Saturday, March 15, 2025

Blue Trumpet Flower Under Crescent Moon: free to view!

Why are Safari users (seemingly based) in Singapore assaulting Secret Moon Art? Why?

Are they lowly thieves, hackers, both? Perhaps just visiting my SMA collection all of a sudden? Embedding bad links into my art gallery blog, more like. Which is a shameful, subversive form of theft, in my book. Low character behavior.

Yet in a spirit of generosity as my freely available online drawings have always been offered, here's a pencil drawing of mine intended for honest browsers of Artwork, "Blue Trumpet Flower Under Crescent Moon" with my Artist's Copyright in place:

Friday, March 14, 2025

A new AI Art Creation with Starry Beings!

by Jude Cowell

Just when I thought my urge to experiment with NightCafe Studio had closed up and gone home, today I decided to open a window and create yet another AI Art image for you!

Presenting A Distant Planet of Starry Beings:

Monday, February 03, 2025

Scraping you are?

Dear visitor, if you're using a headless browser to scrape (steal) my drawings from this blog, you are a thief. Here's my pencil portrait of Herr Mozart. You're not welcome.

Sunday, January 05, 2025

A 'Shroom Home on Silvery Tree Path!

Printed several moons ago from a slide of an actual photograph, then saved and published, this image of my drawing 'Shroom Home on Silvery Tree Path is actually an illustration from the first children's (dummy) book written and drawn by yours truly.

Over time the image had yellowed, in part due to the embossing I had applied with a "silver" oil pencil (which was aluminum - ex: the raindrops!) to the original drawing on black paper so I've adjusted the digital image's tone, saturation, etc., and present for you here what is hopefully a more viewable version of my drawing:

Wednesday, January 01, 2025

Natalie's New Chapeau!

Here's a sneak peek at a brand new fanciful figure study as yet incomplete: Natalie's New Chapeau!

Efforts to complete Natalie are planned and are on my drawing board, we might say. Meanwhile, you're always invited to browse my portfolio of drawings at Fine Art America whenever you wish. And while you're there, ordering a tea or coffee mug would be encouraging and much appreciated!

Saturday, April 20, 2024

Portrait of Delphine Marie now complete!

April 22, 2024

Today I can announce that the Portrait of Delphine Marie, begun about three years ago, has finally been completed!

So here you see the unfinished version followed by the completed Portrait of Delphine Marie shown in all her slendor and finery!

How do you like her now? ;-)

Wednesday, March 20, 2024

A Splendid Portrait drawn by a 6-year-old!

One day, when my granddaughter Violet was six years old, she selected a purple piece of construction paper and depicted a splendid portrait of the two of us, both enjoying a good hair day, as you see. So here it is, directly from my drawing table where she and I spent many hours together creating and laughing!

ps: the white spot is an imperfection on the paper.

Thursday, March 14, 2024

AI Art: A Mystical Path to a Distant Mountain!

Here's my latest AI Art creation, A Mystical Path to a Distant Mountain:

All my AI Art creations are compliments of NightCafe.

And for the sake of comparison, here's my regularly drawn illustration, Path to Blue Tree Castle:

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

AI does Hazy Moon and Twinkling Stars!

Yes, I'm still trying to get used to nightcafe's AI art creation features. Here's my second-day effort, Hazy Moon and Twinkling Stars. Hope you like it!

Then why don't you join the fun at NightCafe? You might like it, too!

Now here's one of my ~real~ drawings created with Prismacolor oil pencils held in my own hand, a full view of Golden Chanterelles in Moonlight:

Wednesday, December 20, 2023

Astro-Notes: Sir Winston Churchill as Artist

Sir Winston Churchill; Walter Stoneman, via Wikimedia Commons

If one sleuths into the natal planets of Sir Winston Churchill, it may be possible to discover innate art interests if not talents therein for he is known as having been an "avid amateur painter" of some repute. Obviously, art-related participants from the panoply of planetary actors include Venus, Neptune, Jupiter, Moon and Pluto providing wells of creativity, plus, we cannot discount ideals and new ideas via innovative Uranus which, in order to be realized, need realistic Saturn's sense of form to serve as a vessel into which inspired ideas may be poured.

