Fall...What a Glorious Season

It's been a good summer...not too hot, not too terribly busy. Time to enjoy everything around me...my new puppy, my beautiful flowering shrubs, the mounds of ferns in the woods, family and friends. But summer in Maine always goes so fast. Spring doesn't seem to end until July 4th, and then by mid-August, the shadows are long, the leaves start turning, and the cicadas are buzzing in the trees—sure signs that fall is almost here. 

Today was a glorious day, the kind of day that ends with a warmth in your heart and a smile of contentment on your face. I got some editing done, worked in my yard pulling weeds and clearing out brush, wrapped some presents and made a cake for my friend whose birthday we will celebrate tomorrow, and sat on the deck answering email and watching my dogs chase each other around in the woods. It was warm, but not too hot, and there was a strong breeze coming out of the northeast that felt so good. I can't count the number of times I said, "It feels like a fall day."

Then, no coincidence, I'm sure, I pulled up the website of one of our artists, Susan Landor Keegin. Susan has exhibited her work numerous times at Still Point Art Gallery, and her work was featured in the summer 2014 issue of Still Point Arts Quarterly. I went to her site today to check the titles of a few paintings that will appear in our upcoming winter issue, and saw this lovely image...

Glorious fall, with its reds and golds, crunchy leaves, cool temperatures, and earthy smells. Pure delight. I easily imagine myself in this splendid landscape, enjoying it with every one of my senses and breathing it into my pores. Fall...what a glorious season. 

Christine Cote

Shanti Arts

The Big Picture

I'm captivated by small things in the natural world—leaves, seedlings, flower buds, snowflakes, tiny baby birds pointing their wide open mouths toward the sky. I watch them, examine them, touch them, collect them, and photograph them. But I'm also mesmerized by the big picture, the part of the natural world that I can't get my arms around—the landscape. Landscapes may well be my favorite subjects for art.

So I decided to show landscapes (see our current exhibition), but with a little bit of a twist—landscapes by day and landscapes by night. The exhibition is wonderful—many amazing images of the world by day and by night. A few need special mention, and I'll talk about some of these special images over the coming weeks. (The exhibition closes April 30, 2014.)

The nighttime landscapes of photographer Bob Avakian are nothing short of stunning. They illuminate the unique color palette, the rich shadows, and the glowing warmth of the night. These landscapes do indeed show a part of the natural world that is big—too big to get your arms around, but not too big to sink into and absorb into your pores. Look at these images and be mesmerized.