

time really flies by!

"Calling O'Hare an airport

is like calling the Queen Elizabeth II a boat.”
~ Andrew H. Malcom

A Mirror Image...

...and some floral play...designed with a reverse batik effect to
celebrate the 11th birthday of
my lovely twin nieces

Joya and Jillian.

What joyful delight you bring to our lives...
you make our hearts sing and and our spirits dance!
My love to each of you...xoxo

"Our birthdays are feathers in the broad wing of time."
~Jean Paul Richter

Fly Away With Me...

...as I travel from the magical desert southwest

to the "green green grass of home"

complete

with a beautiful July "Thunder Moon" Sycamore style!

“The night walked down the sky with the moon in her hand.”

~Frederic Lawrence Knowles

Rest in Peace...my dear aunt

GRETCHEN EVELYN STORER

     On Tuesday, June 25, 2013,

Gretchen Evelyn Storer (nee Leichtfried), 77,

daughter of the late William and Eva Leichtfried,

beloved wife of Gerard Xavier Storer of Centreville, MD;

loving mother of Diana Haussmann (Kevin) of Laurel, MD,

Suzanne Johnston (Bill) of Huntington, MD

and Jennifer Perlin (Andrew) of Laurel, MD;

dear grandmother of Matthew, Heidi (Eric), Greta, Gabrielle, Morgan,

Ryan, Nick, Julia, Matthew,

Zachary and Drew.

    Funeral Mass at Our Mother of Sorrows Catholic Church,

Centreville, MD

on Monday, July 1, 2013 at 12 p.m.,

where friends may call from 10:30 to 12 p.m.

   Burial will be at Crownsville Veteran Cemetery,

on Friday, July 5, 2013 at 10:45 a.m.

     Memorial donations

may be made to the Hospice of Queen Anne's Inc.,

55 Comet Drive, Centreville, MD 21617

and the

Mission Helpers of the Sacred Heart,

1001 W. Joppa Road,

Baltimore, MD 21204. 

 “Life is a pilgrimage.

The wise man does not rest by the roadside inns.

He marches direct

to the illimitable domain of eternal bliss,

his ultimate destination.”

~Swami Sivananda...Indian Yoga Master

The Flutter of an Angel's Wings...

Heaven holds one more angel tonight...my dearest aunt Gretchen.

Knowing her made one feel blessed.

Sending thoughts of peace and love to my uncle Skip

and

their beautiful family.

"May we live in peace without weeping.

May our joy outline the lives we touch without ceasing.

And may our love fill the world,

angel wings tenderly beating.”

~An Irish Blessing

Happy 91st Birthday, Dad!

We love you dad...each and every day.

I feel so privileged to have walked life's pathways with you

my entire life...:)

“The older the fiddler, the sweeter the tune.”

~Pope Paul V

Desert Heat...

...requires a fully operational A/C system in one's vehicle!

Gosh! It's hot here...

and..it's not even officially summer...yet!

Drawn completely lead free...several weeks ago...

in the customer waiting area...

enjoying tasty tidbits from a buffet of yummy snacks...

while keeping all cool and comfy.

“One cool judgment is worth a thousand hasty counsels.

The thing to do is to supply light

and not heat.”

~Woodrow T. Wilson

Happy Father's Day...

...to the man I have been in love with

for over 65 years...:)

"I love my father
as the stars...he's a bright shining example
and
a happy twinkling in my heart."
~Terri Guillemets

A Woven Prayer Basket...

 to gather healing thoughts...peaceful, serene spirits...

positive energies...and love filled wishes

for my dear aunt,

her loving husband, and her beautiful family. 

"God, grant me the serenity

to accept the things I cannot change,

the courage to change the things I can,

and the wisdom

to know the difference.”

~Reinhold Niebuhr

An Extra Th-Th-Thumpity...

...in my normally hearty routine of "thump thumps"

was just enough to cause concern

and send me to the ER a couple of weeks ago

just to be cautious.

After keeping me under observation for 24 hours

(and the administration

of multiple scans, x-rays, blood tests, and 

an a 24 hour heart monitor)

I was discharged and sent home

with instructions to eliminate caffeine and chocolate

and to follow up with my PCP

and my cardiologist within the following week.

That being done...I am feeling pretty good at this writing

and my symptoms have seemed to cease.

To be on the safe side...

I will be issued an "event monitor"

to have for the next 30 days in case an episode

arises again.

It is really cool and being somewhat "sci fi" in scope

it will record any pertinent heart data

which, in turn, will be directly uploaded to my cardiologist!

Go figure...:)

The drawing above was done in stages

...ink straight in...lead free...

starting in my room at 3:00am when I couldn't get to sleep

and then continuing the next day

well into the late evening hours while waiting to be discharged.

