An Artist's Portrait of Gene Tierney

Is it overly brazen of me to publish my pencil portrait of actress Gene Tierney drawn in 1982? That's thirty years ago! Oh, well. Here I go celebrating the beginning of 2012 with an antique image from 1982...because I always thought Ms. Tierney was one of the prettiest actresses around!




Gene Tierney's Wiki page states that she was "acclaimed as one of the great beauties of her day" or some such flattery. Check out the scoop on the star of the film Laura which still makes it into the Top Ten of many a movie buff's list!

Well, this may be my first post of 2012 on Two Hours, but with all that's going on in Politics, you know I'm often to be found at my primary Political Astrology blog Stars Over Washington, or alternately at Jude's Threshold, right? ;p

What Makes Creative People Tick?

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With so many events to blog about in the Middle East and Wisconsin in February, the month flew by and I'm feeling quite sheepish to return to Two Hours today and post something after skipping February entirely! But who will if I won't, right? ;p

Helpfully, I ran across an interesting article explaining creative people which you may wish to read at Huffington Post (ignore the annoying new pop-up ads, thanks to Huff Po's AOL merger, I assume.)

The article lays out the basics exhibited by creative types as: "energy/rest, extroversion/introversion, and openness/sensitivity" and since some people have accused me of being creative (and I certainly act that way sometimes!), the descriptions and traits ring true from my experience of a lifelong habit of drawing (and perpetrating other creative projects as well.)

And since I was very shy as a youngster and for ages have worked with the public in my real world job, it occurred to me years ago that I'm an introvert who had to learn how to be an extrovert. Still working on that!

Now between you and me, sitting down at my drafting table with a blank sheet of paper and a bunch of sharpened pencils has always been one of my very favorite things to do in life and it seems easy as pie to suddenly block out everything else and get into some sort of zone of creativity, a direct connection to the Unconscious from which archetypal images flow.

Plus, sometimes my psychic sponge of a (creative) Pisces Moon must ignore certain things in the real world for a while just to manage the streak of sanity I'm rockin' here. (An abundance of Politics and Political Astrology writing can make you crazy, I'm here to advise you. But that's my verbal side; creating art is my visual side which helps with whatever mental balance I may have.)

Actually, I was in a zone of some sort on a recent day when I drew Lilith in Fringe Bikini. You see here a small cameo, but just click through to view a full portrait of glamorous Lilith in Art Print form - mandala, fringe, and all (if you're mature and sophisticated enough, that is.)

And for best results, honor your creative side daily, y'all!



Cameo: 'Lilith in Fringe Bikini', a pencil drawing on black paper by Jude Cowell 2011.

Return of the '3 Temple Dancers'

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3 Temple Dancers is the original title of this oil and watercolour pencil drawing from my noodle. Its title soon morphed into simply 3 Dancers so it answers to both monikers and may be spied online under one or the other name.

The red trees I'm quite fond of. And who are the ladies symbolically representing? Crone, Matron, Youth?

From left to right: my Mom, Mary, my daughter, Maya, and myself, Judith. Happily I get to wear the hat, and 'Maya' is considered in certain circles to be a form of 'Mary' (FR: mer, sea or ocean.) Maya's name came to me in a dream when my pregnancy was about 6 months along.

Actually, Cosmic Persona Designs, a gallery of figure studies mostly, was opened to much acclaim in June 2005 with these very same ladies' in the portrait as you view it here. The 'acclaim' consisted of my friends egging me on to publish fashiony chiffonery images of dancers, singers, and other mask-related portraits, perhaps with a wee bit of Parisienne flavor to them. (An Adult Warning must be clicked through but not to fret - it's only Art. No photos allowed or sought.)

This image of 3 Temple Dancers will soon be available in one of my online Art Shops - either @ the Zazzle Store or on display @ Cafe Press. So if you wish, choose a shop and sashay by, for Holiday Gift Specials soon will be gathered atop a display shelf of their own not unlike the 1970s when I was an Estee Lauder rep at Macy's, Queen Estee of the Cosmetics Brands way back when before the Lauder estate was drained dry.

But that's another story of a different lipstick...

2010 calendars, T-shirts, ceramic travel and coffee mugs, baby clothing, cool mousepads, Wall Art Posters, and more!
~:~

Rainy Tree of the Fairies: a drawing for a rainy day

Today is a rainy day in Georgia. And no, it does not feel like it's raining all over the world.

Even so, here's a drawing for you in rainy day mode, Rainy Tree of the Fairies from my Secret Moon Art collection.

Are you droopy from taking care of business?

Then snag yourself a brief Art Break and peruse my Lulu Storefront of images for your Art Downloading requirements at modest prices. You'd look mighty pretty with a new DeskTop background, now wouldn't you?

