Champagne Moment

“Champagne Moment”  |  Anthony Satori

So, here we are.  New Years Eve!  As of midnight tonight, it will be January 1, 2015.  It’s a fresh start, a new beginning, a Champagne moment.  It’s an opportunity for us to feel gratitude for the gifts and good fortune that we have experienced throughout the year, to take ownership of the wisdom that we have acquired from the challenges, and then to simply let everything else just wash away.  So, let us look forward with optimism and faith.  May this coming year bring us closer to realizing our dreams, finding balance in our lives, and making good choices to improve our physical and spiritual well being.  May we find ways to expand the love and compassion in our world, to live each day with thought and purpose, and to cultivate joy and gratitude in our hearts.  If we do these things, we will truly be living well.  So, I raise a glass to you all.  Cheers, salute, Happy New Year!

Evening Snowfall

“Evening Snowfall”  |  Anthony Satori

Snow falls silently from the night sky.  Countless soft flakes drift downward in what seems like slow motion, almost as if time itself has slowed down.  The earth and trees become gently coated with a layer of fresh, soft powder.  You feel a slight chill in the air.  Your breathing becomes deep and steady.  The world is suddenly quiet.  It is a peaceful moment, full of mystery and beauty.

I wish everyone joy and light, this holiday season.   Merry Christmas!

Winter Solstice

“Solstice”  |  Anthony Satori

Tomorrow, December 21, is Winter Solstice.  Every season has its beauty, and Winter’s stark wonder reaches its subtle peak tonight, the longest night of darkness in the year.  There is deep beauty to be found by immersing oneself in the experience of the clouds, the rain, the wind… they are, without a doubt, genuine offerings of Demeter’s heart, and hold profound meaning in their nature.  Do not become too mired in their melancholy, however… for the planet has turned on its axis, the captivity of Persephone has crossed its half mark, and the earth has begun its slow, steady thaw toward Spring.  And Spring, after all, is where life is meant to thrive.  Just appreciate every moment along the way, every step of the journey.

Trumpet Like Satchmo

“Wail, Man, Wail”  |  Anthony Satori

A portrait of musician Chantz Powell.  This performer is a true triple-threat: singer, dancer, trumpet player.  He’s been on the scene for years, and I recently got to see him put on a show on the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, California.  Crowds gathered, the energy was high, and music was in the air.  Some performers just bring it, no matter where they are, and Chantz is one of those.  If you find yourself in the Santa Monica area this holiday season, keep your eyes and ears open… you might just get lucky and catch a performance.  If not, you can always catch up with him at chantz.com.

Emerson and Nature

“Puppy”  |  Animal Spirits  (pg. 28)  |  Anthony Satori

I am convinced that animals have souls, much like we do.  They demonstrate truly individual personalities, they display an undeniable capacity for love, and when you look into their eyes, it doesn’t take much to see that there are real thoughts and emotions behind them.  In addition, only a creature with a soul could experience empathy, and if you’ve ever had a pet cuddle up to you when you were feeling down, you surely understand what I am saying.

Transcendentalist philosopher and noted nature-lover Ralph Waldo Emerson built an entire spiritual philosophy around the belief that nature is a window into a deeper spiritual world.  And the further I look into the natural world myself, the more convinced I become that he was right. 

Frank Sinatra’s Birthday (Almost)

“Red Carnation”   |   Anthony Satori

Tomorrow, December 12th, is Frank Sinatra’s Birthday.  As a performer and cultural icon, Sinatra is undoubtedly a legend.  Even if he’s not at the top of your playlist, you’ve still got to respect the longevity of his career and appreciate the impact that his music and style have had on popular culture.

The artwork above is called “Red Carnation.”  I created the image to express a certain vibe, a feeling, a facet of my sensibility.  Some have said that it has a “classic” feel, reminiscent of a bygone era when people dressed to the nines, chivalry was not yet dead, and a premium was placed on conversation laced with nuance and wit…

Summer Reading

“Summer Reading”  |  Anthony Satori

The heel of her foot pressed into the lounge chair… her hand involuntarily gripped the towel beneath her… she was transported into another world by the words on the page…

As the sun illuminates the body, so knowledge illuminates the mind.

Boxed In

Boxed In  |  Anthony Satori

No society can truly thrive without the presence of a robust artistic element in its culture.  In the modern era, it is too easy to become jaded, myopic, even utilitarian in our view of the world around us.  We become immune to the enriching effects of subtlety, nuance, and beauty, rendering our psyches out of balance and causing a dangerous lack of vital nourishment to our spiritual health.  The artist’s role, at least in part, is to help us return to a place of awakened perception, to lift us out of purely linear modes of thinking and seeing, and to remind us again how it feels to experience the world with a sense of wonder.

Resonant Space

“Resonant Space”  |  Anthony Satori

When I look at this image, I like to think of everyone who has lived, loved, worked, and passed the time here, on this very street, for centuries.  How many people have set foot upon these stones?  How many fingertips have brushed along these walls?  Who made a friend here, fell in love here, dreamed dreams here, lived the fullness of their life within this resonant space?  I like to quiet my mind and try to imagine them, to feel their presence.  I can almost hear the echoes of children laughing and playing, eager to extend the last moments of daylight before the sun goes down and they must go inside…

Art has the power to remind us that beyond all time and space, we are connected.