Thursday, January 28, 2010

'Shroomhome on Silvery Tree Path


'Shroomhome on Silvery Tree Path is actually not one of the original drawings from an early attempt at writing and illustrating a children's book, it's a more recent effort.

No, I'm not certain at this point which of the story's characters lives here though perhaps it's the home of one of the Chimes Sisters who appear each Saturday evening at the Roasted Root Cafe, premiere gathering spot in the Great Lichen Forest!

Sunday, January 24, 2010

'Secret Moon Art' Kaleidoscope Slideshow!

Welcome to the Secret Moon Art Kaleidoscope Slideshow 2010.

If the 1st Annual International Astrology Blogathon for March 2010 has inspired your visit, may I extend a Special Welcome to you!

Seventeen images of my oil and watercolour pencil drawings await your consideration and I hope you enjoy them any time but especially this Spring Equinox...aka, Aries Ingress 2010.

Jude Cowell



The International Astrology Blogathon is sponsored by Donna Cunningham and Friends. Donna may be found at her SkyWriter blog.

All images copyrighted by the artist; your use by permission only; convo: judecowell at gmail dot com

More of my Artwork and/or Astrology articles may be found at:

Jude's Zazzle Art Shop (original Art designs decorating apparel and other merchandise)
Cosmic Persona Designs (contains some Art images for 17+ years of age)
Two Hours You'll Never Get Back (a tapestry blog woven of various threads)
Stars Over Washington (Political/Mundane Astrology about America, Washington DC, and the politicians who infest them)
Lim's Limericks (political cat limericks with kitty photos complimentary)
Jude's Threshold (Art, Astrology, Politics, and News)

Friday, January 15, 2010

Shhhh! There's a Fairy at Work!


Don't move too quickly, you might disturb the Fairy at Work!

~:~

You may also like to visit Sepia Art Theater for Art, Drama, and Chocolates, or my two 'tapestry blogs' of various themes Two Hours You'll Never Get Back (don't fret, you will) and Jude's Threshold, both of which contain a little Astrology and Politics mushed in with a helping of Art.

Monday, December 07, 2009

Julia Howe tune w Rob Howe Christmas Art~video!



A dreamily beautiful tune by Julia Howe blended with Christmas Art Work by Rob Howe make this synthesis of Art & Sound a must for YouTube embedment here in my Secret Moon Art gallery. I couldn't resist and if you're yet to view and listen, you'll be thanking me for the shout-out. So...

...enjoy 3 minutes and 46 seconds of Joy from a brilliantly creative pair!

~:~

Disclaimer: this blog artist/author has no connection whatsoever to the artists here described, the Howes. I just think the Video Art and Song are perfect for our harrowing times - why not chillax for a few moments! You deserve it.

It helps to read a children's book. Preferrably read it to a small child (or two) but for Yourself Only is good, too.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

The 7th Tree


The 7th Tree is the one unique from the rest...do you feel like a 7th tree?

How interesting! Tell me more...and click this post's title to visit my Art Shop @ Zazzle if you wish.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Spooky Fairy Night


Spooky Fairy Night, another artful offering on behalf of the upcoming winter season here in the Northern Hemisphere!

Monday, November 16, 2009

Remains of Kyle Castle barely stand - photo

Of Family Genealogy and stuff:

Oh dear! Guess this is all that remains of Kyle Castle in Great Britain and my Cowell-Kyle-Coel-Coil-Coyles-Coilus-Cole family members circa 2009 must be living elsewhere by now...let us hope.

A friend sent me this photo a while back and I don't know who snapped it. The pic may be from a website so if this is your work, you have only to let me know to receive a deserved photo cred, no problem!

Until then, I'll be sleeping in America where my ancestors migrated afar from their Old King Cole/King Coilus remembrances of long ago...such as...

King Coilus was King of the Britons in Roman times, I've read, and there were thought to be 3 of them - father, son, and grandson, at least one of which was an early astrologer. (This would apparently make me a late astrologer.)

In fact, if you know anything about Astrology charts, you're familiar with the terms Medium Coeli (Mc) and Immum Coeli (Ic) with 'coeli' meaning 'heavens' or 'sky.' Well, you'd be under the heavens and stars for certain if you slept a night in Kyle Castle!

Interestingly, the ancient city of Colchester may figure in to the legends somewhere, and although I've seen Colchester featured on PBS' Rick Steves travel program, I have yet to walk its narrow streets in search of a distant cousin or two. But I do know that if you say 'Kyle' or 'Kile' with the right accent, you get what in America sounds like 'Coil.'

And few believe its verity, yet I've read that when William the Conqueror first arrived in England one of his men struck the land (presumably with his sword) and is said to have been given the surname Strickland ('Strike land'.) Funny that, since my Dad's mother was a Strickland. William built Colchester Castle in 1076 on Roman ruins - the Temple of Claudius - to give it strength which must have worked since it's available for touching if you but go there and lay your hand upon it.

Yes, these old chieftains of Eire are sometimes known as Coel Hen - Coel the Old) which I assume to be an 'Old King Cole' reference, but who knows? It was all so many centuries ago.