You know, sometimes I check with my higher mind bwo the Tarot deck and these days I get the same card telling me to Seek Something More Worthy of Your (my) Efforts, which means my blogging days may be numbered especially in the Art Realm, so if you've a mind, do nab my images while ya still can!

Your Feedback Is Appreciated.

Children's Art: the Hero's Journey of Pattillo Armadillo

Here you see my first-ever drawing from 1995 of what turned out to be a children's book character, Pattillo Armadillo.

The image shows up a bit yellow-tinged because it's 3rd generation - a photo scanned from a drawing - and is one of my many 1995 to 2000 illustrations embossed with silver pencil.

Actually, the Spectracolor pencil used was non-tarnishing aluminum which keeps its silvery look longer. And the camera's flash gave the photos of these particular drawings a certain quality that my current simple scanned-direct-from-drawings do not possess...but smaller images fit the scanner bed, no camera required.

And it is more direct from drafting table to you, Dear Reader. Ex: so far all drawings in left sidebar except 'Purple Pansies' are direct from scanner. See the diff?

Be that as it may or may not be, Pattillo is from my children's book Pattillo Armadillo and the Dream of Green (2004/05) and if you'd like to take a stroll with me down mystical forest paths, you've moseyed to the right place today because I'm in the mood for such a bold sashay myself.

Now this could potentially and temporarily turn you into Dear Viewer, y'know, but not to fuss.

So where shall we venture first?

Let's check out a scene from somewhere inside The Great Lichen Forest with Fairy in attendance.

And if you can be very quiet, you may spy little Pattillo snoozing underneath a 'Shroom Home, for heroes need their shut-eye in case they must perform valiantly at the drop of a leaf - and mushrooms make nifty living and sleeping quarters for the wee ones amongst us.

In another part of the forest lies a glen where Minerva's Owl alights upon an old-growth tree. In his story, Pattillo was fortuitously watched over by just such an owl as this!

Now Pattillo has never visited this area of the forest but you are cordially invited to stop by Fairy Glen on your way home to dinner (and I would recommend you take the Path Home in Blue, if you don't mind a smally detour.)

Yes, Pattillo's belly is always very concerned over the where-abouts of his next grubby meal, as all armadillos tend to be. DNA takes the day!

Well, I hope your stroll has somewhat refreshed you from your labours and cares, Dear Viewer, but don't hesitate to nab other mystical views with a few Pattillo image links included at Secret Moon Art, your Art Blog for Botanical, Cosmic, Moon, and Children's Illustrations of Nature's Kind Abundance!

~:~

Of Russian Blues, Drawing, Daughters, and Thomas Merton

Oh look! It's my daughter's new kitty cat, Zasha, a gorgeous Russian Blue which is one of the best feline breeds around, I'm told.

Sociable, affectionate Russian Blues are especially good for families with children...children like Violet in black and white! Joyfully, Zasha the rescue cat has a new home and Violet a new love.

Zasha's photo taken by Maya, author of Spring Tree Road where she posts her creative efforts which include photography of family, cats, old houses, architecture, found objects, and the yarns she's in process of learning to spin.

Spinning wheel got to go round!

Maya has become an avid knitter as have many people these days and I for one am happy to see this soothing and useful past time regaining its former glory.

In my teens my Mom's sister, my Aunt Cornelia (I know!) taught me to knit and crochet and I admit to preferring the latter over the former. Probably had to do with the laciness of it, but Maya knitted the hat in the above-linked photo and though you can't tell much about it in black and white, it's got a lovely lacy border.

When she gets her etsy shop up and running, her link will be added here in case you, Dear Reader, want to check out the knitting patterns she's invented, along with yarns, knitted wearables, photographs, and such.

Can you tell I'm proud of my inventive offspring (Pallas, the daughter) who has happily found her creative niche?

You know, it stems quite a lot from my being able to draw a little, because when you do, your children tend to give up on drawing too readily and insist that they'll never top you at it - as if drawing 'belongs' only to you. Puh! Everyone can draw but not everyone puts in the hours of practice to develop the ability.

And silly Mom, I thought it was about how drawing is good for you as this May 5 NPR feature attests (text or audio w/ photos of Michelle Norris' 'curious' drawing efforts - a must-see!)

Getting adults or kids to draw?

Well with drawing, like practicing piano in childhood, no one ever had to fuss, plead, or threaten to get me to do either one. Guess I'm fortunate in that way. Or just plain bull-headed about doing what I want how and when I want to do it! An abundance of Capricorn planets, I suppose (Sun, Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter - gracious plenty as we're fond of saying in the South. We Caps are self-molding, thanks.)

Now here's my favorite quote from Thomas Merton because it makes perfect sense to the artist lurking inside:

"Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time."

Hear that whisper? It could be the still-blank sketch pad you bought a few years ago begging for your attention...it may just be calling your name!