Stories. Lately I have been on a fascinating journey through art, science and the spiritual in conducting research for the story and illustrations of a picture book I am working on. The arts of the book. Art is a window into culture and history. In days gone by, the form and shape of stories were handed down via the spoken word in poetry and folk tales, and by threads woven in textiles. Letters of alphabets were then formed, and script, pen and paper invented. Books emerged from the human tendency to look at patterns, from the motion of stars and planets in the sky to the rhythms of language caught in the cadences of a poem. Image and text. The wind of speech in visual form. Wind is the breath of life.

Alif. Aa.