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Tag Archives: instrument of peace

January 15, 2026
by kerrisherwood11 1 Comment

two tiny parts. [kerri’s blog on d.r. thursday]

i am – truly – not quite sure how we would survive without this trail.

it offers sanity in a world that seems to be losing its very center. it offers quiet in a world noisy with horrific news. it offers peace in a country that doesn’t seem to understand peace any longer.

we breathe on this trail.

we talk about other things – projects and dreams.

we get lost in our own thoughts.

we – know – in the way nature makes clear – we are simply two tiny parts in a big whole.

blogsites supply some analytics about your blogposts. wordpress can tell us which posts are viewed, how many views, how many visitors we have, their countries of origin. the site, however, is not totally protected against bots, so some of the information – when the numbers seem exponential – is obviously generated by non-human sources. there are moments i laugh – or sigh – and say things to d like, “wow. like they have nothing better to do in name-a-country than to sit around reading reverse threading, eh?” i know better. my words are not likely to assuage – or even be the vaguest bit interesting – to people in dire circumstances, in countries full of upheaval or war, in places where trying to find just a bit of food is paramount. i am humbled by people who are in such drastic conditions or situations.

we have a thing about our shadows. and our feet, too, truth be told. there are many photographs on my camera that depict our shadows or our feet in a wide array of places. “we’ve been here,” i feel like these say.

it’s like a footprint. though the prints and tracks around us in this picture will fade with snow or rain or other prints and tracks, they will never really go away. the imprint will always remain part of the texture of the path, a part of the fabric of the trail.

i feel like our shadows are the same. though the moment the clouds move across and block the sun, the moment the sun dips below the horizon, the moment we move on – our shadows seemingly disappear. yet, something in me feels that they actually remain. our shadows – like the shadows of deer crossing the path to find shelter in the bramble, the shadows of hawks and a bald eagle or two above, the shadows of squirrels scurrying or horses elegantly cantering through, even the shadows of fuzzy caterpillars making their way – they all remain part of the many layers of what has existed, what has passed by, what remains in the energy of that place.

there are people imperiled in every corner of our world and there are people honing cruel skill at the denigration of others. there are people thriving in closely-held self-actualized dreams and there are people burdened with feelings of failure. there are people who are always the helpers and people who hostage-take others’ well-being. we all add to the energy of the world.

i feel like i really would like to do my best to make sure my shadow adds even the tiniest bit of goodness to the vibrating atoms of this world. being outside reminds me of the evanescence of it all, the transitory of us.

*****

INSTRUMENT OF PEACE mixed media 48″ x 91″ – available for sale

read DAVID’s thoughts this D.R. THURSDAY

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Categories: art, artist, DR thursday, goodness, kerri sherwood, life, nature, story, Uncategorized | Tags: davidrobinsoncreative.com, DR thursday, energy, goodness, hiking, impact, impression, imprint, in these times, instrument of peace, kerri sherwood, kerrianddavid.com, kerrianddavid.com/the-melange, lessons from nature, life, nature, part of the texture, part of the whole, shadows, story, symbiosis, the trail, this place, transitory, two tiny parts | Permalink.

July 18, 2024
by kerrisherwood11 Leave a comment

here and now. [kerri’s blog on d.r. thursday]

to get out of our heads.

to be in the here and now.

to breathe.

…reasons we play rummikub.

if you haven’t tried it, don’t knock it. it’s a fun game and it totally makes us unplug.

next up, i think he is going to teach me how to play cribbage – which, for his family, is kind of a rite of passage. to say i have trepidation might be an understatement.

i’m thinking we need to pull out the scrabble game. or maybe yahtzee. (yes…thank you, i’d like games-i-usually-win-for-1000 please lol.)

regardless of the game, these summer evenings of late we have been seeking ways to step out of what’s happening right now.  in no uncertain terms does that mean ignore what is happening. it does not mean sticking our heads in the sand. it does not mean we won’t research or ask questions or be informed or suggest ways for others to learn the truth of what is happening.  it just acknowledges that we all need a break.

