The new Super Simple Sumi-e book was a big hit with kids and a wonderful way to introduce them to how to do this style of painting.

In January and February I taught super simple sumi-e to a variety of 4th-6th grade classes in schools in Maple Grove, MN and Racine, WI.  Many teachers commented that they had never seen their classes be so quiet and focused.  Pandas of all sorts, birds (with and without mohawks), and, of course, dragons adorned the halls!

Students hard at work painting pandas

A dragon in the making

Other creative animals

Sumi art in the halls

Legend has it that the dragon was terrorizing the countryside, eating everything in sight, including young girls.  In desperation the king offered the hand of his daughter to whomever could slay the beast.  All the brave knights tried and failed.  Finally a poor cobbler stepped up.  The king was dubious but said OK.  So the cobbler asked for a freshly slain sheep. He took out the innards and filled the inside of the sheep with sulfur and placed it in front of the dragon’s cave.  The dragon wolfed it down.  Soon after the sulfur began to burn the dragon’s stomach.  To stop the pain and ease the burning, the dragon started drinking up the river that flowed next to its cave.  He drank and drank and drank so much that he finally burst open and died!.  Needless to say, the cobbler married the princess.

In the 1970s a huge 20 foot bronze statue of the dragon was erected in front of the cave.  And true to the description the dragon belches fire every 5 minutes from a gas jet that’s inside its mouth.  Great fun!  And of course all the tourist shops around the hill specialized in kitschy dragon stuff.  Even more fun!  The flying dragon is from one of those shops – he’s about 18 inches long and really flies when the wind chime at the back moves.

The dragon of Krakow

Flying dragon from Krakow - he really flies!

Slaying the 3 headed dragon

Close-up of the 3 headed dragon fountain

On a happier note in Bratislava in the old city there is a pharmacy with a golden dragon hanging over their entrance.  Some people told us that the dragon was the guild emblem of herbalists and pharmacists.  We haven’t been able to substantiate that but the dragon certainly is very lovely.  And not being slain!

Golden dragon

Aeris was frustrated. Not because she was an air dragon and therefore couldn’t breathe fire, and not because she was teased for it. She wasn’t mad about the fire dragons calling her airhead, stupid storm, and feather freak. Nope.

Aeris was angry because she was starting to believe them.

“What’s the point, anyway?” she grumbled, tossing and turning on her sleeping rock. “Why are there even air dragons in the first place? I can understand why there’s air, that’s obvious enough, but why does it need someone to control it?”

She sighed, sending an idle breeze spinning across the cave. It tumbled around for a moment, assessing its ammunition, and then propelled one of Aeris’ many papers directly into her face. Aeris wrote a lot, but unfortunately wasn’t very tidy, so all her work ended up scattered around her cavern.

Scowling, Aeris shook the paper onto floor, where it fluttered innocently in the remnants of the breeze.

“Nothing but trouble, this element gives me,” she muttered. “I can’t shoot fireballs, I can’t grow trees, I can’t cause a tidal wave. I can breathe harder than most. What a gift.”

After a few more angry outbursts, Aeris suddenly remembered that tomorrow was the annual Gathering of Draconians, which dragons, drakes, and serpents from all around the world attended. She needed to get some sleep or she wouldn’t have energy for the flight.

Finally she dropped off to sleep, her serpent head tucked under a feathered wing.

* * *

The next morning, Aeris was up early. Thankfully dragons had no need to eat (they fed off the magic of their element) so she could leave without any delay. She needed to be there by noon or she would miss the Clouddancing, in which the air dragons could show off what they had discovered and learned over the course of the year. Aeris was planning to showcase the book of poetry she had written, which she had painstakingly enchanted so that the air around it took shape and acted out the poems.

So, snatching the book in her jaws with great care, she propelled herself into the air with a great swoosh of her feathery wings. Her midnight blue scales gleamed cobalt in the sunrise, and her lavender and silver feathers shimmered with iridescent splendor.

She was off. The mountains, valleys, and forests of the world flashed by beneath her, until she was out over the ocean. The Gathering was held on a remote island that humans had not yet discovered, so that privacy and peace could be assured.

I must admit, thought Aeris smugly as she created an updraft to propel her so she could rest her wings. This element comes in handy occasionally. I’d like to see one of those upstart fire dragons make the journey to the Gathering without stopping to rest those pathetic, spiny wings of thei-

CRASH!

