Looking for czukart.com?

My online shop is closed. I am still creating pysanky, Wheel of Time™ art, & line art. Please contact me via comments on this page. I welcome your interest. Please contact me by leaving a message to this post.

If you are looking for Patterns of the Wheel: Coloring Art Based on Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time, please check your favorite local or online bookseller.


Some wearable art, featuring a few of my designs can be found through Artisan Tees.
Thank you!

For those unfamiliar with my art, I am primarily a folk artist, specializing in pysanky (decorative egg art) and pysanky-inspired design on more familiar surfaces, such as paper, wood, and canvas. Some of my art is  based on Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time™ series, for which I am a licensed artist.  Scroll down to see some pictures. 

Pysanky

Writing pysanky is the traditional folk art of decorating eggs. It has been handed down through generations for millennia. The word pysanky stems from the Ukrainian word “to write". Pysanky are considered to be written thoughts using a combination of wax resist and dye to convey symbols and colors, rather than painted. Each pysanka carries a one of a kind message of hope and good wishes. Though often now associated with Easter, pysanky are for all of life's events, made for special occasions, or to transmit special wishes or prayers. The symbols and colors all contain meaning, representing life: wishes of hope, health, prosperity, safety, and blessings. Legend has it that as long as pysanky are written, goodness will prevail over evil throughout the world. 

For some older pictures of my pysanky, click here.

Some of the 2017/2018 crop of pysanky are below. Please contact me directly if interested in any.

My Wheel of Time coloring book, Patterns of the Wheel, was published by Tor Books in 2016.

As of May 2019, I am no longer producing officially licensed Wheel of Time art, It has been an honor and privilege to be one of the artists sanctioned by Bandersnatch to create art based on a well loved series, written by a well loved man. I am probably the only folk artist to have ever been officially licensed to create art for a fantasy series.

The White Tower Collection

Some bone art I've done using pysanky-inspired symbols. These skulls were from the personal collection of Robert Jordan.

I have a fair amount of 2D art, as well, which is available, both originals and prints. I will be updating this section shortly.

Eye See Who (prints only)

Snow Critters notecards

Pysindy Peacock

String of Owls (prints only)

Coloring Notecards

Amberlough by Lara Elena Donnelly (Publishing date February 7, 2017)

My first book of the year and, holy moly! If the rest of the 2017 books follow trend, it's gonna be a hella good year! The early reviews haven't  lied. Amberlough truly does bring the reader a plate filled with espionage, intrigue, panache,and passion, with a dash of cabaret life, thrown in. This is one case where the cover doesn't lie. (Though I will admit, that as I started the book, there were some similarities between current political happenings and the happenings in the book, which, when the manuscript was being written weren't in evidence, that made me a little nervous. Then the story just grabbed me and didn't let go.)

I hope there's a sequel, but give me time to grow my finger nails back (or to break my nail biting habit.) 

A proper review coming when 1) I'm feeling better (started the new year sick. Am hoping this means it only gets better) and 2) am caught up on other reviews, also pending.

To the author: blame your editor for sending me your way, but you turned me into a fangirl all on you own.

tags:2017-read, advanced-reader-copy, tor, reallyexcitedtoread, didn-t-want-to-put-it-down, first-novel-or-book, great-cover, fantasy, will-look-for-more-by-this-author, wow
SaveSave

Charge UP: How your body works. Why you feel the way you do. What you can do about it. by Sherri Jacobs

Full review still needed. It's coming, I promise, but in the meantime, if you need help getting your health on track and are wanting to clean up your diet to be better for you, but not "go on a diet", this is a good place to start. I've worked with Sherri Jacobs for  4 years, (on and off for "tune ups" and refining things after the initial interactions) and her recommendations have made a remarkable difference in my life and health, not just in weight management, but in energy, stamina, sleep abilities, breathing, and other areas. Plus, I have yet to leave after seeing her without a smile on my face. We laugh a lot together, and work as health partners to scope out problems and plans. This book reflects many of the things we've covered in our time together, plus lots more, and puts options in your hands in clear language. Worth it.


(Available as e-book on Amazon, free if you have the Kindle Unlimited. )

Goodbye LiveJournal

This blog (and my one on dreamwidth) started when I moved my journal from live journal at the recommendation of my friend moem. Today, she posted this, which made a lot of sense to me. I really haven't been to LJ in years, and am already trying to reduce my social media interface. (For those who know me on other platforms, I still post, but you're not gonna see a lot of details from me, mostly pictures, or reminders that I'd love it, and you,  if you bought my book.)

Anyhow, here's one more picture, in fond farewell to LJ:

Amaro: The Spirited World of Bittersweet, Herbal Liqueurs with Cocktails, Recipes, and Formulas by Brad Thomas Parsons

If it's any indication how good I thought this book was, I've been to my favorite liquor store 3 times while reading it and once since I finished. Bitters, herbals, and amaros, be they apéritif or digestif,
are my beverage of choice in the spirits world. What a lovely setting to explore recipes, lore, and information on a subject of which I am quite fond. Informative, clearly written, beautifully illustrated, and well organized, this book will be a delight to any cocktail enthusiast (except perhaps my husband, who was thinking of getting this for me for the holidays, and had to think of something else. But that was not a strike against the information in the book, more that Blogging for Books stole his thunder.)

Magic Academy Book One: The Fire Test by E.R. Ross

Sent to me by a friend, who met the author.

I'm not much of a gamer, but this book really brings the appeal to life. I can see that this would be appealing to teens both entering the fantasy/role-playing games, as well as fantasy literature. Magic, but not the obvious sorts, and a school for magicians that is decidedly un-Hogwarts. Characters are engaging, and I like that the female lead is dark-skinned, because my friend's daughter, who is decidedly non-Caucasian, used to say that fantasy depresses her because "all the chicks are white skinned and big boobed, or white skinned and athletic. I can't be a character because I'm dark and strong, but not big or athletic." She's now an amazing young woman, fighting for climate change and for LGBTQ rights at university in North Carolina. I'll tell her about this book so she can rejoice.

It's the first in a series. It would be interesting to see where the author takes it from here.

In Memoriam by Nathan Burgoine

I've been meaning to read some of this author's works since he was someone I enjoyed on the forums of BookCrossing back in the old days, and he has remained good friends with one of my dearest friends. This Kindle short read turned the "meaning to" into "I'm glad I finally did". A great premise and story line, with James, faced with a terrible diagnosis and a very short time to live, acknowledges the one regret in life he has about "the one that got away". I mean, who hasn't dreamed of the ultimate do-over? 

Good writing, plus a good plot, characterization, and pace mean I will be seeking out more of 'Nathan Burgoine's writing.

From the publisher:

With one diagnosis, editor James Daniels learns that he's literally running out of time. Looking at his life, he sees one regret: Andy, the one that got away. Andy was the first man that James ever loved, but Andy has been gone for years, and might not want to be found.

But as his cancer progresses and James starts to lose his grip on time and memory, it might just be that time and memory are losing their grip on James, too. 

It's the biggest and most important re-write of his life. Restoring love from nothing but memory might be possible, if the past isn't too far gone to fix.