Excitement! The “52 Weeks of Peace” book is almost ready…!
In the meantime, we’ve established a 52 Weeks of Peace / Peace Starts Here facebook page ~ please come on over and join in, “like” the page, let your voice be heard, spread some peace, share the love… see you there!
proactively punctuating life with the plausible, powerful possibilities of positive thought presented through a plethora of “P’s”.
Mom always said to stand up straight. And at some point in the awkward growing up years, I realized she was right (of course). Standing “straight and tall” looks better, it feels better (when you get used to it), and it’s good for you.
Your posture speaks volumes without saying a word ~ not only projecting confidence outwardly, but inwardly. You can stand straight, head high, belly in, shoulders back and relaxed, or you can slouch in varying degrees of slump-dom… just know that how you choose to carry yourself matters to both your physical and mental health, ultimately affecting your general well-being.
And while you’re busy sitting up a little straighter, remember: the same benefits hold true for how you posture your thoughts. Are your thoughts life-affirming or life-diminishing? Do they reach up or look down? Are they strong or limp, flexible or rigid? Are they aligned with your actions? Aligned with your heart?
What we think, and how we think it, has enormous influence in the well-being of a moment, a day, a year, a lifetime. As Buddha said, “What we think we become.”
And what’s really cool is that the simple act of “standing up straight” helps the positive flow of the thoughts we think ~ and vice versa. So it’s a win-win.
Mom sure was smart.
This September 11th marks the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. We have all felt the effects of that day, individually and collectively, our reactions ranging from a deeply personal emotion to public outcry.
It is my privilege and honor to be a participating artist in the 9/11 art exhibit described below. I hope those of you in the New York metropolitan area will be able to attend and experience this very special showing.
…………………………………………
In recognition of the tenth anniversary of 9/11, New Jersey City University will present “AFTERWARDS and FORWARD: A ten-year 9/11 reflective art exhibition,” a group show featuring works by 18 international artists, including Joel Meyerowitz, Yoko Ono, and Ultra Violet, as well as two works on loan from the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.
The exhibit will be on display from Monday, August 29 through Tuesday, September 27, in the Visual Arts Gallery, 100 Culver Avenue in Jersey City. An artists’ reception will be held 4:30 – 7:30 p.m. on Monday, September 12.
On loan from the National September 11 Memorial & Museum will be Milton Rosa-Ortiz’s “Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil,” a lightbox with World Trade Center debris, and Werner Pfeiffer’s artist’s book, “Out of the Sky-9/11 a tribute.” Among other works featured in the exhibit will be Mr. Meyerowitz’s “Nov. 12, 2001, 2001 North Tower Shroud in Smoke and Spray,” a photograph from his “Aftermath: Images from Ground Zero, 2001” series; Yoko Ono’s wish tree, and Ultra Violet’s sculpture, “IX XI.”
Exhibiting artists will also include Hugo Bastidas, an NJCU professor of art; Richard A. Buntzen, a 2009 NJCU alumnus; Nemat El-Nasser, Carole A. Feuerman, Ben Jones, NJCU professor emeritus of art; Thierry Palau, Duda Penteado, José Rodeiro, an NJCU professor of art; Herb Rosenberg, NJCU professor and chair of art; Patricia Saxton, Jacqui Taylor-Basker, Raul Villarreal, and Chee Wang Ng. Works by these artists include paintings, collages, prints, sculpture, graphic designs, a film, and an installation.
“AFTERWARDS and FORWARD” considers the implications of the momentous events of 9/11 and endeavors to shed light on a host of prevailing issues about violence in the world and to promote dialogue, deeper reflection, meditation, and contextualization relating to or emerging from the 9/11 disaster.
Works selected for the exhibition include works created in the wake of 9/11 or its ensuing war-on-terror in any medium and works about peace created after 9/11. Three themes are represented in the exhibition: artistic responses to 9/11; artistic responses to the war on terror; artworks to promote peace efforts. Each artist whose work has been selected for the exhibit has demonstrated a strong commitment to anti-war issues throughout his or her career.
The tenth anniversary of 9/11 holds great significance for both Jersey City and New Jersey City University. Jersey City served as the primary staging-area for aid, support, search-rescue, organization, escape, and clean-up. With its uniquely ethnic faculty and student population representing 57 languages, NJCU is a microcosm of the diverse socio-economic populations impacted by the events of 9/11.
Gallery hours are 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, and by appointment. For further information call Dr. Midori Yoshimoto, NJCU director of campus galleries, at (201)200-2197.
…………………………………………
A reminder will be posted as the event draws closer.
Path on the Chesapeake / © Saxton
Watching Over Cape May / © Saxton
Buoys / © Saxton
proactively punctuating life with the plausible, powerful possibilities of positive thought presented through a plethora of “P’s”.
“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” ~ Plato
Last year I did a post about the importance of play. And I still couldn’t feel more strongly that play is not only important, but essential for health and happiness of mind, body and soul.