so, for just a little bit of time, we will step away from the merciless news, away from the computers and the phone apps, away from the polarized politics, away from the frightening thoughts of peril we are feeling, away from the ever-present question what-can-we-do.  for just a little bit of time, we will step out of the present – step to the side – to a place where we might rejuvenate – rest – so that we can reinvest our energy back into this world as best we can.

a little mango sorbet and a few games of rummikub may not sound like a vacation, but it gives us a bit of headspace, something else to focus on – a breather.

there’s nothing quite like a board game at the bistro table on the deck on a hot summer night with dogga under our feet, sorbet at the ready, garden lights on – to bring us back to here and now. even for a moment.

and that, my friends, is the one thing of which we are sure.

here and now.

*****

read DAVID’S thoughts this D.R. THURSDAY

INSTRUMENT OF PEACE mixed media 48″ x 91″

the prayer featured on david’s INSTRUMENT OF PEACE painting: Lord, make me an instrument of your peace: where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. (prayer of st. francis)

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buymeacoffee is a tip-jar website where you may help support the continuing creating of artists whose work resonates with you. ♡

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Categories: art, artist, DR thursday, goodness, home, kerri sherwood, life, Uncategorized | Tags: a break, artists, bloggers, cartoonists, composer, david robinson, david robinson paintings, david robinson thursday, davidrobinsoncreative.com, doing life, DR thursday, facebook.com/kerrianddavid, for a moment, in these times, instrument of peace, itunes: kerri sherwood, kerri sherwood, kerrianddavid.com, kerrianddavid.com/the-melange, kerrisherwood.com, life, make us an instrument of peace, painter, pianist, prayer of st francis, rummikub, singer-songwriter, step away, story, summer nights, time out, two artists, two artists doing life, writers, yamaha artist, yamaha recording and performing artist | Permalink.

December 14, 2023
by kerrisherwood11 1 Comment

clarity. [kerri’s blog on d.r. thursday]

there is no way to maneuver the depth of field on my old iphone. it is all about coming in closer and backing up – eyeing what is framed in the aperture and moving to adjust what i want the photograph to look like. i know that the newer iphones have some access to depth of field options but – at the moment – i don’t have access to a newer iphone option. so. i adjust.

i almost rejected this photograph as a melange post. with the closest red dogwood branch a bit out-of-focus it didn’t really meet my parameters for a post. and then i stopped to reconsider it. it’s a great visual reminder of how distorted things can look from up close.

clarity is something that comes when you put a little space between you and the issue or object of your attention. 20 always says, “you’re too close!” and it’s impossible to not hear his voice in my head now in the throes of any decision. and so i try to remember to back up a little, to have some distance as i consider – an overview. 

when d was working for a new software startup (before the business was unfortunately closed) their product was the perfect tool for clarity. after i understood even the most basic functions of this remarkable software – as they were looking for names – i kept blurting out suggestions like “pinnacle” or “eagle eye” or “lookout” or “apex”. it seemed obvious to me that having this incredible overview – a step back – was the perfect new software for people struggling to make sense of too much up close and personal…a pragmatic way to sort and prioritize…a realistic way to have perspective. it’s beyond my wildest imagination that they did not continue on their merry way into software stardom. but alas, such is life, eh?

anyway, that lookout tower approach has its wisdom. it’s like pulling into the overlook in the appalachia region on route 25e in tennessee. up until that moment – in the middle of them – you were aware that there were mountains but you were seeing them from too close to really appreciate the grandeur. you drive into the overlook, step out of your vehicle, walk to the retaining wall and you are stunned by the magnificence of how the whole world drops off beyond your feet, stretching on and on and on. and you can see – there are mountains and lakes and a river – things you could not discern from up close. 

