Anyone with ability

may vault dragon gate ...that is apparently a Chinese saying which basically

means passing the exams to become the imperial equivalent of a civil servant. There was no special reason for that choice of words, they just fit the picture and it needed something to fill the space.

I wish I could find this alphabet again it is very fantasy compatible.

Dragon Gate

My friend asked me to make him something with a dragon, this was the result and the first of my  stretchy frame embroideries. The dragon was from the front cover of a book and originally in red and gold, can't recall the title of the book, I only borrowed it from the library for the dragon.  Through the dragon is a bridge with a wizard on it and beyond in the mist a castle atop a tower with a pale moon behind, that's from a different book, The Stone and the Flute by Hans Bemmann (a translation by Anthea Bell) I think the illustrator for that is Annegert Fuschuber. I was less keen on the story to be honest than I was on the image, which in the original had a man to the right covered up by dragon in my homage, so I did not keep the book after I had read it and made a sketch of the cover.

The finished design had to go to America in the post so I worried if the back was sealed over customs might wonder if there was something in there.  That is why I came up with the back staying open and have done the same on any subsequent items in this kind of frame.

I have remained fond of both the dragon on its own and of the combined image, you will see it some more, which is a little unusual for me I don't often repeat makes.