Off To See The Wizard...

Somewhere over the rainbow is an enchanted realm full of mystery and magic that has captured the hearts and inspired the imagination of millions throughout the world. Published in 1900, L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz provided a much needed escape for many lonely dreamers at a difficult and troubled time. It's no different today, and obviously... it was no different for me. While I'll freely admit that I always enjoyed watching the 1939 MGM film (secretly routing for the Wicked Witch, of course), I never really considered myself a "fan" in the biblical sense of the word. Perhaps one could argue, that inevitably it is just every gay man's destiny to at one point in his life walk the road Judy Garland once so merrily skipped down. However, I know for a fact that it was without question, my nieces' performances in their dance school's rendition of "Wicked" that finally made me strap on a pair of ruby shoes and wait for Glinda (with a 2x4 in hand).

The following Oz art series literally poured out of me. I couldn't stop. One character's completion lead to the next one's birth, and then the next one... and so on and so on. Each one felt charged with the life and magic that L. Frank Baum gave them over a century ago. I did nothing more than add a small brick of my own to the already long road. The completed character illustrations along with some very interesting "Googled" information about each of them, paved the way for the creation of the Azodnem.com Oz-mania Calendars which are currently available at all three of my online shops (see the links below). Those calendars would then eventually pave the way for a compilation book... and with it a sense of true closure to my long unexpected trip through Oz.

Now... with that said... I am done! Dorothy can find her own way from now on, because frankly, I'll be grabbing a broomstick and heading West. I hear there's a vacancy in some forlorn castle out there, and a bunch of monkeys with nothing to do!

Products featuring Azodnem's reimagined Citizens of Oz are available here:
http://www.cafepress.com/azodnem
http://www.zazzle.com/azodnem
http://www.lulu.com/azodnem201

Comments and Feedback are always greatly appreciated.