Awaiting the New Year

I headed out, last minute, in the icy wind to get some New Years hats & noise makers. They are sitting under the tree, waiting for 11:55 p.m. 

Last snow of 2008

A thin blanket of snow fell today, covering all in white and making for a very quiet last day of 2008. I watched from my windows as I worked & thought about the year to come. 

Peace in this New Year

A version of the peace sign I  created several days ago. This last day of the old year has been filled with snow, rain , wind, sun and clouds . Wonder what the rest of the day will bring!©RAESP 2008

More peace symbols

I seem to be surrounding myself with peace symbols. As  a holiday gift I asked my husband for this & he was sweet enough to oblige. Nice thing about it is when I take it off I leave it on a nearby shelf where it can catch my eye and remind me of:peace. I had also created a hand drawn peace symbol back in May -consider it a sketch for a future silkscreen. 

My daily walk in nature

Today I returned to my daily routine of walking around the outskirts of a local wooded park. I had not been there since December 23rd when all was covered in snow so as I walked I kept my eyes out for signs of change. People(sadly) dump things beyond the park gates and there had even been a car crash on the 22nd that left skid marks ,shattered glass, toppled light posts , torn tree bark and a badly dented gate...kind of violent to come upon & to imagine what must have happened to leave such signs behind. But there was also this: a small peace sign painted upon a trail marker. I have come to rely on these walks to attain a level of peace-partly it is the disconnecting from daily life & work, perhaps it is the coverage of miles briskly walked but it is also the being in nature for a time. The changes one sees as trees lose their leaves and birds and squirrels become more visible in the gray and open landscape of winter. So this small peace sign seemed the perfect symbol. & as an artist, I love symbols! 

Living with color!

I love color. Color is what excites me about art. Much of my surroundings are collected and displayed based on their color & the feeling certain colors create. What amazes me most is the wonderful use of color  in nature. In this photo your eye sees the bright color of the wall but my eye sees the color patterns in Sandi's fur & how it is different on her legs and face. An artist would put thought into those patterns but in nature, that just happens on it's own-amazing!

teaching others what you love to do...

I also have found there is a type of peace to be found in teaching-especially if you are lucky enough to be able to teach others about something you yourself love. It is not "just" a passing on of information but a transmittal  of a positive energy. I am lucky to teach art and craft-I love it and it brings joy to others. But it is a hard way to make a living. I could not recommend this particular path to anyone -a path  that is often  full of doubts , struggle , failure & disappointment-a hard trade-off when I look back upon it . 

double happiness

Like lots of others who "own" pets, I have found much peace & happiness comes with sharing one's home with any kind of animal. Sandi-the tabby cat-is a lesson in utter happiness. She is happy-any time, any reason/no reason at all. At 3 a.m. in the morning she will look at you and pur with joy just BECAUSE. I often wish I could learn Sandi's secret to endless joy:it is nice to think her happiness is due to a good home but I think it is more than that. Her sister Nicki is reserved and cautious & that leads me to believe studies  suggesting one's temperament (nature vs. nurture) is key to contentment. 

Cape Cod beach in winter

 I like visiting oceans, lakes & rivers as they seem so peaceful-maybe it is their movement & the many forms of life they support. In winter-when the crowds are gone and it's just you and the harsh winds blowing and a bird or two-it seems so vast , endless , calm & real. 

I love the work spaces and living spaces of artists . It says a lot about what they make and how they make it. I love that my workspace-a small desk in the corner of a room that serves as dining room, living room and art studio-is always full of color. The collection of items seems to be it's own, inadvertent collage of sorts.

my desk/my art

peaceful slumber amid the rocks & trees

Places I have felt peaceful...

one of my many "portraits" of squares...©RAESP2008

These next few posts are images I have created in the past few weeks with the holidays & New Year in mind. I hope you like them!

"Winter Sky Stars" ©RAESP2008

"World Peace" ©RAESP2008

"Blip" design image © RAESP 2008

"The season's many blessings" ©RAESP2008

My First Posting!

This is my first posting on my very first blog! It is exciting -like a brand new adventure ... one thing to note:creating my own blog or web site HAD been my New Years Resolution for 2008. It is there for very funny that I am finally getting to this resolution a mere 4/5 days before the next year-2009! 

I do want to add that the name of this blog is all important:we all have made or heard of New Years wishes for world peace and so forth. I actually have been captivated recently by the peace symbol image and, being an artist, this has made me wonder about "peace" quite a lot lately........