"Now Blooming..."

in my back, side, and front yards...

...she is called "Mexican Bird of Paradise"...

...and she will continue to grow and bloom all summer...
...and get this big by September!!!
And...here she is again...but so very much smaller
appearing as part of my spread
in our fabulous Maruman Sketchbook exchange
which was started two years ago
this week!
What an 17,566 mile adventure we had!
Mmmmm...:)
Check on this Maruman link to see all of our work!
Have a colorful
and bright blooming Tuesday...:)

“Every production of an artist
should be the expression of an adventure of his soul.”
~William Somerset Maugham

Imagine Being...

...Blanketed...

...by breathtaking boughs of beautiful brightly blooming bougainvillea...

...before they would be trimmed and boldly blown by landscapers into...

...bountiful blankets of blossoms bits...right before my very eyes!

Unbelievably breathtaking!

“No one knows what causes an outer landscape to become an inner one.”
~Margaret Atwood

"Alas..."

...I feel "faint of heart"...as these 3 pages are my final contribution of art

in Nina Johansson's Maruman "Multitudes"...

and bit "verklempt", as well,

that this will be my "official signing off " post...

as my portion of the Maruman_X international sketchbook exchange

has hereby come to a close.

The sound you now hear is my breath exhaling in a big looooong sigh.

(Lower lip extended in a bit of a pitiful pout as well...)

What an artistic journey and spiritual joy this project has been.

The project developed from of the mind of Anita Davies...

Anita, your creative idea rocked!

I found it quite interesting and, surprisingly, a bit more challenging,

to be the last artist to fill spaces in Nina's book.

Because of the way the composition of pages filtered through our rotation

there were 11 blank sides left for me to design...

I was blessed with one extra!

But...

on the other hand it was fairly "cut and dry"

as to where my art would need to fit in-in order to complete the book...

simply put...

my creative wings had to learn to fly in "limited airspace!" LOL :)

The pages above were pages 38-40...the last three of Nina's book.

I designed them to provide a transitional, open ended view

of the ancient desert of my home in Arizona

to

the modern metropolis of Nina's home in Sweden...

symbolically marking the not an ending...but a new beginning.

...the native Arizona petroglyphs included as

being possibly the first "sketchbook" exchange ever! LOL :)

As always...

more art and information about the last two sketchbooks to be completed

can be found at the Maruman_X blogspot.

"The little dissatisfaction which every artist feels

at the completion of a work

forms

the germ of a new work."
~Berthold Auerbach

"A Montage..."

...of more of my artful musings in Nina's Johansson's marvelous Maruman

"Multitude"!

This is my artwork on pages 17-20 of Nina's book.

(Click on images to enlarge.)

My artwork on pages 5-8, posted earlier, can been seen here.

You can also

check out the Maruman_X blogspot for more "goodies"

and any recent updates.

There will still be much more to see and enjoy.

Two books remain to be completed before being sent home to

Anita Davies in England

and

Jennifer Lawson in Bali.

"Spend time every day listening to what your muse is trying to tell you."
~Saint Bartholomew

"I Think It's Safe..."

...to now post a "full page reveal" of 4 of the 10 pages
I completed in Nina Johansson's little Maruman entitled
"Multitude."

Word arrived that
"She" arrived safely home in Sweden and into Nina's hands

sometime early last week.

Whew! I always get so worried about transoceanic postal travel! LOL :)
(Click on images to enlarge.)

I admit am suffering from APPD..."artistic post partem depression"...

I just don't want my part of this exchange to end!
I promise that I will post

the remaining 6 full page reveals of my work in the next few days.
Stay tuned...LOL :)

If you like, you can always check the Maruman_X blogspot for updates

as well as detailed views of each artist's book. :)

Enjoy!

"A Little Peek..."

of my artwork in Nina Johansson's book "Multitudes.

(click on images to enlarge)

A bit of zen like freedom...

A bit of calligraphy and color play...

...and a bit of the ancient southwest desert...
a step back in time to one of the first art exchanges ever! LOL :)

An artistic array of marks, colors, styles, and charm
fills Nina's little Maruman
"Multitude."
I don't want to let her go...
as that will finalize of my portion of our Maruman exchange.
But professionalism calls...and Multitude flies again.
I now will wait like the rest of our faithful fans
until
the last three books cross the deep blues seas
and safely arrive home.

"Every end is a new beginning."

~Proverbs

"The Big Reveal..."

