A Time to be Thankful and to Celebrate the Moments



                                                                     "Memory Lane"

Greetings to you all!  Remember me . . .

Wow!  I can't believe that it is October 4, 2012.  It seems I had big dreams that I would blog daily, maybe even weekly but to my disappointment my art seemed to pull me away to a place where I was lost in my creations.  However, I am back and am committed to being much more consistent with my blogging.

So much has happened in the past while.  But I am reminded that it is important to live in the present, to make every moment count, and to have every thing that you are a part of to be about adding to family, to community and to bettering humanity.

I am blessed to be able to use my art as one of the ways that I can contribute. And as this time of year approaches, with Thanksgiving just a few days a way it leads my mind and heart to a place of gratitude.

I challenge each of you to look around you, to list the things you are thankful for and then to ask yourself how can I use my own gift to bless others.

I am thankful for many things:  my faith, my family, my ability to paint, the gift of music and yes even for my challenges.

For it is in these challenges that the opportunity for growth happens!!!

I was reminded of the true goodness of humanity everyday.  It only takes a moment to pause, take a breath and truly appreciate the beauty around us.  It may be in a walk of nature, it may be in our laughter at the family table, it may be in my art or it may even be watching people rally together to make the most of the life of a terminally ill child.  Wherever you find your goodness, your beauty I ask that you celebrate it this Thanksgiving . . . I thank God that I am alive and well to be able to celebrate through my art.  I invite you to follow my blog and my journey this year.  I promise I will do a better job than I did last year.

Happy Thanksgiving! God Bless!

Saeed

Fall is in the Air

Wow, I seriously can't believe how time has passed since my last blog.  I have been so busy painting . . . preparing pieces for a gallery in Washington, painting my piece for the St. Albert Legacy Mural, preparing pieces for the Night of Artist show in November and the list goes on.  How blessed I am to do what I absolutely love! 

I also have been busy helping my sister-in- law Kathy and her husband Brad at their new home.  On Thanksgiving weekend my dad and I joined them to put in their windows and doors.  What a beautiful day we had to do this and I was again reminded of how blessed we are to live in an amazing country and have so much space here.  For many of you who know me I immigrated from Iran over 23 years ago and although Canada is my home now, I remember what it was like in Iran.  My father and my siblings with their families are still in Iran and I am constantly reminded how we are so fortunate here for our freedom.

More and more I have been thinking about how grateful I am, perhaps it helped with Thanksgiving just passed but I have challenged myself and I challenge you to be grateful each day.  My heart is full with gratitude as I look to my faith, my family and my art.  Joy fills my heart and I can't wait to see what is in store . . . . as we celebrate this fall season, awaiting the winter I am reminded that my art too has seasons . . . . and in this art season I look to take my art to a new level - one that will expand the exposure and availability of my art to my collectors and to new art buyers.  Join me on the next leg of my journey as I gear up for the ride of my life!

Blessings to you,
Saeed

P.S. If you get some time, I encourage you to go see the movie "Courageous"  It is the best movie I have seen in my life . . . until next time...

Catch the excitement!

The last few days have been so exciting!  It seems like there is always a whirlwhind of opportunities - and I thought to be an artist I would just have to create original masterpieces and voila they would be gone!  Painting in my art studio is my favorite place to be.  Alone with my Persian music, my thoughts and images in my mind I begin to create the next painting.  I love to play with the color, the perspective and the brushstrokes in my paintings. I really could just stay there all day painting . . . . but then I am reminded of the other side of my art -- the BUSINESS side of art.  And let's face it if I don't pay attention to that side of the art then it is pointless.  Because the desire of my heart is to share with others the beauty of what I see, to bring the painting to life and for them to see the paradise that I see.  I am left pondering. . . . where do people find their peace, their paradise, and where do they channel their passion.  My challenge to you is to find clarity of purpose so that when the whirlwhind of opportunities come and believe me they do . . . you will know without a shadow of a doubt that this opportunity is for you.  And that brings me to the excitement I was referring to -- one of the opportunities of the last few days that culminated this evening was the Cultivating Life Mural that launched this evening with the talented trio of Phil Alain, Lewis Lavoie, and Paul Lavoie.  Their philosophy of letting every individual artist have their own unique voice in their paintings and yet unifying them into a beautiful bigger picture reflects how we are in our own world.  Each of us have special gifts and on our own we can create something of beauty; but collaboratively and united we truly create a masterpiece - celebrating uniqueness and differences!  Yet we truly are the same.  I can't believe that I, an immigrant from Iran is painting in this mural with individuals from the Ukraine, from England, and from all over the world!  Thank you Phil, Lewis and Paul for your vision and for birthing the mural mosaic project.  Look out St. Albert because the celebration of your 150th anniversary has been ignited!  I, along with my fellow artists are on fire!!! And I can't wait to see what will be created......Until next time may you live in light and excitement and capture the beauty of the moment!

Blessings,
Saeed

P.S.  A very special congratulations to my dear friends Phil and Amy Alain on their announcement that they are expecting again!!! What a blessing!