Textures and Patterns...

decorating

 The Farm at South Mountain...

Phoenix Arizona.

Yes, this IS desert land...

ancient pecan groves...stone walls...

bricked courtyards...

soft feather like pines...

lush, thick flower beds...

earthy, sweet smelling root vegetables...

roosters...

cacti, succulents, palms and all!

Ahhh...spring!  :)

 

"Yes, Virginia...there is a Spring..."

~ Me

A Bit of Greenery...

...serenely on the lookout for springtime.
The Arizona desert is just about ready to burst
with its floral colors...
the desert floor
is already a velvety carpet of green!
Ahhh!

 "Springtime is the land awakening.

The March winds are the morning yawn."

~Quoted by Lewis Grizzard

in Kathy Sue Loudermilk, I Love You

Be Feathered...

 ...Be Dazzled...Be Tangled...Be Flipped...

 

Bewitched ...Be Bothered...and Bewildered!

I felt all these things as I sorted through my art supplies

and my precious art treasures

this past weekend

in a spring cleaning effort to

Be Organized...Be Focused...and Be Spiffy.

As of this writing,

I successfully have the most organized

piles of things

anyone could ever dream of.

Now, I just need a separate wing of the house

in which to store them!  

:)

“Three Rules of Work:

Out of clutter find simplicity;

From discord find harmony;

In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.”

~Albert Einstein

A Tropical Pinwheel...

...posted from here in the beautiful desert southwest

for all my friends and family

who are

"wishing and hoping and thinking and praying

planning and dreaming

each night..."

 for the first signs of spring 

"Up North."

(Thanks, Dusty Springfield, Burt Bacharach, and Hal David

 for the words...)

"It's spring fever.

That is what the name of it is.

And when you've got it, you want -

oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want,

but it just fairly makes your heart ache,

 you want it so!"

~Mark Twain

"Happy Spring..."

...or Summer...

or Fall...

or Winter...

or

"Whatever Season You Choose to Celebrate"

today

in this topsy turvy wacky weather world

of ours!!!

Enjoy this little artistic repost from the past

while trying to comprehend

56+ inches of snow in northern Arizona Monday...

snow at the 2500 ft level ringing the valley..

and valley floor

temps back into the mid 80's by the weekend.

Say Whaaaat????

"'Tis Time To Float..."

...in a soft sea of powdery cherry blossom petals...:)

Happy Blooming Tuesday all!

" A Little Spring Flip Flop..."

...and a bit of a Spring fling, too!

"East Meets West...Zen Pysanky..."

Once upon a time...I enrolled in an extension course offered by our local community college back in Illinois. It was in the art of pysanky. Pysanky are Ukranian Easter eggs, decorated using beeswax and dyes that are applied in layers. The process is very similar to that of batik. Pysanky decoration is an artform that has been handed down through generations of the Ukrainian people and they are known all over the world for these colorful Easter eggs. The eggs symbolize the release of the earth from the shackles of winter. They also symbolize the coming of spring with its promise of new hope, new life, and prosperity. Legend has it that as long as pysanky are decorated, goodness will prevail over evil throughout the world.

An amazing fact I learned while working in this artform is that it is very important to use flawless eggs...without any hairline cracks...as the egg white and yolk are not blown out. You must be very very careful not to drop your egg!

The colors and the symbols used all have significant meaning. The designs can be intricate and complex. The eggs are coated with a varnish to protect them and enable them to become keepsakes. After several years in safe keeping the insides of the eggs dry out and cause the egg to rattle. It's really cool! The whole process of creating these little art gems is quite remarkable and the end results by professionals are simply stunning.

What is so amazing to me is that when I was about to make today's post...it was to be just the pen and ink drawing....and then...a little voice in the back of my head said..."Whoa! Deja Vous! This is just like the pysanky you made one time!" After I calmed myself down...I scurried off to look for my photos! I found them and to my utter shock while looking at them I noticed my pysanky were signed and dated...14 years ago!!!

So, in the traditional spirit of new hope, new life, and prosperity...I hope you enjoy. :)

Be Blessed...Happy Easter.

"Celebrate Spring...Be Like Flower!"

"Be like a flower...Turn you head to the Sun."

-Kahil Gibran

"Toss in a Little Spring..."

No special reason...'cept for the season... :)

Enjoy!