I’d been emotional since arrival. The immensity of the massive Ramses II statues at the entrance had overwhelmed me — just as he’d desired. There was no doubt of his greatness in my mind. But in his stone face was also a curve of the lip and softness of the eye that spoke of love—for his people, his country and me, his guest.

In 2019, I finally made the pilgrimage to Egypt. The trip awakened my soul (“ba” to the ancients) and has changed me forever. In these watercolors, I share the spiritual, artistic and personal encounters that were Egypt’s gifts to me. Through them, I hope you too can feel her mystic, magnetic draw.

Arriving at Luxor airport, the air was crisp, clear. It was a welcome change from the thickness of the Cairo dust and dirt and pollution we left behind. As we neared town and Karnak Temple, everything became kinetic. I was jittery with excitement, and the air felt busy, almost alive.