in the middle of the middle stepping back is one of the ridiculously hardest things to do. it feels counter-productive when you are trying to come to some sort of conclusion or have some kind of perspective about a specific thing. but up close and personal, the red dogwood is blurry and i can’t appreciate its stunning beauty. from a little distance away, i can see how it plays against the warm beige of the grasses and cattails, how it enhances the fallow of this meadow.

in this crazy-busy time of year – with people rushing around trying to make the holidays perfect for themselves and others – i’m thinking that maybe we are all a little too close. i’m reminded again and again of what is most important. i’m taking in serenity as i can. we are trying to go slow – to appreciate the big picture – to not be clouded by that which is hard to sort or discern or, for that matter, even clearly see. 

yes, the red dogwood is blurry up close. but from a little distance it stands out in a field barren of much color. the dissonance fades. the chord resolves. there is clarity. 

*****

read DAVID’S thoughts this D.R. THURSDAY

INSTRUMENT OF PEACE acrylic 48″x91″

like. subscribe. share. support. comment. ~ thank you. xoxo

buymeacoffee is a tip-jar website where you may help support the continuing work of artists you value. thank you for your consideration. xoxo

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Categories: art, artist, DR thursday, fallow, goodness, kerri sherwood, life, Uncategorized | Tags: a little distance, aperture, appalachia, artists, bean station tennessee, bloggers, blurry, cartoonists, clarity, composer, crazy-busy, david robinson, david robinson paintings, david robinson thursday, davidrobinsoncreative.com, depth of field, discern, DR thursday, facebook.com/kerrianddavid, holiday season, in the meadow, instrument of peace, instrument of peace - painting, iphone photography, itunes: kerri sherwood, kerri sherwood, kerrianddavid.com, kerrianddavid.com/the-melange, kerrisherwood.com, life, on the trail, overview, painter, perspective, pianist, red, red dogwood, route 25E, singer-songwriter, slow down, software startup, step back, story, the big picture, two artists, two artists doing life, two artists making stuff for humans, up close, wisdom, writers, yamaha artist | Permalink.

December 19, 2019
by kerrisherwood11 Leave a comment

a morsel among many. [d.r. thursday]

PeaceOnEarth

i distinctly remember designing this.  for over a year i spent tons of time designing products:  pillows, tote bags, cellphone covers, prints, beach towels, cutting boards, mugs, travel cups, coasters, cards, shower curtains, side tables, leggings.  i would study david’s paintings and extract morsels and execute the process – with great joy – of the choosing of the product lines i wished to represent and the designing of those.  it was our intention to sell these pieces.  i would have absolutely loved to fill a brick and mortar store with these pillows and mugs and journals and tote bags, but the sheer outlay for merchandise and stock and the overhead for a physical store made that impossible.  but online – at an online storefront called society6.com, which would manufacture the pieces as they were ordered – it was possible.  it was a good premise.   so we opened five storefronts online (listed below in case you want to stop by with a cup of coffee) to represent each day of our studio melange postings.

only it didn’t really work.

hundreds, literally hundreds, of designs and thousands of products later, we decided it was time to stop putting the hours of effort into these designs.  we had some sales and it is truly a delight to see someone carrying a tote bag i designed or a laptop cover or to hear from someone who is enjoying their purchase.  the sales trickle in still, $4 here, $2.10 there.  the mark-up, as you would expect, lists mightily to the side of the host company, but we dreamed of great volume – so many pillows that earning a few dollars for each-one-of-many would be a big help to our working budget.

only it didn’t really work.

every now and then i visit these sites and am astounded at how actually cool the products are.  the designs aren’t so bad either, if i do say so myself.  (tee-hee)  there are some really beautiful pieces out there, like this PEACE. EARTH. PEACE ON EARTH. morsel.  simple and profound.  timely.  if you click here, you can see it as a pillow.  if you scroll way down on that linked page, you can see all the other products that we designed and made available with this image.  it was within the painting INSTRUMENT OF PEACE that i found this morsel.

even though it didn’t really work, i suppose it worked.  because i can’t begin to tell you how much i learned.  maybe that’s the point.  maybe that’s always the point.

