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"Brand New Wings"
Human hope is fragile
Like a feather on the wind.
And,
though we try to hold it close,
Like fire, it must ascend.
We cradle it within our hands
Then fearfully let go...
(Just
how its promise will return,
No living man can know.)
A hope that's born in loving hearts
Cannot be quenched by fear;
For
shadows cannot swallow up
The faces we hold dear.
If they should seek to find new wings,
We must not be alarmed---
The
prayers we've cast upon the wind
Will keep them safe from harm.
Written July 20, 2003
Phoenix RRP
I was thinking of Jesica Santillan tonight, and of my
own
loved ones that have found their wings instead of staying
here with me as I would have wished, and this poem sort
of wrote itself. I guess the important thing is to hold on
to the belief that healing can keep them in our arms, and
to do all that is humanly possible to aid that in happening;
but, somehow, to find the peace to joyfully release
them
if they are yearning and needing to take flight.
I cannot
believe that such bright and joyful hearts are ever lost
to us forever, and nothing done
in the battle to preserve
their lives---no caring, no love, no effort expended---is
ever done in vain. It is merely changed and used in a
different way than we first imagined. It may be that the
channels within our hearts are dug a little deeper, our
capacity to love made a little
larger, the tools for the
next person's healing refined just that much more---
whatever the case, it is never wasted or lost
upon the
wind. The foundation known as Jesica's Hope Chest
is one such example of the endurance of hope.
"Now, faith is the substance of things hoped for, the
evidence
of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1
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"Brand New Wings", completed May, 2003
This is for the Santillan family, and for
those who loved and prayed for Jesica. I knew when I heard her story that I was supposed to draw this, in honor of her irrepressible
fighting spirit and joy. I tried to draw her a little older and a lot healthier than she was in the picture I had of her.
I realize that not having known Jesica, I have no idea if there is any real resemblance, but somehow, when it was finished,
I felt that if nothing else, the emotion and the freedom had come through. Jesica's family and friends are in my prayers,
and I hope they enjoy this picture of an angel who got her wings way too soon. I named it "Brand New Wings". Click on the
picture to go to Jesica's Hope Chest, a site dedicated to bringing hope to children who are desperately ill.
| "Brand New Wings" |
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| In memory of Jésica Santillán, who gained her wings far too soon... |
| Daybreak |
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| An attempt to capture that moment, in an old barn, when the first daylight falls through the cracks. |
| Rodeo Rider |
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| Done in honor of in honor of all the cowboys and cowboy wannabees who have ridden my familys horses. |
These were finished February 2003
| Empress |
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| When I drew this pic, I had in mind a sort of galactic empire female of power, strong yet fragile. |
| Ama's Child |
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| This is my newest character in graphic novel project. |
| Valentine's Day 2003 |
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| This is one of several pics whose completion was delayed due to eye surgeries this past year. |
| Mother's Day 2002 |
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| Finished this following eye surgery---pic a long time getting done! |
ART FINISHED JANUARY 25th, 2003
| This is the final form of a long-time project |
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| Queen's Gold |
| Memories of Beth |
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| Cameo of a larger painting that had its beginning in Conte a Paris pastel. |
Art finished January 10th, 2003
| Riverelk and Fairbreeze from Shadow Vale Holt |
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| Another pic done for an on-line calendar (cameo from calendar layout) |
Art finished on December 29, 2002
| My youngest daughter as a mermaid |
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| face started as a photo; manipulation and the painting done in ArcSoft Studio |
ART FINISHED NOVEMBER 24, 2002
| Forest Guardian |
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| Color version of pic for Shadow Vale Holt---Chieftess Silvergrace |
| Elfquest.com March 2003 Calendar pic-one version |
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| Theme: tribal celebrations, and 25th Anniversary of Elfquest. |
To go to Elfquest.com free calendar and art site,and download your free 2003 fanart calendar, click HERE.
Dancing on the desert sands,
Two
tribes rejoice and clap their hands.
Double
moons shine forth their light
On Cutter's twins, newborn this night.
"Bittersweet Berries"
| My version of Elfquest's Moonshade |
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| Completed November 2nd, 2002 |
Wo2Moon Nature Studies
| Yet another version of Nightfall pic |
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| One of my Wo2M Nature Study pics |
| Preserver Sighting |
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| Nature Study pic |
| TreeWee Snapshot |
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| yet another nature pic |
| Bloodvine and Spiritdancer--Detail from larger pic |
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| Full pic on EQfanart page |
These sketches were completed October 15,
2002
| Lady--fantasy character drawn in mechanical pencil |
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| and enhanced in ArcSoft on my computer |
| Fisherman----character illo for a story |
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| Mechanical pencil, then finished in ArcSoft Studio |
These sketches were completed by the end of
the first week of October, 2002.
| Seventeen |
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| Done as a sketching exercise in mechanical pencil. |
| Chance Encounter |
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| Another sketching exercise |
It is hard to believe that an entire year has passed since the world as we Americans
knew it changed so dramatically. On the anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the
loss of so many of our best and finest, I offer this painting that I did of a Peace Angel, cradling the world in her hands,
while her tears rain down upon it. May the tears of those who weep for the lost, and who pray for peace wash away the
hatreds that led to such destructive, violent actions. My prayer is that America and the world would continue to live
each day fearlessly, with joy and
brotherhood, and never forget that our highest tribute to
the lost is to seek justice, not vengeance. Their sacrifice will have been in
vain the day that we are indistinguishable from their murderers.
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