Dedication

Naomi Scherr

Light is always born from darkness...

While on a meditation retreat in Mumbai, India, Naomi Scherr and I were making plans for our Friday activities: break our somersault pool record; paint Mendhi designs on our feet, and I, being an illustrator, was honored when Naomi asked me to teach her how to draw dragons. Friday never came. On Wednesday, November 26, 2008, terrorists stormed the city. Two gunmen entered the Tiffin restaurant killing Naomi and her father, Alan.  Hundreds more were killed and wounded throughout the city. Naomi was only thirteen years old. I survived; a machine gun bullet seared a two and a half foot path down my back.

The Peace Dragon Project fulfills my promise to teach Naomi how to draw dragons. The initial concept was simple – create a virtual dragon’s lair where people from all over the world would learn how to draw a dragon and be invited to share their art. Sharing my vision, the peace dragon grew with the added visions of everyone who was touched by the project. From one art to all the arts and all that can be imagined.

The key intentions of the Peace Dragon are to inspire people to focus on the universal desire for peace presented in its many dragon forms; to realize the potential of the infinite possibilities available with the inclusion of every artist’s vision.  There is a wish that the virtual will manifest in reality and current global myths will be dispelled, where truth and the celebration of diversity will build bridges over the existing canyons of fiction.