London Peaceflower Campaign

Over the last two months I have shared several stories about a fun global art project entitled ‘Peaceflowers From Around The World’. I sent out requests to all my Facebook friends asking them to draw peaceflowers on city sidewalks using coloured chalk and then email - peacefulwarrior333@hotmail.com - their artwork to me for my photoalbum – . I’ve been extremely happy to watch this simple idea grow and grow. Peaceflowers have been sent to me from Australia, China, Mexico and Japan – to name just a few countries.


This is another addition to my collection – from Australia! My FB friend, Becca, spends her time working and creating with the youth at a community centre in New South Wales. Many of the youths thought that this project was a really cool idea and I’ve received many artworks from them.


In 2002-04 Joanne and I were living in Nova Scotia. I had a job working in a bar – I was the head bartender, Tuesday night’s DJ and Sunday nights ‘singing bartender’ during our weekly karaoke event. I became good friends with many of the regulars and we still send emails to each other, from time to time. I was super happy when this peaceflower was sent to me by one of the friends I had made – actually, I guess it was their daughter who had created this art using stones from the shores of The Bay of Fundy.


Sheri and I went to high school together and now – many years later – we have reconnected because of Facebook. Sheri knew that her daughter would enjoy drawing with the colourful chalks and you can see from Kirin’s smile that she was right! I thought that the use of ‘hands’ inside the flower petals was a really cool idea.

The next day, I received an invitation to participate in a peaceflower event. Apparently, one of my London FB friends thought that my idea was so inspiring that he organized an event through a group called ‘Lightworkers of Ontario’. You can imagine how honoured I felt to have someone take my simple idea to the next level! Of course, I agreed to attend…


The event took place in London’s downtown Victoria Park between 1-2 pm. on Monday, August 10th. After a few of us had gathered and had made introductions it was time to begin. I shared the story about the peaceflower petals that had been created using handprints and I suggested that we should begin by creating one ‘group effort’ peaceflower using this technique.


I began by drawing a large circle for the peace symbol and then I traced everyone’s hand, using chalk. The owners of the handprints filled them in using blue chalk and then someone suggested that we should print our names above our hands… and so we did!


This young person was having a great time and he wanted to help out a bit more, so I suggested that he could draw the inside portion of our flower… and so he did!


While he was finishing that part of the peaceflower, I added a long and wavy green stem and leaf to our creation.


After the group photo was taken, everyone went back to complete their own artworks…

Soon, everyone was finished and it was time to take lots of pictures…


Angela was really enjoying herself and she just couldn’t stop drawing – LOL! By 2pm she had created three peaceflowers.


This is Shawn Jason. He is the one responsible for this ‘art attack’. Thanks for creating this event, Shawn! It was a really cool way to share inspiration and meet other peaceful folks!!!


I hope that this story has warmed your heart and put a smile on your face. I hope that you are now inspired to join in this effort and I look forward to finding your peaceflower photos in my ‘inbox’ soon!!!

Jim

More and More Peaceflowers!!!

A little over a month ago, I came up with a fun idea to inspire people from around the world to create peaceful art using chalk. The idea is very simple – those who want to use chalk to draw a peaceflower on a sidewalk where they live. Then I ask for a photograph to be emailed to me – peacefulwarrior333@hotmail.com – and finally I add the photo to my Facebook photoalbum.

This has turned out to be a very fun and totally interactive ‘World Art Attack’ – LOL – with art being created in many places. Here are the latest additions to my collection…


Janet has submitted a peaceflower before… and she enjoyed this challenge so much that she decided to draw another one, even more detailed and colourful than her first.


Last time Janet was drawing a peaceflower, her neighbours young daughter came over and asked if she could draw one, too. This time Janet had another artful companion – it wasn’t her neighbour’s daughter, it was her sister. Both of these were drawn in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. THANKS!!!


Since I’ve joined Facebook, I have connected with a lot of friends from elementary and high school. It’s been really fun for me when I see a peaceflower sent to me from one of these friends. This peaceflower was created by a high school friend’s daughter and her best friend. I like how they drew peace symbols in the flower petals, as well.


