ART BY DRAX
Henna Paintings and the Fine Art of Potato Mischief

The new year is unfolding before us, full of opportunity and new growth. This is our chance to start fresh, explore new projects, and re-create ourselves. Some make new commitments, while others shed old habits. This henna design captures the essence of that joyful energy and the centered, balanced growth we all strive for. It inspired this Haiku poem, which is written on the back:

Bud and leaf spring forth

Content just to be in sun,

Growing peacefully.

See the Painting here!

A great tree arches overhead, spreading limbs covered in bright leaves. It is the Tree of Love, the living symbol of love itself. It holds all the wonder, all the joy, all the magic that love can bring. What if you were lucky enough to catch a leaf. . .  just one. . . ?

The painting inspired this Haiku poem, which is written on the back:

Patiently I wait,

Hope to catch a falling leaf

From the tree of love.

I often walk through the woods behind my house to restore my connection to Nature and to see what beautiful secrets may be hidden there to inspire the artist's soul. One chilly evening in fall, when the trees had begun to lose their leaves, I looked up and could see the graceful crescent moon framed by the trees. It almost looked as if they were streching up to touch it. It inspired this Haiku, which I wrote on the back of the painting:

A crisp autumn night

Smell of leaves is in the air

I gaze up at the moon.

See the painting here!

A curious dragonfly zips around my sketchpad as I sit on a log overlooking the creek bend. ("What is this? Oh it's an artist! She's trying to draw my picture- how flattering!") So beautiful and quick! He poses for seconds at a time, then hurries away on some important errand, curiosity satisfied. I am left trying to capture the memory of his beauty and grace. Months later, a glimpse of the sketch brings a smile on a wintry afternoon and I capture him again with my henna-cone of paint.

He also inspired this original Haiku, which I wrote on the back of the painting:

Elusive spirit,

He visits on sparkling wings-

Captured with my brush!

See the Dragonfly here!

Painting # 10 in the Henna Cards series by Drax

Spades, Clubs, Diamonds, and Hearts. Far more than just a game, the cards are a meditation. A soothing repetition spiced with the twists and folds of Chance, leading the player into a constant pursuit of an often elusive victory. Always whispering "Just this one more game. . . "