Love Is Art!

Art is created in so many unique ways – it doesn’t always have to be a painting. Now, that Joanne and I have returned from our wedding get-a-way, we’ve had time to think about and recognize all the art that surrounded this event.

Of course, there was Nature’s art that was the backdrop to our ceremony in Niagara Falls.


After the ceremony, we all journeyed back to the cottage Jo’ and I had rented, to have a celebration supper… and it was super!! Joanne had brought along a few cookbooks and she surprised us all with two dishes that she had never made before. I’ve always regarded cooking as an artform and Jo’ took it to new levels with these creations. The salad has spinach, pear, walnut, goat cheese and arugula and the combination melted heavenly in my mouth. The golden patties were delicious and I told Jo’ that we’ll have to keep that recipe close by. They were made with carrot, zucchini, onion, curry powder, cumin and poppy seeds, an egg and feta cheese! You’ll also notice a loaf of homemade bread on the table that got gobbled up before I could have a third slice – LOL!


I should have taken the lid off the white casserole pot to show the orange ginger chicken with leak that everyone enjoyed with the bbq sweet potatoes!

Joanne received many compliments for her splendid meal. I had made the comment that we could have (like most wedding receptions) reserved a small section in a restaurant and taken everyone out for dinner – which would have cost close to four hundred dollars – but we thought it would be more intimate to prepare a special meal and save three hundred and fifty dollars!!!!


Everyone knew well enuf to make sure that there was room in our bellies for dessert. Joanne’s mom could open a bakery, if she wanted to, her cakes are the best many have ever tasted. The amount of artful skill that went into this one-of-a-kind wedding cake is unmistakable.


Joanne’s mom is also a very skilled and artful quilter. She made us this wedding pillow. There are three hearts on it – one heart has Joanne’s initial in it, the next has my initial in it and the third heart has both of our initial in it to show our union.


This heart flower looks rather simple, but it requires a special patience to make sure it is done properly.

Later, the next afternoon, after everyone had ventured on to their homes, Joanne and I were talking about all the art that surrounded our fun-loving wedding day. She told me that there was more art to come… but I had to be patient and wait!

I was curious and by the end of that evening I was growing excitedly impatient. Then Joanne announced that it was time for me to receive the wedding present that she had made for me.


My eyes exploded in wonder and delight – IT IS BEAUTIFUL!!!!

There’s a scene showing the beach along the shore of Lake Erie, the gazebo and flower gardens where we were married and the rocky escarpments that surround this area. Throughout the painting, Jo’ wrote me a poem…

On this beautiful day that I share with you
We create memories of our life together
A snapshot of time
Framed with peaceful waves and wildflowers
Blue skies and rocky cliffs
May we always have this place
In our minds and hearts
Forever we will be together
Through changing tides and drifting winds
From this day froward
We will only be happier
And our love will only grow stronger
Hold my hand as we take another step forward.

Thanks Joanne, you make me feel very special, indeed!!!!

Now – I’m not sure what type of art project my mother was envisioning (she paints with watercolours a lot), but she had me take several photos of our wedding clothes, as they hung up in the spare bedroom. She told me that she had a neat idea… I guess that more artwork may be born because of this period of our lives – we’ll have to wait and see.

Several days later, we had to return to our lives – LOL! We parked our car in our driveway and climbed the steps to our front door. There – waiting for us, was even more artwork for us…


Our neighbour’s children (who I built a sledding hill out of snow for – last winter) had created several cards with poems and well wishes inside. There was also this ornamental wild flower arrangement. I thought that it was great cuz it was made from found items, glued together and brightly decorated with paint.


This is the back and you can see all the work that went into decorating this ornament. Thanks Meghan, Taylor, Justin and Quinn!!!! Your art really brightens our lives!

Life is not about how much money a person can make, experiences you can pay for or how many things you can surround yourself with. Life is about cherishing the love of others so that we may experience the life that surrounds us, together!

Jim