Tuesdays with Chris: “Meaningful Cups”

Chris Staley

Chris Staley

“I like that sense of contemplation that can happen when you’re drinking out of a cup, and (how that touch) has a way of actually slowing time down.” [Chris Staley]

In this week’s video, Chris describes the making of, and meanings behind, a cup, starting with a very to-the-point question his professor asked when he was a graduate student: When you make a cup, do you want it to be used, or to be displayed in someone’s livingroom?

And as ever, maybe in part because I was so horrible at a potter’s wheel myself back in the day, it’s a pleasure to watch him work his craft.

(If you missed my introduction about Chris Staley, master potter, educator and Penn State Laureate 2012-2013, you can read that here.)  Enjoy!

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Tuesdays with Chris: “What is Art?”

Chris Staley

Chris Staley

After a little hiatus for the holidays, our “Tuesdays with Chris” are back ~ and oh, you’re in for a treat on this one!  [And what is art to you? …]

(If you missed my introduction about Chris Staley, master potter, educator and Penn State Laureate 2012-2013, you can read that here.)  Enjoy!

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Book Magic

Books are a uniquely portable magic.” ~ Stephen King

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While you won’t get me to admit to their coming off the page and plopping themselves on the chair beside me, I do often feel attached to the illustrations I’m creating. The ones that really speak through me can even have names. (yes, it’s true ~ please don’t judge me).

This little guy, the one in the grass on the book up there, is one of my favorites. He makes me smile. I smiled all the while “bringing him to life” ~ and that’s what happens. There’s some kind of unspoken dialogue that goes on between the artist, the ethers, the pencil and the page. The same when writing ~ characters can feel very much alive. There’s a thin line between real and imagined, and a spark that alights.

It’s that inexplicable sparkle of energy that usually results in the best work. You’re tuned in. Engaged. It flows. That’s the best. Even better … is if that energy translates for the reader. There’s the real magic.

Books open so many doors and windows ~ I can’t fathom a life without them; without stories and all their pains and glories and hilarities and knowledge and mystery. They teach, they excite, they take us to a thousand lands and lead us to wander and wonder and think and feel. They make us richer.

(And who knows if a happy goblin might not spring up from the pages sometime? Or maybe we’ve forgotten how to see them… :  ) )

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Blank Canvas

“May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you’re wonderful, and don’t forget to make some art – write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself.” ~ Neil Gaiman

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Ah yes, the start of a new year. A clean slate, a start-over, a re-assess, an uncharted map. It’s a brand new day. It’s a blank canvas ~ your canvas ~ just waiting for some general direction, a lot of spirit and a splash of color.

Happy New Year ~ paint it well!

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52 Weeks of Peace [squared]: Week #81 / Dreaming Peace in 2013

saxton_peace_dreaming2

What are your dreams? What do you really yearn for? What makes your heart smile, your toes tingle, your eyes sparkle, just imagining it were real? What thoughts bring light to your spirit and peace to your mind?

It starts with a single, shiny thought. Maybe just the whisper of an idea; maybe a booming revelation ~ maybe you overhear something on a crowded bus that sparks you to action, maybe it’s a piece of music, a taste of something delicious; maybe it’s a child’s tears or the launch of a rocket; maybe it’s the grace of a winding river or the steady power of a mountain or the freedom of a bird in flight; maybe it’s a flower growing through a crack in the sidewalk. Who knows where the stuff of dreams comes from, but we all have them. Sometimes I think our job is to find the key, unlock the door and venture out towards a path we’ve always known we belonged on but didn’t know was there  ~ or didn’t recognize through the bramble of life’s distractions ~ or, yes, even, with a million variations of reasoning, talked ourselves away from.

So maybe this is the year we listen more, with eyes and hearts more open; maybe this is the year we hear the rumblings in our soul with renewed anticipation, renewed interest, renewed commitment to step closer to that stuff of our dreams.

Wishing us all the brightest of dreams, the courage to honor them, and much love, laughter, health, harmony and happiness along the way. Bring it on.

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We Want Your Mug!… Putting Faces on Peace

Progress! … Well, it’s probably the busiest time of year to have started this little (big?) project, but we’re getting more and more pictures of your beautiful selves sharing peace, so I thought I’d share some with you. Every single one a happy shot. Lovely! Many thanks to those who’ve sent their images ~ and those who haven’t, we’re hoping you’ll join in and send yours! (Details below.)

All you need is a camera, a 52 Weeks of Peace product*, and a smile!

Take “waist-up” shots of people holding (or wearing) something “52 Weeks of Peace” (the book, a favorite postcard from the book, a bag, button or mug*…). All ages, shapes and sizes welcome. The only requirement is that it’s a clean, clear shot that shows off one or more people ~ and that it is freely given for public use (no names please) ~ and the picture should be happy.

There’s no prize, no “special offer” ~ this isn’t a big business deal, just one artist/writer looking to round up some friends and friends-of-friends who like the idea. That’s it. Grass-roots, “just because”. If you’d like to be part of this project, you can post a picture to the 52 Weeks of Peace facebook page, or send them to 52weeksofpeace@gmail.com.

Peace starts right here, right now, with you, with me ~ let’s inspire, let’s do this!

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* 52 weeks of peace gear * 52 weeks of peace book

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Tuesdays with Chris: “Magic Clay”

Chris Staley

Chris Staley

Clay is magical.

There is, of course, s a sense of magic in all artistic endeavors. The “making something from nothing”, starting with the simplest base and most fundamental tools ~ whether a pencil and paper, strings on a guitar, a slab of clay ~ creating as your hands, eyes, heart, mind and spirit move you. The magic is in the spontaneity, the exploration. The details follow ~ but first comes the spark.

Here, Chris shares some of his own magic with us, and it’s a delight to see!

(If you missed my introduction about Chris Staley, master potter, educator and Penn State Laureate 2012-2013, you can read that here.)  Enjoy!

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52 Weeks of Peace [squared] / Week #80

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment to improve the world.” ~ Anne Frank

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We hold the world in our hands. Let’s celebrate the good. Let’s ease another’s suffering, large or small, harm none, and share our love. That’s what we can do in a moment; in this moment, in our own small corner of the world. ~ ♥ Patricia

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“where in the world is peace?” … virginia, pennsylvania, alaska!

From way up north near Anchorage, Alaska, to the horse country of Virginia, with a stop at the city of Brotherly Love along the way ~ peace travels well (and loves the critters)!

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one of our 52 Weeks of Peace buttons

Santa’s got a brand new bag …

Thunder loves Alaska!

Can we go out and play in the Alaskan snow now?

Peace in Berryville, VA

World’s sweetest dog, Berryville, VA

“I say, if you give me my food, I’ll feel peace…”

Peace, art, books and justice in Austin, Texas

Peace elf in Austin, Texas

Peace out!

The perfect antidote for ledger work, near Philadelphia, PA

Sweet! Bulletin-board peace!

Where in the world is peace right now? I hope peace finds all of you this holiday season, and ignites all of our hearts.

(ps:  you can see all “where in the world is peace?” images on our “where in the world is peace?” page. Our book is on Amazon, our totes, mugs and things are available here. Please email your own pictures to 52weeksofpeace@gmail.com or post them on our FaceBook page. Let’s see where peace goes!)

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