When I first started this little project, a FB friend from Pennsylvania told me that she lives in the country and has no sidewalks to draw on. I suggested that if there is a nearby barn that that would make a nice canvas. She used my suggestion. Kat drew the middle flower and her daughter and friend drew the other two. This is a small barn where they keep their horse.

A few of my friends have had difficulty figuring out how to email the photos to me, so they have created their own FB photoalbums on their profile page. I then, visit these pages and cut’n’paste their photos into a file for my own album. I would guess that there are about eight photoalbums entitled “Peaceflowers For Jim”. I think that this is great. Not only do I have my own photoalbum to share with others, but with all of these other photoalbums being created this art is being shared with even more people. I didn’t expect this… and it makes me happy!



This extreme artwork came to me from Canada’s east coast – from the capital of Nova Scotia. Lisa lives in Halifax and I can tell that she and her daughter had a blast creating all this art for me – LOL!!!! It looks like an art shop exploded onto the sidewalk – ha ha. I can count eleven peace symbols and the word ‘peace’ is written at least eight times. I wonder what their neighbours had to say about that!!! Thanks Alorna – your artwork is an inspiration to all!


This totally amazing peaceflower was in my email inbox, just a few days ago and WOW! This art put a huge smile on my face. Becca and I connected thro’ Facebook about a year ago and since then I’ve learned that she is involved with working with youths in a group called ‘Skills In Da Hood’. I think it’s a community drop in centre for children and teens and they are involved in many activities. Becca thought that my peaceflower idea would be something that her students would enjoy… and she was right. Just look at all the details and colours that were used in this group effort. This is my first peaceflower from Australia!

If any of you – my blog readers – would like to help me to continue to fill my photoalbum with ‘Peaceflowers From Around The World’ – then please do. I’ll be waiting….

Jim

Peaceflowers From Around The World – Story III

Before I get into all that peaceflower stuff, I wanted to share a quick story about a peace of my art that has traveled half way around the world.


I like to give my art away to friendly people – as well as many strangers – and a few months ago I had mailed a print (of the above art) to a Facebook friend from Malaysia. Jenn Chong is a very kind and wonderful person. She is very active in many groups that try to find solutions to many hurtful problems facing many people. I was glad to send her this print to say ‘Thanks!’ for a job(s) well done/doing…


Jenn made a small photoalbum on Facebook to share my art with her friends. I thought that this was pretty neat and her friends have been leaving positive comments.


She took my artwork to this Malaysian landmark for a little visit – LOL!!!

Thanks, Jenn! I’m glad that you are liking the art – and all the other fun things – that I sent to you.

Now… on with the ‘Peaceflowers From Around The World’........

I’m very excited to say that in the last three weeks I have received nineteen peaceflowers from different places around this sexy globe of ours. That averages out to about one peaceflower every day and a quarter. That’s pretty darned impressive and I’m very grateful for all the support that this project has received from you!

Without a lot of words… let’s get to the art –


This artwork was created by a high school friend of mine – I mean… her two kids! Because of Facebook, Reema and I reconnected after the many years since high school. I now know that she also lives in London and I think that she has actually gone to see one of my art exhibits.


Janet Letkeman and I connected through Facebook. While she was drawing her peaceflower for me, her young neighbour came to visit…


… and she wanted to draw a peaceflower, too!!


In 2001-02, while Joanne and I were living in Nelson, British Columbia, I met a guy by the name of Ken. On several occasions I met and chatted with his son, Esha (who was then in high school). Esha is all grown up and he is studying at a university in Japan.


I guess that he has made at least one friend – LOL!


Kathleen and I met through Facebook. She lives in Vancouver, British Columbia and she takes many walks along this part of the beach. That is why she thought that her peaceflower belonged here. I agree, totally!!!!


Mary and I also met through Facebook. I’ve met over eight hundred interesting people on Facebook, in the last year. Most of these types of connections occur because we belong to a certain group. I’m connected to a few ‘peace’, ‘environment’, etc type of groups. I was super delighted to see this peaceflower from Mexico in my ‘inbox’ just last week!

Really and truly, I am being a little bit blown away by all of these artworks being sent to me by people whom I’ve never met (in person) before. I am deeply honoured.