Of my COMPLETED Maruman sketchbook

"Journey"

I cannot wait until the rest of the Maruman sketchbooks
are completed and safely return home to their respective owners...
What joy and excitement they will bring!

Thank you Anita, and Nina, and Jennifer
for sharing your talent and your little corner of the world with me.
Personally...
this has just been the most wonderful,
liberating...
endearing and imaginative
artistic experience ever!

“Every production of an artist
should be the expression of an adventure of his soul.”
~William Somerset Maugham

PHOTO#1...ARTISTS' CREDITS:
Pages 1-6...Margaret Storer-Roche (Me)...Arizona U.S.A.
Pages 6-15...Nina Johansson...Sweden
Pages 16-20...Jennifer Lawson...Maine, U.S.A

PHOTO #2...ARTISTS' CREDITS:
Pages 21-22...Margaret Storer-Roche
Pages 22-26...Jennifer Lawson
Pages 27-35...Anita Davies...U.K.
Pages 36-37...Signature stamp "petals" of all 4 Artists
Pages 38-40...Margaret Storer Roche :)

"Anita's Artistic Gift..."

...in my book Journey!

What a delight to at last open my own book

and find all this beauty inside!

Thank You Anita!
(Click on images to enlarge)

"The greatest gift is a portion of thyself."
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

P.S.

I was so secretly hoping that Anita would paint one of her famous

English roses in my book...and she did!

WooHoo!

She never disappoints!

A Girl's Gotta Do..."

... What a Girl's gotta do...

and usually there is some form of shopping involved!

Herein lies the last of my full page views of art

completed in Jennifer Lawson's little Maruman sketchbook

"Transitions."
(Click on images to enlarge)

The top photo shows Jennifer Lawson's art

from the wild roses to the high heel to the clothing store...

"Spoil Me Rotten"...

then comes Anita Davies art...

two purchases made...an new outfit and some fun flowers...

...and the scent of a woman :)

then my art...

a art emporium sale and a day of plein air in a courtyard.

My portion above was inspired by a quaint and lovely artisan

shopping destination in Sedona, Arizona

known as Tlaquepaque.

(Check out this link...supremely well worth it.

The word "Tlaquepaque" means the "best of everything."

Tlaquepaque was once a lovely tree nursery sporting gorgeous specimens.

The trees are still there and form an enveloping canopy of coolness

and a softened foreground

to views of crimson red rock formations of the Sedona area.

As the years went by

A quaint Mexican style artisan village was then constructed on the property

amongst the towering trees.

It was

complete with romantic courtyards, colorfully tiled stairways,

balconies overflowing with luscious flowers,

bougainvillea climbing along stuccoed arches and tiled roofs,

bubbling fountains, wrought iron gates,

cozy peaceful courtyards,

high end galleries filled to the brim with treasures,

and intriguing brick passageways.

It is a shopper's delight and a photographer's heaven...

For years

I spent time and money browsing the shops

and

zillions of rolls of film photographing

any, and every, thing in sight...until seemingly out of nowhere

it occured!

Poof! Shazamm! Pazowie!

a wonderful magical transformation happened...

We had planned to be in Sedona

for bit of an extended getaway and a friend's wedding.

Prior to that, I had completed a workshop with Grace Haverty

all about keeeping a sketchbook travel journal.

The change to come was to be meteoric!

A backpack replaced my purse...and

my sketchbook and plein air goodies replaced my credit cards.

Roaming from shop to shop

was replaced by sitting in a cobblestone courtyard

breathing in the "Ahhhs" of the day.

Moments in time became vibrant memories

on my sketchbook journal pages.

My spirit became revitalized...my imagination invigorated.

And

I have been a "new woman" ever since!

I am

that girl above in Jen's book! :)

Now, that's what you call a Transition! :)

"Life imitates art far more than art imitates Life." ~Oscar Wilde
Hmmm...Don't quite know about that...:)

HAPPY 63rd ANNIVERSARY MOM AND DAD!

We love you! :)

"Inside My Mind..."

...and some more of my art
on pages 20-24
of Jennifer Lawson's little Maruman sketchbook entitled
"Transitions."

My art begins the first four pages
of the "backside " of the sketchbook...
and ends where the bougainvillea vines blend
with Jennifers wild roses.

I chose to include a postcard here because

it was through an international postcard exchange

with Anita Davies

where I started, with baby steps, on the path to "blogdom"...

...and now, just a short while later,

I am here exchanging Maruman sketchbooks with fellow artists!

That is a transition which still takes my breath away.

