New Artwork: For My Sister

My sister’s birthday is today, so I thought I’d do something special for her, and draw a little portrait.  I’m going to call it Zema-la on Cloud Nine. “Zema-la” is what you would call a pretty girl in Tibetan, and the Cloud Nine came from me and my current obsession with The Tempations… plus my sister loves those Tibetan clouds.*

If you were unaware, today is also the birthday of Celia Cruz and Dizzy Gillespie, two of the greatest musicians of all time.  My sister is also an excellent singer, so people born on this day must be naturally musically inclined.

10/23

*I would once again like to thank the Buddhist artwork from which I stole these motifs; if I knew the names of the artists I would certainly give them credit.  But this style of painting dates back thousands of years, and it is hard to find the names of most of the original artists…

New Artwork: Portrait of My Grandmother

We call my grandmother “Mommy Cain.”  Her real name is Cassie Mae McCain (nee Roland).  I don’t know who started calling her Mommy Cain first, but it stuck, and pretty much everybody refers to her as that, or “Momma Cain.”

Anyway, her 87th birthday is coming up on October 11, so I decided to do a portrait of her.  In the photo I am using as a reference she is holding her firstborn, my uncle.  I would have included him in the drawing, because the photo captured such a beautiful moment, but I wanted it to be all about Mommy Cain, cuz she’s had to share EVERYTHING else in her life.  This is her time to shine.

I will never forget, back in our “lean” days, how she would cut up a Snickers bar that Daddy Cain had bought for her into 6+ pieces, just so we could all have a piece.  And how she would give us a dollar to do her hair…

I’m gonna call this one “Dos Gardenias,” the title of a song by Ibrahim Ferrer of the Buena Vista Social Club.  I’m going to draw some gardenias around her, and maybe the words “Mi Abuelita” in script….

10/10/10

I am trying to get this thing done by tomorrow, so I can present it to her for her birthday…  shouldn’t be too hard.  I only have to draw the little flowers in the background.  I am steady listening to Bilal’s “Airtight’s Revenge” today.  He posted a video for “Restart” from that album last night on twitter, and that just got me back on a Bilal hype.  You know, everything he touches is gold, and this album is no exception.  He’s actually talking about something, something more than love and heartbreak and all that drama.   It’s definitely a must-buy…

10/11

p.s. If you are one of the many people asking, “How is she your grandmother?”  Please read my “About Me” section.  Thank you.

Poetry for the Libra

.:FOR CASSIE MAE:.

Mother Goddess, Maya Devi

on a divine assignment to levy
an army of angels
a brigade of light beams
twinkling in the night sky
ILLUMINATION SUPREME

Venus met with Mercury
created 5 suns and moons
that sojourned in the belly
inlaying in her womb
amethyst, pearl and opal
roses waiting to bloom
one glance brings me elation
erasing all of my gloom

You’re the ultimate architect
true example for me
A seasoned horticulturist
what a Mother should be.

Happy Birthday!

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I just wrote this little poem for my Granny’s b-day (on the 11th), but it’s for ALL the Libras I know.  There’s a male/female version…enjoy!

BIRTHDAY SHOUT-OUTS TO MOMMY CAIN, CASSIE MAE, VICTORIA, GABRIELLE, AISHA, K.J. and everyone else born @ this time.  The old souls.

You’d have to weigh her with

a thousand and one gold bars

in order to balance

out the scales

if ever you went on a quest

to find another one like her

despite your efforts

you’d surely fail

holds the wisdom of ancients

in the palm of her hand

through arduous situations

has the strength to withstand

‘Cause her heart is an ocean

a sea of love that expands

spreading out to Four Corners

flowing thru no Man’s Land

.:Open mind:.

.:like the endless sky:.

.:move aside:.

.:she needs room to fly:.

.:for she’s a free spirit:.

.:graceful as a gazelle:.

.:countenance of a goddess:.

.:smooth as silk:.

.:TOUGH AS NAILS:.

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(for the menfolk)

You’d have to weigh him with

a thousand and one gold bars

in order to balance

out the scales

if ever you went on a quest

to find another one like him

despite your efforts

you’d surely fail

holds the wisdom of ancients

in the palm of his hand

through arduous situations

has the strength to withstand

‘Cause his heart is an ocean

a sea of love that expands

spreading out to Four Corners

flowing thru No Man’s Land

.:Open mind:.

.:like the endless sky:.

.:move aside:.

.:he needs room to fly:.

.:for he’s a free spirit:.

.:graceful as a gazelle:.

.:countenance of an angel:.

.:smooth as silk:.

.:TOUGH AS NAILS:.