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Showing posts with label new. Show all posts
Showing posts with label new. Show all posts

Saturday, September 28, 2013

Start Today with a Clean Page; Enjoy the Moment

"Sponge Docks" in Clearwater, FL
A few days ago, I received a pocket calendar for 2014. I flipped through its blank pages like a “deer panting for water.” The days were glistening white; unmarked by crowded schedules, important appointments, or family birthdays and anniversaries.

My current calendar looks like Graffiti on steroids. Black ink saturates each page with notes, people’s names, important events, telephone numbers, commitments and activities. In addition, medical problems and emergency appointments have filled its pages during this past year. Critical junctures like weddings, flight plans, and vacation dates have recorded important information adding to the chaos.

"Tree-lined street in Gateway Community"
 It’s always gratifying to catch a glimpse of the future, unmarred by what is to what may be. The white calendar pages remind me of blank pages yet to be written.

In the past I did write with a pen; the transition to keyboard was difficult. I also typed manuscripts on an old Smith Corona using carbon paper between the sheets; six copies, to be exact, which had to be erased one by one if I made an error.

Now the spell check on my laptop does the work for me. I have learned to create at the keyboard; the wonders of modern technology. What next? I’ll probably speak my mind into my ipad or droid and the text will appear magically on the screen. Others are doing it, why not me?

"Fort Myers Beach" the perfect way to relax
Next to a blank calendar, a new white canvas excites me just as much. Having a clean virginal surface, spotless and free from brush strokes, gives me “a tingle up my leg,” as Chris Matthews would say.

Each new day should give us that same exhilarating feeling. Yesterday’s mistakes and stresses can give way to hope and the opportunity for a fresh start. As Scarlet O’Hara said in “Gone with the Wind,” “Tomorrow is another day!”

Things always look better on the other side of a good night’s sleep. Once refreshed, we gain objectivity and perspective. We can distance ourselves from yesterday’s pain. Of course, some things take time. But each new day brings us closer to closure. If bitterness doesn’t take off our edge, we become wiser and stronger.

"Bird of Paradise" on the wane
Is it possible to create our future by having a positive vision of ourselves? Can we mold the possibilities and our potential for success by controlling what we write on those blank pages?

Forget about yesterday. Who and what do you want to be? As the saying goes: “Today is the first day of the rest of your life;” shape it as you would a fine sculpture. Mold it, smooth it, work it with your hands, and explore its possibilities. Let go of yesterday and live in the exquisiteness of today.

"Another shot of the Sponge Docks"

Friday, January 18, 2013

Hail to the Art Council of Southwest Florida


(A folk scene with a vintage frame)
 For fifty years, the Art Council has been “the voice of Southwest Florida’s non-profit visual arts community, providing opportunities for education, exhibitions, demonstrations, and most recently an interactive website to all affiliated organizations’ artists.”

The Art Council is a Cooperative venture encompassing 18 affiliated organizations comprised of members from Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Hendry and Glades Counties with a combined membership of over 6,750 artists of which I am one.



Yesterday was my day for working at the gallery, located at Coconut Point in Estero, between Panera Bread and The World Market. Each displaying artist volunteers at least one day every other month to support the gallery in customer relations and retail sales.


When I walked into the gallery after having been away for several weeks, I was blown away. “What a classy looking gallery,” I said to myself. With over 125 artists represented, the wide variety of items, styles and types of art creates an amazingly eclectic and sophisticated display.

(bird made entirely of glazed ceramic)

The remarkable leadership is supported by board members from the various leagues represented, including qualified judges who jury in each new piece of artwork. The gallery represents top-notch artists and a magnificent array of choices for the buyer.



One couple who visited the gallery yesterday remarked: “Oh, how we wish we’d found you before we decorated our house.” Enthused and excited about what the gallery had to offer, they assured us they would be back!


One young woman, pulling a piece of luggage on wheels, was flying back to Canada in a few short hours. She rushed in to buy a polka-dotted fish made from a palm frond that she'd seen before and couldn’t get out of her mind. We helped her bubble-wrap the fish which she intended to take on the plane as “carry-on.”


Many gallery artists bring their following of clients with them which boosts sales and attendance. New artists are continually being discovered, and an awareness of art is reverberating through the surrounding communities.

If you haven’t visited the gallery, you should. If you winter in Florida or vacation here, make Coconut Point Southwest Florida Art gallery a “must see” on your agenda.

See additional paintings below. Here are links for questions or information:
www.acswf.org or / info@acswf.org







(A beautiful scene by Carol McCardle) Too high for a straight on photo.