Born during a Saturn-Uranus opposition on November 30, 1874, baby Winston had Saturn in Aquarius trine his Mars-Jupiter conjunction in Venus-ruled Libra, plus, from Libra to Leo, he sported a Mars-Uranus sextile, an aspect of objectivity and opportunity.

And naturally, placements in zodiacal signs such as Libra and Pisces are immediate suspects of artfulness and point specifically toward sign rulers Venus, Jupiter, and Neptune and any aspects between them. No Pisces placements for him; however, his Venus in Jupiter-ruled Sagittarius provided sensitivity, idealism, and an open nature. Additionally, the planet of motivation, energy, and action - Mars - is a necessary ingredient for any project (artful or otherwise) to begin, and hopefully, to carry through to completion. Sir Winston's Mars in Libra suggests refinement and a desire for partnerships.

And so when it comes to Winston the Artist, the evidence of creativity mounts! See if you agree by checking out his A-rated natal horoscope linked, above.

Then if you're curious, the Smithsonian Magazine displays examples of Churchill's artwork for all to enjoy!

Please Note that the topic of this post is inspired by an episode of Fake or Fortune: Perspective Did Winston Churchill Paint This Masterpiece? Please 'rewind' the video if it's further on - it won't cooperate with me at this precise moment! jc

Saturday, June 17, 2023

Shouting Out Singapore

Why are safari users in Singapore ruffling Secret Moon Art? Why?

Are you thieves, hackers, or both? Perhaps just visiting my SMA art collection all of a sudden? Embedding bad links into my art gallery blog, more like. A form of theft, no doubt.

In a spirit of generosity, here's a drawing of mine meant for true browsers of Art, 'Blue Trumpet Flower Under Crescent Moon':

Monday, February 13, 2023

A Portrait of Polly's Perspective!

by Jude Cowell

Although many moons have passed, my Portrait of Polly's Perspective, a simple pencil drawing on white paper, is finally completed for your consideration!

Inside scoop: Her expression suggests something of a throwback to my past days as high school newpaper cartoonist, and Polly's unusual point of view as depicted in this pencil portrait reminds me of my own views when the principal of my school vetoed my more, shall we say, political cartoons.

In other words, Mr. Hmhmhm basically turned the high school cartoonist into a Caspar Milquetoast via censorship, so that Fight the Power leanings of the 1960s were successfully squelched.

Yet all these years later, we find that Polly retains her own ideas!

So for political ideas and topics discussed through the excellent lens of Astrology, join me at Stars Over Washington where I attempt to translate astrologese into English, and you're free to agree or take issue as you may!

Thursday, January 26, 2023

Tarot's High Priestess: Venus enters Pisces

With planet Venus entering the mystical sign of Pisces tonight at 9:33 pm est, I'm celebrating by posting a version of the Tarot's High Priestess card 2, as depicted many moons ago by yours truly via colored pencils!

Now as many Tarot readers and fans know, the High Priestess symbolizes higher, deeper knowledge, intuition, mystical insight, and may represent a feminine form of 'The Pope'. So that for some folks, this Major Arcana card number 2 connects to the controversial legend of Pope Joan, a lady dressed in men's clothing who some believe rose to lead the Vatican for two years in the mid-850s.

Understandably, the paternalistic Catholic hierarchy has denied the existence and career path of Pope Joan through the years, and one assumes the church's course of denial has not changed. For if her story is real, Pope Joan's ascendancy to leadership is what some might call an inconvenient truth, and quite the embarrassment for men who labor under and promote the myth of infallibility.

In closing, I'll simply say that personally, as a Protestant, but with ancient ancestors of the Catholic persuasion, I have no opinion whatsoever concerning the Pope Joan topic, but the possibility of a feminine pope back in Medieval times does make for an intriguing legend or myth that Venus in priestly, mysterious Pisces can readily appreciate!

Friday, October 14, 2022

Portrait of Brunella

Here you see a new fanciful figure study, Portrait of Brunella, created with a combination of Prismacolor oil pencils and Rexel Derwent watercolour pencils (dry) on black paper.

And because viewing Art is healing, the symbol for Chiron, the healer and the key, is snugged in there somewhere!

Portrait of "An Island Girl"!

Look who's visiting Secret Moon Art : An Island Girl !