Dia de los Muertos..

A celebration of life

and the beautiful memories of those

who are now gone...

but are 

living forever in our hearts...never to be forgotten.
(Please click on image to view details.)

 

"The day which we fear as our last is but the birthday of eternity. "

~Seneca

These Five Muses...

...are Rochester bound...

anxious to bond with some artistic art sistas

for a wonder filled 4 day

art retreat.

(Play time, laughs, and girlfriend bonding

highly encouraged.)

YESSS!!!

Please click on image for a really clear view...;)

"The most potent muse of all is our own inner child."
~Stephen Nachmanovitch
(American musician and educator)

Aspen Starfall...Remembering Sue

Susan V. Krahenbuhl

November 26, 1960-March 23, 2012

We continue to hold you gently in our hearts

and
think of you with a smile
each time
we remember the sparkle in your eyes...
the love in your heart...
and
the never ending strength in your spirit.
We see
you in the twinkling stars of the desert night sky...
we hear you
in the soft rustle of the Colorado aspens...
we feel you
in the soothing warmth of the western sun.
You are always with us.
We will
always love you.

"To live in hearts we leave behind
Is not to die."
~Thomas Campbell,
Hallowed Ground

A Special Birthday Remembrance...

...of a beautiful, love filled soul: Aunt Gretchen... on this day, may you continue to joyfully fly with the angels, brightening our hearts, and landing softly on the shoulders of those you love... comforting and guiding us along our way. We miss you greatly.   "May God grant you always... A sunbeam to warm you, a moonbeam to charm you, a sheltering Angel so nothing can harm you. Laughter to cheer you. Faithful friends near you. And whenever you pray, Heaven to hear you."

~Irish Blessing



With Forward Focus...

...I present here

my driving forces for 2014...

exploding like a cosmic blossom from my heart...

colorful, determined, and strong:

Draw,

Leap,

Cherish,

Love,

Inspire,

Give,

Learn,

Be.

That should just about cover it.



I Need to Go To Rehab...

...to take care of this week long (ARTzona withdrawal)

MIGRAINE I have been having!!!

I really miss
all my artistic sisters
and all that wonderful 24/7 addictive art fun we had.
Things are artfully quiet these days.
I think my migraine felt the void and hopped right in!

Actually...

I cannot really blame ARTzona for my discomfort...

although my Muse wouldn't agree.

Unfortunately,

my migraine situation is

definitely a very, very fierce reality...and

I felt just like I look in my sketch above...all week.

 Fortunately, 

thanks to Imitrix, the pain seems to be easing

a bit...good news.

I am certainly glad I am not a die hard Denver Bronco fan

as I don't think my brain would

bounce back to normal...

ev-er!

"We must embrace pain and burn it as fuel for our journey."
~Kenjii Miyazawa

"Hmmm, I'm not too sure of that, Kenjii..."
~Me...;)

Star Stung!

May your tricks be few...and your treats be many...

Have a Happy Halloween!

"There is a child in every one of us

 who is still a trick-or-treater looking for a brightly-lit

front porch."

~Robert Brault

On My Radar...

...On this very day...October 28th...2014...

San Miguel Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico...

El Dia De Los Muertos

Tesoro del Corazon art retreat...

just sayin'!!!!! ;)

"Nowhere can man find a quieter or more untroubled retreat

 than in his own soul.”

~Marcus Aurelius 

Happy October All!

I celebrate the birth

of my most favorite month of the year

with

an ATC sized white ghost pumpkin card all star dusted

and happily nested in her

desert digs...

a hint of what is to come...very, very soon.

Only three days remain of our seasonal love affair

in the Midwest... 

making today somewhat truly bittersweet...;)

"Bittersweet October.

The mellow, messy, leaf-kicking, perfect pause

 between the opposing miseries of summer

and winter."

~Carol Bishop Hipps,

"October," In a Southern Garden, 1995

A Sign of the Season...

...a solitary "ghost pumpkin" at twilight...

all snuggly and happy...

nestled within some early autumnal foliage...

looking skyward...

patiently

awaiting the sparkly splendor of

the coming nightfall

and the rise of the long awaited harvest moon. 

I love this time of year!

“The true harvest of my life is intangible...

 - a little star dust caught,

a portion of the rainbow I have clutched."

~Henry David Thoreau

September...Already????

...Just how can this really be???

As you may have noticed...or NOT noticed...

 there has been an enormous

lack of any kind of activity here on my blog...

even

 after I faithfully PROMISED to you all

that this year would be different.

Well, in reality, it actually has been...different...

...sort of.

There have been a number of remarkable "firsts" that

have occurred during the past 30 days.

The past month has found me driving a couple of

thousand miles...(a recent "first")...

and seeing a region named after a couple of thousand islands

(an actual real "first").

It has found me

drawing and painting a "bajillion" artist trading cards...

(not really a "first"),

and...best of all...it had found me

visiting family in beautiful upstate New York...

(definitely the BEST "first" of them all!).

The artist trading card above was inspired by

 my grape loving cousin Cathy

and the glory of being in a Cranberry Lake

"state of mind".

I find...blessed by the golden wisdom age provides...

that

there are those special moments in our lives

when the stars seem to align

 and

all seems perfectly right...

the exact way it was somehow destined to be..

from the beginning of time.

Cranberry Lake made that happen for me

and

 memories of my short time there

will bring a warm happy smile to my heart...

for a long, long, long, long time.

"What is the definition of a good wine?

It should start and end

with a smile.”

~William Sokolin 

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

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

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

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”

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

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

Pattern Play...

..."Geisha style"...

made by laying paint straight in...

following up with black inked pattern work...topped of with

white ink from my brand new Uni-ball Signo pen.

This whole piece is totally lead free.

I think geishas may become an obsession...

two more still to reveal...:)

Sayonara!

"It is not for Geisha to want.

It is not for Geisha to feel.

Geisha is an artist of the floating world.

She dances.

She sings. She entertains you.

Whatever you want.

The rest is shadows. The rest is secret."

~Sayuri (as an elderly woman)

 Memoirs of a Geisha

(a 2005 film...directed by Rob Marshall)