Maybe some of you feel the same ~ I know I’m not alone in working long hours, and feeling some of life’s rather large stresses in a big way. Which, although we may not find the time, is all the more reason to make the time for play.
Doesn’t have to be a week-long affair (although a month would suit me fine right about now!); doesn’t even have to be a whole day or whole night. More might be better, but even a little can go a long way. So have a laugh with a friend, skip down the sidewalk, do a cartwheel, toss a ball, make lemonade ice cubes, sing a silly song, bend yourself into a letter of the alphabet … just for the fun of it. No other reason required. Period!
“We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” ~ George Bernard Shaw
Experience is not what happens to you; it is what you do with what happens to you. ~ Aldous Huxley
A friend brought this story of a woman designer to my attention, thinking I might find it inspiring.
It most definitely is.
The world is full of talent, full of success stories and tales of old glories ~ and new this and that’s roll in as steadily as tides hit shorelines. But how often do you hear of someone still producing marketable stuff at the tender age of 104?
It goes to show that discipline, passion, and vision are not bounded by age ~ and that experience counts. Just think of all that life going into works of art!
Eva Zeisel’s story is fascinating, her work remarkable, her longevity dazzling.
……………………..
The following is an excerpt from a Wall Street Journal Article.
When the lighting company Leucos announced recently that it was debuting a line of lamps by Eva Zeisel, even the collecting cognoscenti had to do a double take.
Ms. Zeisel is one of the great modernist designers of the 20th century. But what was she doing in the 21st? She was born around the same time as W.H. Auden, who’s been gone for nearly 40 years, and Frida Kahlo, nearly 60. Turns out that at 104, Ms. Zeisel is still creating her “things,” as she calls her designs, for companies ranging from Kleinreid to Design Within Reach.
The definition of a survivor, Ms. Zeisel was born in Budapest, went to Berlin for the glamorous period of the 1920s and then to Russia in the ’30s. “The arts from Russia seemed fresh and appealing,” she said. “So I decided to go and see what was behind the mountain.” There she had a run-in with Stalin, who imprisoned her for 16 months.
In 1938, she arrived in New York with $67 in her pocket and was given the first-ever one-woman show, seven years later, at MoMA. These days, she weekends near Nyack, N.Y., where she spoke to us about her life and latest works. (Read the full article here.)
Eva Zeisel was born in Budapest, Hungary on November 13, 1906. Over the last 86 years, she has become a world-renowned and honored designer. The most prestigious of all Eva’s accolades came in 2005 when she received the National Design Award for Lifetime Achievement by the National Design Museum, Smithsonian. At 99 years old, she could have used the award to bring closure to a very successful and productive career. However, Eva chose to continue to design new works of art to share with all of us.
proactively punctuating life with the plausible, powerful possibilities of positive thought presented through a plethora of “P’s”.
Few games are more fun than a battle of ping pong. It’s blood-pumping, spirit-lifting, good old-fashioned fun. And that’s really about all there is to to say ~ except maybe to suggest you find a friend, a table and go play!
An old friend from my high school days found these early drawings of mine in our old high school art & lit magazine. (Not that we’re old or anything…) So I thought some of you might like to see what kind of stuff I did as a teen ~ ancient history now (even before the rubber cement period) ~ when #2 pencils and I were starting to move into a more serious relationship.
proactively punctuating life with the plausible, powerful possibilities of positive thought presented through a plethora of “P’s”.
Pinwheels serve no purpose other than bringing smiles to children when the wind blows, spinning the wheel in a colorful dance, round and round ~ and that delight is purpose enough.
But there’s more … because the child’s delight brings us delight, so for a moment in time smiles spread like ripples in a pond.
I think we would all do well with more pinwheel moments ~ appreciating the dance of life’s colors, and delighting in other’s delight.
Smiles are sure to follow.
“every flower must grow through dirt.” ~ anonymous
I’m a patient person. I’ve even been accused of being too patient. Usually in good ways though, like being a patient listener, or patience with someone trying something new, or struggling to understand something.
But we all have our Achilles heels, and one of mine is “waiting”. Not necessarily waiting for the light to turn (okay, well sometimes…) or the pot to boil, but things like waiting in long lines ~ drives me up a wall ~ or waiting for people to follow through on a task, or being kept waiting for a scheduled meeting or call. I suppose it all has to with how we value our time.
So lately (among other things) I’ve been waiting for my newest book shipment to arrive from overseas… I’m feeling impatient! Impatient to get all the parts in place, get the wheel cogs turning and keep the ball rolling.
Then I remind myself… “all things in their right time”. (Maybe I should go back and read my “P” post on Patience). But still, it happens. We’re human. We aren’t perfect. And I am not patient every minute of every day. There, a confession.
It also reminds me that “every flower must grow through dirt.” Just like the one in the painting above, before it made its way to my canvas.
Some things are worth the wait, and worth some time spent in the dirt first. Sometimes, “waiting” is what’s needed… even if we don’t think so at the time.