With a squawk of surprise, Aeris plummeted toward the sea, just barely managing to flap her wings and create a steady wind to hold her up. Shaking her head to clear it, she looked around for the source of the collision. She spotted it immediately.

“Flamestar!”

Hovering a few feet away, looking “apologetic”, was a gigantic red fire dragon. Aeris had encountered him before, and she never enjoyed it very much.

Flamestar held a terrible grudge, because Aeris had once extinguished a huge fire that he had been displaying to a she-dragon he was rather fond of. Aeris had happened to walk by, and an innocent sneeze later, Flamestar’s head was plastered with ash and blackened with smoke. The she-dragon had found it all highly amusing, so now Flamestar took advantage of every opportunity to pester Aeris.

“Oh, dear, Aeris. I am so sorry. Was that book important?” Flamestar asked with poorly disguised glee.

Aeris frowned at him. “What boo-” Then, with a gasp and roar, Aeris remembered. Her book of poetry! Flamestar had jolted it out of her mouth! She dove downward in a frantic rush, creating massive downdrafts to assist her fall and updrafts to try and catch the book.

Miles above her, she could hear Flamestar laughing.

With a screech of despair, Aeris realized she wasn’t going to make it. She pulled up short, watching as the little treasure fell, three yards above the water, two yards, one yard, two feet…

Then, with an enormous splash and a deep, gurgling roar, a webbed hand emerged from the water and caught the book on a bed of small, slimy scales.

Resuming her dive, Aeris approached the hand cautiously and waited as a head emerged from the water that was about the size of Aeris’ entire wingspan.

“Hello, air dragon,” said the sea serpent kindly. “Is this yours?”

“Er, yes. Thank you.”

“Name’s Oceanswell. And don’t thank me yet, Miss…?”

“Aeris.”

“Don’t thank me yet, Aeris, it may still be ruined. My paws aren’t exactly dry. ”

Aeris realized with a fresh wave of horror that Oceanswell was quite right. The book was already soaked through.

“Oh, now what am I going to do? I’ve got nothing to show at the Gathering! I’ll be ridiculed for centuries!” Aeris landed awkwardly on the serpent’s hand, crying softly.

“Wish I could help, Aeris, but my powers are not… well, top-notch. I could drench anything in an instant, but drying it off…couldn’t you do something, being an air dragon and all?” questioned the sea serpent.

Aeris sighed. “No, not really. I could dry it off, but the enchantment’s ruined and the words won’t be legible.”

Suddenly, Flamestar swooped down to join them.

“Once again, terribly sorry, Aeris. And I couldn’t help overhearing that this little book is ruined now… such a shame.”

“Be quiet, Flamestar! You’ve made your point! Just go on to the Gathering, start spreading the gossip that Aeris is too clumsy to catch a book, and leave me alone!” Aeris snapped.

“With pleasure,” grinned Flamestar, and flew away.

“I have an idea, Aeris, if you’re interested,” said Oceanswell. “Something to show at the Gathering. Give me something to do, as well. And I’m guessing it would show all them fire dragons that being an air dragon isn’t totally worthless. We sea serpents know a lot about all the elements: the water all over the planet shares its knowledge with us, and I happen to know that Flamestar there is planning a huge bonfire. Roast everyone else’s work and create an uproar, show off, something of that sort. So why don’t you just hop onto my head and I’ll explain my idea on the way.”

* * *

Oceanswell dropped Aeris off with a cheery farewell, promised to keep in touch, and disappeared back into the sea. Aeris joined the Gathering with enthusiasm, not even caring that she’d missed the Clouddancing. The bright banners and magical decorations were fascinating to look at, as well as the mass of Draconians assembled.

After an hour of waiting, the fire dragon display was next. Just as Oceanswell had said, Aeris caught a glimpse of Flamestar and several other disruptive fire dragons huddled behind a rock.

Once all the fire dragons had brought their creations out, including a portable volcano and a sculpture crafted from solid flame, Flamestar’s little gang trampled over and set fire to it all, laughing as the beautiful things fused with their fire and exploded. The watching Draconians wailed and ran for cover.

This was Aeris’ cue. Gazing sympathetically at the fire dragons who were roaring and shrieking in misery, she flew over. Summoning all of her power and calling on the winds of the world, she extinguished the flame with hurricane force winds directed at nothing else. Smiling at the dragons, she walked over to the remains of a fire sculpture and, with the assistance of its creator, helped to rekindle it.

Because, after all, air can destroy fire, but fire cannot exist without air.