I added watercolor paint

for a bit of colorful spice this week at home.

Finally, it was flipped using Microsoft Digital Editor

as a nod to my late night/early morning 

artistic efforts.

If you like...click on images to enlarge. :)

"A hospital bed is a parked taxi with the meter running."

~Groucho Marx

Dangles and Twigs...

A bit of sketchbook "ink dancing"

spread out over a couple of pages in my red Hand.Book...

involving several days of 

playfulness.

Definitely a bare bone approach:  ink straight in...

no color. :)

"There is a bit of insanity in dancing

that does everybody a great deal of good."

~Edwin Denby

Feathered Brocade...

...a midweek mandala...just to tickle your fancy.

Watercolor first,

then ink straight in...lead free...:)

“Those who tickle themselves may laugh when they please."

~German Proverb”

Inward Thinking...

...Another waiting room sketch I made last month...

ink straight in...

no anatomical accuracy whatsoever.

It is the result of some imaginative inward visualization used
to keep my waiting room mind occupied.

I then flipped it in Microsoft Digital Editor for a more

skeletal x-ray vibe.

“If you can't get rid of the skeleton in your closet,
you'd best teach it to dance.”

~George Bernard Shaw

My Travel Sketchbook...

...and my sketches from our "Cowgirl Up!"

Desert Caballeros Western Museum outing in April.

It was a "girls out" kind of day

complete with art, laughs, and a trip to

Anita's Cocina in Wickenburg, Arizona for lunch.

Photos are posted here.

(As always, you may click on any image to enlarge

for better viewing.)

 .

 A bit of epherma and the my impression of the official

"Cowgirl Up!"

signature cowgirl artist boot logo

are shown above.

What glorious, beautiful, intense pieces of art we saw from...

"the other half of the west!"

A sketch of the door lock from the museum door

and some more bits of

lovely leather tooling round out

my pages from that day.:)

All drawing were made ink straight in...

lead free...

with watercolor added at the end for some extra zip.

"Drawing is a frame of mind, a loving embrace if you will."

~Susan Avishai

"Do not fail, as you go on, to draw something every day,

for no matter how little it is,

it will be well worth while,

and it will do you a world of good."

~Cennino Cennini

Catching Up...

 Lunch at Anita's Cocina in Wickenburg...

after spending the morning seeing
the "Cowgirls Up" exhibit at
the Desert Caballeros Western Museum
in Wickenburg.

Spicy salsa, artsy friends, lots of laughs, lost and found jewelry,

a couple of margaritas, some tall cool ones..

all a great combination for

making the day

one the all time "faves" in my memory book.
Oooh, and...Yes,
I did some sketching in my travel sketchbook...
will be posted soon...:)

"Never pass anyone on the trail without saying 'Howdy'."
~Author unknown

Happy Mother's Day...Mom...

I love you...:)

xo

Needing to Chill...

 ...in a secretive, refreshingly fluid paradise

hidden away from reality...

a place

full of clear light, whimsical thoughts, beautiful patterns and

soft, soothing colors.

This place is worlds away from

frustration,

worrisome issues, and emotional whirlpools.

This place is full of wonder and decorated with magical bubbles,

cushioned in frothy sea foam, 

and fueled by gentle ripples of serendipity.

The life giving energy of this place ebbs and flows with

serenity and zen and wisdom...

 gently buffing away

the jagged edges of troubling thoughts.

This place 

renews and validates the intentions of my spirit

and

 invigorates the peace within my soul.

This place is special and unique...and known only to

my Muse and I.

It gives us life. It helps us grow.

It enables us to hope...and be joyful...and be whole.

This place is my (he)ART.

"It is not down in any map; true places never are."
~Herman Melville

We Are Off and Running!

 A few of my art girlfriends...

actually 21 of us...

unofficially kicked off our first ever Artist Trading Card

summer art project today.

We will each design 20 cards

 this summer and fall

and get back together February 1, 2014 and trade

them with each other.

Knowing this group...I am certain that

ice cream cones,

wine, good eats, and lots of laughs will be involved...

almost every step of the way.

My mandala shown here

is entitled "Circle of Friends"...and was made

quite some time ago...

way before this project was even

in the wind.

I thought it a perfect complement

to the spirit, 

enthusiasm, and positive wide-eyed anticipation

 that bound

our little group together today.

I am delighted and tickled pink that my artistic Muse

has found

so many kindred spirits with which to artfully play...

a "Circle of Friends"...indeed!

"A desire to share creative expression with others

and to find

peace, joy, and perspective

in mining the depths of my internal world …

makes me an artist."

~D.A. Hickman

Happy Earth Day...

"Humankind has not woven the web of life.

We are but one thread within it.

Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves.

All things are bound together.

All things connect."

~Chief Seattle, 1855