Merry Christmas!

We have deliberately chosen a non-seasonal-themed painting to extend our greetings to you, our friends, readers, and valued clients, because Christmas is many things to many people.

For some, it is a holy holiday, celebrating the birth of the Messiah.

For others, it is a fun time of lights and snow, hot chocolate and the exchanging of gifts.

For yet others, it is a commercial inundation to be endured and got through, with a sigh of relief on December 26.

And as with all complicated matters, it is not just one thing but many, and different for each person who experiences it.

But one repeated theme revolving around Christmas is peace: peace on earth, goodwill to men, women, and children. Joy, faith, hope -- these are aspects of the holiday that are frequently and regularly expressed on greeting cards, popcorn tins, wrapping paper, Hallmark movies, holiday ornaments, church bulletins, and all the accoutrements of the season.

And these elements -- peace, joy, faith, hope, generosity, compassion, giving with grace and receiving with grace as well -- are elements that we can embrace and enjoy all year round, and through that, infuse into our society the goodness and good will that Christmas embodies.

Merry Christmas, All. May the blessings of God, and the touch of His hand, be upon the children of men.

The image shown is Sea Breeze, an original painting that celebrates the quiet sense of solitude we all need, in order to think and meditate upon great, wonderful things. Find more of Steve's works in his original paintings section, and discover his line of licensed wall art at the following online and retail establishments:

Just because we hear something -- over and over and over, in varying forms and in numerous venues -- does not mean it is true.

Indeed, propaganda's most powerful resource is repetition. Until we get to the point of asking ourselves, "How do I know this? Who told me this is so?" we are in danger of believing anything, simply because we hear it all the time.

One of these false messages is a bulwark of American society: keep trying, keep at it, work harder and smarter until you succeed, because nobody likes a quitter! ("Just keep swimming! Just keep swimming!") If you start reading a book, finish it.

Now while this sounds true -- perseverance is an excellent quality -- this particular twist on the truth (and that's what good lies are -- twists on the truth), gives the message that ultimately, it's all up to us. If we don't make it, it's because we didn't work hard enough. If we fall short of the goal, it's because we stopped running. If we failed, it's because . . . we are failures.

But we are not failures: we are human beings, and by virtue of being human beings, we are not gods. We do not exert complete and absolute control over our circumstances, the weather, and the actions of other people (this latter attitude aptly described as "manipulation"). Some days, despite the size of our truck and the skill of our hands on the wheel, we cannot drive from Point A to Point B, for the simple reason that the roads are icy, and navigating them -- no matter how positive our attitude -- is . . .  stupid.

Fighting with a tsunami generally results in the tsumani winning. Wrestling with a grizzly bear -- even if we feel supremely confident and refuse to give up, no matter what -- is unwise. No matter how amazing, how hard working, how "smart," how incredible we are or see ourselves as being (or insist that we must be), we at some point in our journey reach the limit to what we can physically do.

This is where wisdom steps in: when we recognize that though we cannot do everything we set our minds upon to do (for no other reason than that we set our minds upon doing it) we do keep walking forward. We just may find ourselves in a different locale than where we thought we would be, but this isn't necessarily bad. Indeed, the very circumstances we deny because they do not fit into our plans, may very well be the means of our getting, ultimately, where we really want to go.

The image above is Steve's painting, Opalescent Sea. It embodies this idea that all is not in our control, because the sea itself is a mighty force that we cannot contain, dominate, and bend to our wills.  We can mess around with it and give ourselves the illusion that we rule, but eventually, the ocean wins. It's encouraging, actually, knowing that we don't have to do it all. This gives us the ability to direct our precious energy in an appropriate and worthy direction, fully using our capabilities, because we're not demanding that those capabilities exceed reality.

Opalescent Sea is available as an original oil painting, as well as a print at Amazon, Walmart, Great Big Canvas, Wayfair, and Art.com.

Find a generous selection of Steve's licensed prints at these online retailer sites:

In some ways, people are all the same.

In other ways, people are amazingly different.

While this paradox does not translate into a snappy Facebook meme, it expresses a truth worth remembering as we interact with other human beings on the planet, as well as try to understand our own way of thinking and living.

In Steve's work as a fine art painter, he sees this variety of human thought all the time, with one person gravitating, like a hummingbird toward a flower, to a particular landscape painting, while another person walks right by the landscape because their eye is on a figurative work. They see what touches their heart and soul, and reach for this.

This is one reason why commissioned paintings are such a fun and satisfying project, for both Steve as the painter and the client who is commissioning the work. Every commission project involves a LOT of questions, as the client shares with us what is in his or her mind, and, through questions and imagery, Steve seeks to draw out this sensation so that he can place it on canvas.

A painting does not merely capture an image: it embodies the viewer's hopes, dreams, and memories, transporting him or her to a place of meditative serenity, not a bad venue to visit in a world that demands so much of us. The work headlining this essay, Echinacea, expresses the commissioning client's appreciation for beauty, color, form, quietude and tranquility. ("Jaw droppingly gorgeous!" were the client's exact words.)

If there is a feeling, a memory, a place, or a dream that fills your mind and you want to see it as a painting that you can view and experience every day, then write us at [email protected] with your thoughts and ideas.  There is no charge to talk back and forth, and in doing so, you will discover more about how incredibly unique you are on this planet, and at the same time, comfortingly akin to your human brethren.  This 2017, give yourself a gift that will last a lifetime, and beyond.