I chose the Monument Valley region to be on the postcard

not only because

of its "wild west" beauty and universal appeal,

but also because

of its unique location in both Utah and Arizona...

a space transition of monumental proportions to be sure! :)

If you look carefully you will see that

the cactus was painted in various stages of bloom...

The quote:

"Change is the only constant." ~Ghandi

is one of my most favorite...

and has especially helped me bear through many a bump in many a road.

The vines stemming from the bougainvillea branches

are from my imagination...actual "Bougies" don't have them...

Through bits of calligraphy I attempted to illustrate

how transition in its various forms

can be growth...a new beginning

for each of us.

This theme was an interesting challenge...

it went beyond visual pen marks,

and brush stokes,

and choices of color...

into a unique artistic space for me...

and a inspirational transition for sure!

The last full reveal of my work in "Transitions"

will be in tomorrow's post...

Hope you will stop back by for a visit! :)

"Translations..."

...Understanding All the Pieces...
of my "chain of consciousness" interpretation of the theme

"Transitions"
in Jennifer's little Maruman sketchbook...

(Click on images to enlarge)

From left to right above...
my art...Jennifer's art...and a wee peek of Anita's art...
Jennifer's pages have a quote about the universe...
It reads:
"The clearest way to the universe...
is through a forest wilderness."

A close up of part of my 10 pages in Jen's book.
The quote reads:
"You are part of the universe
no less than the stars and trees.
And you have the right to be here.
Whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt, the universe is unfolding as it should."
~Max Ehrmann, Desiderata

Yet closer views of my pages...
here I attempted to show the vegetation of the desert,
the forests of Maine and Sweden, the flowers of the fens,
and even a corn plant from Illinois... (where I was while working on Jen's book)
The bubbles just happened to "float in" from
Anita's art work on the back section of the book. LOL:)
The sun "rays" and the roots of the plants mimic
the lightning and patterns of growth shown in Anita's pages following.


An ancient petroglyphic figure emerges supporting a tree
whose branches intertwine and change into Jennifer' forest.
The three "squiggles" is the Hindu symbol
"Aum" or "OM"
a Hindu sacred sound that is considered the greatest of all mantras.
It represent several important triads:
the three worlds - earth, atmosphere, and heaven and
the three major Hindu gods - Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva
fondly worshipped in Indonesia and Bali!

"Om" mystically embodies the essence of the entire universe.
To me
it was a perfect symbol to include here.

Well readers...in a nutshell...

"that's my story...and I'm stickin' to it! "

In my post the next two days

I will reveal the rest of my pages in Jen's book.

Stay tuned! :)

"DEPARTURE...!!!"

Jennifer Lawson's little Maruman, "Transistions", and I landed at Sky Harbor International airport in Arizona early this morning returning from northern Illinois and a month of midwest "adventure". Hence, after having endured a thorough photo/scanning session this evening, she and I both are looking forward to a well deserved rest tonight!

But...come the morning..."Transistions" will depart, yet again. This time she will be flying solo to visit a bit with Nina Johansson in Sweden before she finally, finally heads home to Jennifer. This little traveller certainly will have many "miles" of creative experiences tucked between her pages! The wonders she will have seen...Lucky, lucky book!

Below, are three little peeks of my 10 pages in Jennifer's book...

"Transitions", you have personally taught me a great deal...It has been a rewarding adventure exploring my imagination with you by my side!
Bon Voyage! :)

Finally...!!!

Ta...DA...After a long trip overseas...I can finally post my artwork in Anita's Maruman entitled A Taste Of Home."

Hope you enjoy my taste of The United States Desert Southwest!

Click on images to enlarge view...:)

It's a bird...It's a Plane..."

NO! ... It's Anita's Maruman..."A Taste of Home"...

...boots dusted off...looking as "spiffy" as ever...winging her way

eastward away from the blazing heat of the Arizona desert

with fiery crimson colored skies painting her way

to

the cool green forests of northern Sweden

and the anxiously anticipated artistry of

Nina Johansson.

My, we had such fun together!...She will be greatly missed! :)

Next to arrive for a desert visit is Jennifer's "Transitions"

sent all the way from Anita in the fens.

I have open arms and a tall cool drink awaiting her! :)

"Brand New Peeks...! "

And...Here they are...Fresh from the scanner...
A few teensy-tiny peeks (to assure the surprise of the reveal)
of my 10 new pages in Anita's Maruman sketchbook
"A Taste Of Home..."

Stay tuned...
our little adventure only gets better and better and better!
I cannot wait to get my next book!
JOY!...Margaret :)