Avra Kehdabra was prompted after reading a chapter in Jerry Saltz’ newest book, How To Be An Artist. One challenge that he posits is termed the “flatworm.” In a nutshell, he encourages an artist to render in an “appropriative” manner any object or living thing, and then repeat rendering or re-creating, “riffing” finally the last version without referring to or rendering that source of inspiration. I chose the bark of a black olive tree in my neighborhood and a broken mockingbird egg at its base, and when finally riffing the last version, I recalled a passage in A Harry Potter book about the “killing curse”, invoked by the term “avra kehdabra.” “There was a flash of blinding green light and a rushing sound, as though a vast, invisible something was soaring through the air — instantaneously the spider rolled over onto its back, unmarked, but unmistakably dead.” A power incantation indeed!