Great Book Covers: Part I

It’s true: we do judge books by their covers.

This is one of my new favorites. For more scrumptious designs, check out the Book Cover Archive site. It’s filled with yummy, inspiring finds that will thrill designers and possibly even inspire more people to pick up a book and read. :  )

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Week 45: "52 Weeks of Peace"

Peace is liberty.

Today we honor of the United States of America. We honor our founders ~ their courage, their foresight and their brave ideals. And we honor our collective indomitable, independent spirit … as night skies across America burst with color, rumble and crack with cannon-like blasts, reminding us of all those who have fought for our freedoms and fought for peace, who have dreamed and toiled for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Happy Birthday America. May you have many, many, many more.

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Week 43: "52 Weeks of Peace"

We’re down to the last 10 weeks of “52”… hard to believe! It’s gone by so quickly. Hopefully it’s been as fun, and in some ways enriching, for you as it has been for me.  But we’re not done yet, so please enjoy the countdown to 52!

……………..

Summertime. The weather’s hot. The sun is high overhead, gardens are bursting and most people think about of ways to cool off … pools, sprinklers, lakes, oceans, and streams take center stage.

Being near the coast, my mind gravitates to the sea; its grandness, its wonder and its gifts. And one of those gifts, so simply and exquisitely designed… seems to perfectly carry the message of peace and good will; a message worth remembering as life’s waves alternately cleanse, toss and tumble us about …

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Week 42: "52 Weeks of Peace"

Recipe for a yummy breakfast …

2 chocolate chip waffles, 2 slaps of butter, 1 generous slathering of maple syrup, 1 large handful blueberries, 1 scoop raspberries, 1 dollop of peace. (whipped cream optional.)

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Contemporary Portraits …(More Travels with Jose and Nick)

It’s always kind of fun to attend an art opening. It’s very organic, for the most part, without all the electronic noise or manufactured influences of our modern times. And of course, there’s the opportunity to meet the most interesting people.

If you go with Jose and Nick, it’s even better. Their enthusiasms are infectious, their humor delightful. As I’ve mentioned before, Jose Rodeiro is a prolific artist (top left image above) and art historian who teaches at NJCU. No kidding, I learn something wonderful and new every time I’m in his company.

Neither Nick (also a master artist) nor I were in this show, but we’ve become somewhat of a troop, a band of cavorting artists.

My daughter’s been around them enough now to feel at ease, and part of the troop. Nick is interested in her future and convinced she should attend Parson’s. She tries to tell him she wants to be a writer, but he’s sure she’s an artist. (It’s all good, Nick.)

And if you can’t have an early 1900’s Paris salon, this is the next best thing for earfuls and eyefuls of colorful opinions and great varieties of art. Speaking of colorful, along with lively exchanges with Jose and Nick and other artists, and friends Nutia, Robert and Lucy, we had the most charming chat with a young Argentinean who loves soccer almost as much as his 7-foot long pet iguana. (oh my.)

I will admit that my girl wasn’t too enthused when she saw the sign announcing that this was a portrait show. I said, trust me, it won’t just be paintings of generals and grandma’s (nothing wrong with those, mind you, just not what a creative-minded teen might be excited about…). And of course, she wasn’t disappointed.

So, the reason we were there: Not just your classical portraiture, this evocative exhibit of 30 artists is showing through August 15 at the Therese A. Maloney Art Gallery in Annunciation Center at the College of Saint Elizabeth (CSE), 2 Convent Road, Morristown, N.J.

Summer hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 4:30 to 8:00 p.m. or by appointment (artgallery@cse.edu or 973-290-4314).

More samplings of what you’ll see:

Artists Exhibiting in Who We Are: Contemporary Portraits

Rob Barth, Lafayette, N.J., Amy Becker. Madison, N.J.. Patricia A. Bender, Somerset, N.J., Gianluca Bianchino, Little Falls, N.J., Janet Boltax, Montclair, N.J., Travis Childers, Fairfax, Va., Judy Cooperman, Great Neck, N.Y., Ellen Denuto, Denville, N.J., Todd L.W. Doney, Gillette, N.J., Pat Flaherty, North Caldwell, N.J., Enrique Flores-Galbis, Forest Hills, N.Y., Marianne Fourie, Hoboken, N.J., Hayat Huma Gul, Wayne, N.J., Neal Korn, Union, N.J., Yen-Hua Lee, Scarsdale, N.Y., So Yoon Lym, Wayne, N.J., James Kearns, Dover, N.J., Kendall Messick, Jersey City, N.J., Leslie Milton, Short Hills, N.J., Charles Perkalis, Whippany, N.J., James Patrick Reid, Madison N.J., José Rodeiro, Madison, N.J., Larry Ross, Madison, N.J., Wayne Roth, Mountain Lakes, N.J., Sam Sebren, Athens, N.Y., Miriam Stern, Teaneck, N.J., Peter Tilgner, Montclair, N.J., Doreen Valenza, Livingston, N.J., Raul Villarreal, Verona, N.J., Willem VanDooijeweert, Mountain Lakes, N.J., Bill Westheimer, West Orange, N.J., Barry Zawacki, Mountain Lakes, N.J., Sue Zwick, Summit, N.J.

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