A Dahlia Tallit for Bright

 Dahlia Tallit is 74" x 44"

Bright's Bat Mitzvah is tomorrow. Last week she and I painted silk for a tallit, a prayer shawl, for her. Bright and I worked on the design together. She wanted dahlias in a pattern, with some orchids and a rose; I worked out 3 or 4 design ideas and she chose one. I drew the design and outlined it with resist.  We worked all one day painting it.

Bright's dedication and care with this project was amazing! With people like her growing up in there world, there is hope!

I feel honored to be a part of this special time for Bright and for her family.

Saphire the Shoulder Dragon got her Wings!

Saphire dragon packs a good book for Suzanna!

Next she will want her own blog!

The night before Suzanna flew to Maine, Saphire stowed away in Suzanna's purse, after making sure Suzanna had the right kind of book to read on the plane.

Saphire dragon looks down over Massachusetts

  Turns out it was a long flight for a little dragon! The little shoulder dragon was glad she didn't have to use her own wings!


 

Saphire Wants Wings

Breathing blueberry smoothies is all fine and good, but a dragon like Saphire needs wings!  Suzanna is flying to Maine in a few days, and Saphire wants to go too--but how can she fly to Maine without wings?
Not just any wings. She wants something special! Can she make wings? out of this brocade perhaps?

Introducing Saphire the Shoulder Dragon

Ta Da! Saphire the Shoulder Dragon has joined my...what do you call a group of dragons? "Herd"? "Flock"? Is it a "Murder of Dragons", like a "murder of crows"? Can't be a "Flame of Dragons"; not all dragons flame.  Most, but not all, fly...My Chinese dragons fly even without wings. "Collection" is too tame. A "Fierceness of Dragons?"

Saphire doesn't seem particularly fierce, but don't be fooled. Oh sure, she breathes blueberry smoothie instead of fire--after all her sister dragon, River's pink shoulder dragon, breathes iced pink lemonade--but just don't get on her bad side.

Peacock Princess has arrived!

It's here, in my hot little hands, and it is BEAUTIFUL!
There are full sized coloring pages  as well as pictures to color within the text. Here is the description on the back:

The old king dreams his beloved son Arden is killed in battle, and
the wizard accuses Arden’s wife, the Princess Annalea, of using
witchcraft to cause his death. Annalea asks one last favor before
the execution.

Here are two sample pages:

Prince Arden watched the women swimming

 

The Peacock Princess, a story to color, is at the printers! I expect copies to arrive in time for strawberry festival, July 17-19. Jane Valencia and I are doing a booth together, "DragonRider Press and Forest Halls".

If you are on Vashon Island July 8-19, look for us in Booth #8, on the west side of Vashon Hiway, near the bank and next to All Things Rich.

I'm working on a backdrop for the booth, painting on silk, Something cool and inviting that represents both of us. I know what to do. I have the drawings done and all my materials together. But now the doing of it--suddenly I am paralyzed. It's work I love and do well, and suddenly I don't want to do it! 

It's that fear that hits when ever I start a new project. It's not that I fear anything in particular. If fact, mostly I don't even recognize it as fear! It disguises itself as Inertia, or Tiredness, or Procrastination, or Rebellion, or The Floor Needs Moping and the Dishes Need Doing.

Sometimes, when art isn't involved, it just means "putting on my boots and picking up a shovel", like when a major house repair job needs doing. Just making a beginning starts the process and soon the next step becomes apparent, then the next.

Art making seems to require something different. I think sometimes it's my left brain unwilling to give up control to my right brain, my art making brain. Sometimes it works to tell my left brain, "It's only for awhile. You can get back in the driver's seat after awhile," and that works. Or writing about the process in my journal.

So now I'm writing to you, hoping that will melt away the block and I can get to work on a lovely backdrop for our booth at Strawberry Festival!

Peacock Princess--new work

I'm working on a new version of Peacock Princess. It will be a small book or comic with 8 new
illustrations. I want to develop the characters and motives more deeply.  For example,  I keep wondering why the king would allow his son's beloved wife to be executed, and plan to explain that in the new version.

Also, there are luscious images I want to illustrate! Like the tropical forest pool where the prince and princess met.


I have lots of ideas, but I need some visual references. So I did some research. I looked up tropical pools and forests on the internet and sketched what I liked, what I might adapt to my story.

I wonder,  what were the Prince's society and architecture like? What kind of designs would they put on their clothing? And what about the kingdom of the sun where the Princess was from? I spent some time thinking about this too.

I think the Prince was from a more structured society, while the Princess represents freedom and spontaneity. Their dress, architecture, social structure, how they were expected to behave--every thing in the two cultures would be different. Which might explain why the wizard hated the Princess so....He is a control freak and she is very spontaneous.

I plan to have this ready to go to press by July 3rd. Yikes! I need to stay focused!