Plus, it may be the case that King Coilus' daughter
Helen
married - or birthed, I never remember which - Emperor Constantine and both of them went mad for Christianity as promoted by the Catholic Church. (I say that because in America my family has been firmly Protestant for as long as we can remember! Yet back across the ages and the seas to Ye Olde Country, who knows? Druids, perhaps? ;p)

Well, you may wish to merrily check out more ancient history about King Cole and Roman Britain at Wikipedia, but Bing or Google for more links and sites where some industrious folks have traced their lineages back to ancient Britain, but most are just full of misty history.

Now perhaps you've never read the Page in the sidebar column of my Word Press blog wherein I detail the harrowing evening of my entry into the space/time flux of Planet Earth. You see, a personal name asteroid Cowell arose that evening, a few minutes later I was born, then asteroid Judith arose a few minutes later.

And who synchronistically named the little squalling babe on that dark winter's night? My Dad, of course, for he obviously knew a fellow Cowell when he saw one!

~:~

Disclaimer: no ancient chieftains or merry fiddles were harmed in the typing of this post; spelling of author's family name has been slightly adjusted to echo its astrological spelling, Cowell, and 'Jude' is short for Judith. jc

Have you more Coel-Cowell-Coil-Kyle info? Contact: judecowell at gmail dot com

Monday, November 02, 2009

Red banded wrasse says, Fish Art as apparel? Yeah!

A small Red banded wrasse has floated in to say, check out my Zazzle Art Shop for botanically drawn fish designs on various products and apparel! Can fish make good mousepads? you ask. Why, yes they can and do.

Plus, here's a heads-up direct from me to you:

A new Links List has appeared in Secret Moon Art's sidebar column containing a few of my favorite Zazzle Shops - more will be added soon - so do swim over the 'net when you can and visit their wildlife offerings and wonderful nature paintings, too.

Or you may wish to check out my designs at Cafe Press, if you prefer their site.

After all, gift-giving season nears, y'know!

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

meander down Blue Winter's Path


Blue Winter's Path will be here soon...

Come browse my Fine Art America Portfolio of drawings before the snows set in!

~:~

Update Dec 21, 2009: my excellent friend, libramoon, has penned a few lines of lovely wintry prose to go with the above scene...I turn you over to libramoon:

Traveling eternal twilight's hidden path
ever verging on ecstatic realization
touch to cold, to wisping snow, to winter
dreams barely beneath faith-scented falling sky
echoing life, sending faint refrain from shadow
beyond the winds of winter's night.


Visit libramoon's e-zine Emerging Visions for cosmically inspired Art and amazing flash Poetry!

Tuesday, October 06, 2009

Are mature artists welcome in the World of Art?

Is it more convenient for the world of Art and art auction houses if mature artists simply retire from their creative pursuits and fade fade away?

Still Prime Time? discusses the topic of artists' later works with Picasso as a prime example of what can happen when creative people dare to age and paint.

Does their work even hold up as being purchase-worthy?

Is the market for their efforts diluted by their extended availability?

Well, read the article for more details, but I say that humankind doesn't create Art as much as use it to express who we really are inside. And I didn't realize there were limitations on it because I thought we were meant to become more of who we are as our lives go on.

Actually some artists, famous and otherwise, use their involvement in the creative process - whatever medium they prefer - as a way of transcending life's difficulties such as illness, lack of resources, a dearth of love, a lonely lifestyle...you know - human problems. And if the world presents someone who wishes to purchase such artwork, who are auction houses or galleries to stop them? Should anyone's age be a factor in the transaction if the eyes are satisfied?

Okay, I'm babbling, and didn't expect to become this animated about the topic. Must be my middle-agedness speaking through a lifelong habit of drawing for which I will not apologize!

So whether you like my creations or not, I shall go on creating them, for not to transcribe the visualized images in my brain onto paper is more of a nuisance than to perpetrate whatever forms a blank sheet of paper conjures...such as this old favorite, Moonrise at the Crossroads, just in time for Oct 7, 2009's 160th anniversary of the mysterious death of Edgar Allan Poe.

Oh! and Halloween approacheth you know.



Then, if you can take a bit of Poetry with your Art, here's a fresh rhyme just published today titled, An Ode to Readers of Poe, so curl up with your wine or tea cup - or your wine in a tea cup - and think of Edgar Allan Poe, Father of the Modern Detective Novel.

Thursday, October 01, 2009

A Private Art Show for SkyWriter Readers!

Here are 7 drawings with astrological flavorings by Jude Cowell - you'll see that #5 is my illustration of the Sabian Symbol for 12 Cancer: 1. Pattillo Armadillo and the Dream of Green (children's book cover) 2. Diluvian Flux 3. Chiron Returns 2027-28 4. Neptune Ascends 5. A Chinese Woman Nursing a Baby with a Message 6. Lonely Wanderer (leaves his cave to share The Light) 7. Timeless Path (city Merit Award recipient, 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games) Click an image to enlarge: So who's Pattillo Armadillo? His dummy book was under consideration in 2004 a New York publishing house, but his hero's journey North didn't quite fit their list at that time. Kudos for the illustrations though! Many thanks to you, Donna Cunningham, and your SkyWriter readers for browsing my Astrology-tinged Cosmic and Moon Art drawings! Jude Cowell 10.1.09 @7:40 pm edt All images copyrighted by artist 2009+