Monday, July 26, 2010

IF ... Double


©2010 Mardi Speth All Rights Reserved

Dragonfly is a magical little flying machine. The iridescence found in his double set of wings contain colors we don't see in our everyday, ordinary experience. Quick directional changes cause a shifting of color and bring to mind distant memories of a time or place where magic reigned. Some Indian legends say that Dragonfly was once Dragon, but he was tricked by Coyote into changing form. What was once Dragon’s scales are now the intricate pattern found on Dragonfly’s wings.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

IF ... Diary #2

©2010 Mardi Speth All Rights Reserved

According to Native American teachings, Whale is the record keeper. Much like a swimming library, Whale carries all the history of the earth. In tribal legend, Whale (being a mammal), moved from the land into the ocean when the earth shifted and Lemuria, the Motherland, went below the waves. Whale saw all of the events leading up to the settling of North America and keeps the records and knowledge of the Motherland alive.

IF ... Diary #1


©2010 Mardi Speth All Rights Reserved

Today is the last day of my summer vacation. My sketchbook adventures will soon be a soft-focused memory. Sigh.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

IF ... Giant

©1996 Mardi Speth All Right Reserved

This pastel, illustrating a scene from Oscar Wilde's Selfish Giant, was completed long ago, but it still suits Illustration Friday's word-of-the-week.