Book of Life (greeting card)

"Book of Life" (2005) is a colored pencil drawing by Prague artist Marie Brožová, created live in public in Pilsen (Czech Republic) as part of her long-term project The Defense of Colored Pencils. The original artwork is an impressive A0 format, measuring 118.9 × 84.1 cm (46.8 × 33.1 inches), and now resides in a private collection in Shanghai.

The Story Behind the Art

In one of her magical dreams, Marie Brožová visited the study of the Wizard of Fortune, a kind old man who dwells within a hollow tree. Here, he records our life stories in hidden books that line his cozy little space. This enchanted dwelling holds a quiet bedroom, an archive of ancestral lives, and a collection of toys for children who still remember their true calling and come here to play. On his table lie watercolor pans, pepper, salt, and honey: the essential ingredients he uses to season our destinies. Whenever inspiration fails, his literate cat is always by his side to offer wisdom.

"It was incredibly difficult to part with this original – my favorite large-scale piece from my public drawing events," Marie Brožová recalls. "For a long time, I was determined to keep all my event drawings. They felt like irreplaceable chapters of my own history recorded on paper. However, after creating more than 200 of them, I realized these living originals deserve to be loved and admired in new homes rather than tucked away. Shortly after I decided to release them, a young woman from China visited my gallery and fell deeply in love with the Book of Life. I was filled with joy because she didn't view the artwork as a mere financial investment, but as a profound symbol of her own future possibilities. She even discovered a reflection of herself hidden within the lines of the drawing. Original art has a heartbeat of its own, and my heart absolutely dances with joy when a piece finds its true keeper!"

Hidden Details to Discover

At this moment, the Wizard seems to be pondering what to sprinkle into the artist's own book of life, as the open page shows the date of her birth.

Available as: Fine Art Prints (A4–A0), Gallery-Quality Posters (A2–A0), Greeting Cards, Postcards, Notebooks, Sketchbooks, Magnets, Mandala Art Therapy & Meditation Set "Wisdom", Inner Balance Oracle Cards.