Magic For Terri

I should have posted this earlier alas I just knew about it early this morning myself, and it's still not too late!

The admired editor, artist and writer Terri Windling who has been a great inspiration to me and to many others, lately has been struggling with a seriouse financial crisis due to helath and legal difficulties. Her circle of friends and mystic artists around the world started a fundraising auction to assit her, the auction includes arts, books, collectibles, music and many more delights from the fantasy realm artists and community. Please go here and support by bidding or spreading the word. The bid will end of on December 15 night at 5pm pacific Standard Time.

Terri is surly well deserving of our support.

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The Graceful Visitor

Once upon an early morning doodle of egret, palm & blue lotus...

lurking right outside my balcony..

none but the graceful white egret.

In this isolated part of Cairo, he brought nostalgic memories of the land of water falls and ever turning water wheels, my beloved Faiyum oasis.

Every morning this beautiful creature, exhibit grace with it's noble stature, roaming through the lush greenery of my village....

now he's far away from home.. and so am I

In Africa, the Heron was thought to communicate with the gods. In ancient Egypt, the Heron was honored as the creator of light, nowadays we call it "Abu Qerdan", which means “father of ticks", a name derived from the huge number of parasites such as avian ticks found in its breeding colonies!

The White egret has been conquering my dreams and thoughts of Autumn.

It all started when I was approached to design a logo for Doris Frei, the patron of Little Swiss Oasis, a lovely tiny hotel atop the hill of Tunis Village.

such an exciting comession I must say and Doris has been

the perfect client any artist could ever wish for, she gave me the ultimate freedome to be able to create genuinly with out any interferance.

I found inspiration in the beauty of the egret while he transcend into my sketch book without a plan.. there he is... the majestic egret with his graceful stature with a grape vine leaf-one of the crops my oasis is famous for- entwined into his feet.

Doris was pleased and my work is complete.

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Painted Gate Way

Smiling cyclopes on cement tiles...

Blue Star, palm tree, mushroom & flowers..

Bicycle, cherries, smiling faces & loving words to beloved mother..

Some mysterious young artist painted my morning with colorful chalk of yesterday and warmed up the path to my garden's gateway.

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Morran!

Laying on a bed of dandelion, concertina player in the full moon

Morran is the tiny companion of artist Camilla Engman, and this was my

submission for her upcoming project "Book Full Of Morran", I sure hope my work will get Morran's tail wagging!

Meanwhile I can feel the piercing looks of my amber pup, so I made

a promise that my next sketch is going to be of my own mischievous, grinning companion.

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First Red Of The Season!

From palm...

To Palm...

to a memory of an old trick from once upon my childhood..grandpa says: eat date skin, keep the perianth attached to the seed...

right in your hand, a hermit will stand, with a big old hat and a secret revealed.. and that was grandpa's magic treat!

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The Lantern & Colors!

Tucked away in an alley in one of Cairo's oldest quarters, craftsmen weld small metal pieces that will come together to form a traditional lantern. Ramadan lanterns, known as 'fanous' (singular) or 'fawanees' (plural), light Cairo nights in celebration of the holy month of Ramadan.

The traditional fanous are shaped from tin, wire rings and coloured glass, and lit by a candle. Plastic battery-operated versions are available these days, but they lack the charm of the original.

In Ramadan Egyptians turn to lanterns, Fanous is a time-honoured accompaniment of the holy month. As a symbol, the Fanous is somewhat similar to a christmas tree or menorah. It is hung on balconies during Ramadan and takes the center of dinner tables when families gather to break fast together. The history of Fanous in Egypt streches back to Fatimid era, which ruled large swaths of the muslim world starting the 10th century. Actually there are many different stories about the origins of the fanous. The most interesting story dates from the reign of the Fatimid Caliph, Al-Hakim Bi-Amr Allah. Apparently women were only allowed to go outside their homes during Ramadan, and they were preceded by a little boy carrying a copper lantern so that men in the streets would move away. But even after the laws were relaxed, people liked the lanterns so much that their children would carry them in the streets every Ramadan. Since then, fanous has always been an integral part of Ramadan in Egypt. However, the most probable origins of fanous were described by Al-Maqrizi. He traces it back to the Coptic Christians who celebrated Christmas by decorating the streets of ancient Egypt with colorful candles. The tradition of celebrating with lights goes back even further to the torches used by the Ancient Egyptians, which was continued by the Copts using candles, and endures today with Fanous Ramadan.

Nowadays children still take to the streets in Ramadan nights carrying their candle-lit lanterns and singing the famous rhyme, “wahawi ya wahawi iyyaha,” which some researcher believe is an old pharaonic song to the moon deity. In one version of the song, the children say, “if it were not for Ramadan, we wouldn’t have come, or bothered to get our feet tired, o merciful God.” In another version, they say, “the sultan’s daughter... iyyaha, is wearing a caftan... iyyaha, with tussels... iyyaha, let’s go get it... iyyaha.”