This peace-person-flower (LOL!!!) was sent to me, however, by someone who I do now, very well. Ken and his twin brother, Jim and I have known each other since kindergarten. Ken and Jim are the two whom I’ve kept in best contact with through all the years since high school. We all chat a few times a year and we see each other every two years or so. Just last year, Ken and his wife Laura, had a beautiful baby boy and the celebrated with a wedding ceremony (I wrote a nice blog story last summer, about that event). So… Laura had a few friends over and they were chatting about my art project and since they don’t have sidewalks were they live, they came up with this idea. It took me a few moments to stop laughing when I saw this picture!!!

I’m so glad that everyone is having so much fun with this little ‘global’ art project. Thanks, so much, to everyone – for participating and sharing so many smiles…

If you would like to add your peaceflower to this collection simply email the photos to me at peacefulwarrior333@hotmail.com and let me know your name, city, province/state and country where your art was created.

Jim

PS – This will be my last blog entry for about twelve days, as Jo’ and I (and all the pets) are taking a little time off to enjoy some solitude. My first ‘holiday’ in over two years… I’m very excited!

Peaceflowers From Around The World

A little over a week ago, I wrote a blog about my latest art endeavours… creating peaceflowers of chalk, drawn throughout the city’s sidewalks…


I thought that this would be a fun way to share a simple image intended to make people smile and think of peace. Since this graffiti art is made of chalk, it will wash away with the rain, so it’s quite a harmless venture of expression.

While I was writing that blog, it occurred to me that I could create a photoalbum on my Facebook pages and invite other people to join in my adventure – even you, my blog readers. So I did. Since most of my Facebook friends are people that I’ve never met, from many countries around the world, I thought that it would be really cool to have these peaceflowers drawn in different locations around the world. How many people can I get to join in my first ever global ‘art attack’!!! LOL!

It’s almost been two weeks and here are the art creations that have been sent to me so far…


Three countries have participated – Canada (Cambridge and Barrie), China (an entire class of students) and the USA (Florida and Georgia) – creating a total of eleven peaceflowers! I am so very impressed!!! Many other people have told me that they will be sending me their peaceflowers, very soon, so I’ll have some more art to share with you in the near future.

You can see that this idea is simple to do and its lots of fun. If you would like to contribute to this global effort, just send your photos (tell me your name and where you drew the art – city, province/state and country) to: peacefulwarrior333@hotmail.com.

Let’s have some fun and unite as a global community!!!

Jim

The Graffiti Revolution

I’ve shared two other stories about children’s art events that I’ve organized that have involved sidewalks, chalk and thoughts about peace. I’m surprised that these events did not inspire my latest art efforts.

It was about two weeks ago and Joanne, Koly and I were out for our evening walk around town and through a local park when the inspiration hit! We had passed by a house that obviously had a few young children because their sidewalk was filled with chalk art. The children had drawn rainbows and happy, smiling people. Jo’ and I both smiled and then I thought, “Hey! Why don’t I buy some chalk and graffiti the city with peace flowers?!!”

Today was shopping day and I had Jo’ put sidewalk chalk on the list. About half an hour after she had returned home, I went to work…


It took me a total of about three minutes and then my artwork was finished.


After dinner, I decided to bring the chalk with me, for our evening walk and I created a few more peace flowers along the way…


While I was getting these photos ready to upload to this blog, another idea hit the back of my brain. In the next few days I’m going to create a photo album on my Facebook profile page to share this art. I will also challenge my Facebook friends to create their own sidewalk chalk art creations and email their photos to me to add to my photoalbum. Since most of my Facebook friends are from different countries, this super simple and fun idea would be a way of uniting people with similar beliefs from around the world.

Now that I’m thinking about it – why don’t I invite you (my blog readers) to join in the fun, too!!! Create your own peaceflower chalk art drawing and take a photo – include yourself in the photo – and email it too me… peacefulwarrior333@hotmail.com. Include your name (optional) and the city where you drew the art. I’ll post these photos in a future blog.

It’s always great to think of fun ways to share positive ideas, but if others become involved then a revolution can begin!!!! LOL!

“Okay – soldiers of peace, begin!!!!”

Jim