My work here is a tribute to the holly month of Ramadan and also to Adly Rizkallah, a writer and painter whose work I have long admired since childhood. I was starry-eyed to meet him and his work in flesh couple of years ago before his departure from our world. I was humbled to have him admire my work and this memory of our encounter, even though brief effected me deeply, and his words of encouragment still echo in my ears every time I hold a pencil and set to work.

(Hussam Elsherif, I see my youth in you, I wish you success. Adly Rizallah)

I was inspired by one of his books that I deeply enjoyed, the book is called "The Lantern & Colors" and it speaks of Ramadan's flying lantern and it's three guardians that roam the skies in search of someone worthy of the colorful, musical and magical lantern. It struck me that this was the only fantasy book dedicated to children that speaks of the spirit of the Holy month of Ramadan!

I thought that since the book of which my inspiration came from is called "the lantern & colors" It's only appropriate to color my sketch. Coloring is far away from my comfort zone, unlike working with pencils, once you add colors there is no going back. but I guess in order to learn we have to travel beyond our comfort zone and experince new alternatives and realities which in turn could change the way we comprehand the world around us.

I've tried experimenting with colors on a draft of this sketch but I wasn't satisfied with the result, I think there are many details which makes it difficult for a first step with colors, so I decided that I need more time to experiment with colors, get equanted and hear their voice...

So here they are.. the three lantern guardians...

riding the glowing orb that flies, soaring high through the skies

They play their instruments, they sing it loudly

those ancient rhymes of "wahawi ya wahawi"

With the beginning of September we said goodbye to Ramadan, after a month of daily fasting it is a joy of all Muslims to celebrate the three days long "Eid Al Fitr" that translates as the breakfast feast. People went out with family and friends, and it's tradition to buy new clothes and then to show them off of course.

And every where there was colors colors colors!

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It's Ramadan!

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and the Muslim’s holy month where the Quran was bestowed upon Prophet Mohamed. It is a time of spiritual reflection and worship. Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset in a process intended to light one's path toward prayer and God.

Ramadan traditions vary from one country to another. For us Egyptians, the holy month of Ramadan is the most special occasion of the year.

Before Dawn, the Musaharati (dawn awakener) starts his job, walking the streets and alleys drumming on small drum, sometimes singing and sometimes shouting, he ensures everybody wakes up for Suhur (pre-dawn meal).

Ramadan is not the same with out Fanous (Ramadan lantern).

Every mosque, building, street, lane and alley connected by a cob web of colorful garlands and lights

This is the “Atayef” baker, almost like a tiny pancake. It’s usually stuffed with nuts and rasins and deep fried and then soaked in syrup.

And this is the “Kounafa” baker. “Kounafa” is a typical Ramadan sweet. Baked in the oven with cream or cinnamon and also soaked with syrup.

Ramadan is family time. A family in my beloved oasis is sitting together, waiting for the time to pass till Iftar, the breaking of the fast at sunset.

While the mother is cooking...

Before sunset all farmers go home with their animals at the same time.

Iftar cannon, a very distinguished symbol of Ramadan in Egypt. It was used during the Fatimid era to announce the end of the daily Ramadan fast. The tradition indeed survived until today and fasting Muslims await the loud “boom” that announces the end of the daily fast. Iftar in Egypt isn't just the same without the cannon blast.

Finally, Iftar! The whole country is eating now and…

Watching the same soap operas. Many soaps and comedies are especially produced for Ramadan.

In Ramadan people are generous. Many people are donating food; there are public Iftars for the poor.

But Ramadan is also a time to go out, meet friends, eat a lot at night, go to music concerts, smoke shisha (water pipe), drink tea and eat sweets. Khan Al Khalili, Cairo’s biggest bazaar area, is packed with people every night.

Even my desk is celebrating this joyful month of colors..

With a dear book, colors and a new work in progress that I shall tell you more about soon.

Most of the photographs are taken by the wonderful Claudia Wiens.

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And That Wooden Egg

My days of late were filled with saw dust, wood shavings and puppet making. I have been able to focus on my carving, which I have to report is coming along very well, and a certain wooden egg slowly hatching, with a snippets smile from under a twisted mustache to you all it says:

Thank you very much lovely people for your words of encouragement,

and to all a happy productive Summertime :)

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Shuffle! Cut! Deal! Halt!

Shuffle deck! Cards cut! Deal cards! Cards, halt!

Scattered play cards once upon a sidewalk..

Were they chasing a run away Alice? Were they painting roses red?

Maybe they're nothing but a deck of cards!

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Giant As A Mushroom

Once upon a mushroom hunt..

lo and behold the biggest growing wild mushroom I have ever seen in Egypt! A whole Family of giant Mushrooms growing around the aging palm tree!

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Atop My Knuckle

Once upon a morning cup of coffee, I found a drowning moth upside-down in Amber Pup's bowl of water. I scooped him out on a fingertip and sat with him on my hand before he was dry enough to take off. Here he is sitting atop my knuckle!

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Once Upon A Morning Walk!

Once upon a morning walk, I found a tiny pink slipper.

It might have been lost from a Barbie doll, or was it a tiny runaway Cinderella :)

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