InstrumentofPeace copy

for more morsels of david’s paintings, click here:

www.society6.com/davidrobinson

for various designs of mine, click here:

www.society6.com/kerrisherwood

for products with photographs or graphic designs or inspiring messages, click here:

www.society6.com/twoartists

for products with our beloved cartoon chicken marsala, click here:

www.society6.com/chickenmarsala

for products that make you laugh, images of our flawed cartoon, click here:

www.society6.com/flawedcartoon

and for david’s online gallery of paintings, click here:

Screen Shot 2019-10-02 at 4.09.09 PM

read DAVID’S thoughts this D.R. THURSDAY

their palettes website box

INSTRUMENT OF PEACE/PEACE.ON.EARTH © 2015 david robinson

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Categories: art, artist, DR thursday, kerri sherwood, life, Uncategorized | Tags: brick and mortar, chicken marsala, chicken marsala cartoon, chicken nuggets, david robinson, david robinson paintings, davidrobinsoncreative.com, design, dreams, facebook.com/kerrianddavid, flawed cartoon, graphic design, instrument of of peace painting, instrument of peace, itunes: kerri sherwood, kerri sherwood, kerrianddavid.com, kerrianddavid.com/the-melange, kerrisherwood.com, life, online storefronts, our life's work, painter, paintings, peace, peace on earth, product design, products, society6.com/chickenmarsala, society6.com/davidrobinson, society6.com/flawedcartoon, society6.com/kerrisherwood, society6.com/twoartists, story, studio melange, the melange, two artists, two artists living together, two artists making stuff for humans | Permalink.

November 22, 2018
by kerrisherwood11 Leave a comment

it is in the giving. [d.r. thursday]

in the giving copy

yes.  it is.  happy thanksgiving to you and yours. with gratitude and love from us.

InstrumentofPeace copy 2

INSTRUMENT OF PEACE mixed media 48″ x 91″

click here or on painting above to view INSTRUMENT OF PEACE

read DAVID’S post this D.R. THURSDAY

wedding pic with website copy

INSTRUMENT OF PEACE ©️ 2015 david robinson & kerri sherwood

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Categories: artist, DR thursday, kerri sherwood, life, Uncategorized | Tags: david robinson, david robinson paintings, david robinson thursday, davidrobinsoncreative.com, DR thursday, facebook.com/kerrianddavid, family, give and receive, gratitude, instrument of peace, instrument of peace painting, it is in the giving, itunes: kerri sherwood, kerri sherwood, kerrianddavid.com, kerrianddavid.com/the-melange, kerrisherwood.com, life, love, morsel, painting morsel, prayer of st francis, prayer of st francis painting, relationship, society6.com/davidrobinson, society6.com/kerrisherwood, story, thanksgiving, yoga painting, yoga series | Permalink.

September 13, 2018
by kerrisherwood11 Leave a comment

aspen stand. [d.r. thursday]

ASPEN STAND copy

standing in a stand of aspens.  simply magical. the way the leaves quake in the wind, the glowing bark that takes on the angle of the sun, the graceful spiring height.  and the quiet.  on a trail in the woods, the backdrop of the rockies peeking between the trees, i breathe easier, deeper.  i feel in tune with that place; its voice speaks to me.  i whisper back my gratitude.

from david’s painting INSTRUMENT OF PEACE, this morsel is ASPEN STAND.

Screen Shot 2018-09-13 at 1.17.14 PM

click on the print above and it will take you to ASPEN STAND products.

InstrumentofPeace copy

click on the painting above and it will take you to INSTRUMENT OF PEACE

FALL50%OFFSALE copy

read DAVID’S thoughts on this D.R. THURSDAY

aspen stand/instrument of peace ©️ 2018/2015 david robinson & kerri sherwood

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Categories: art, DR thursday, kerri sherwood, Uncategorized | Tags: art sale, aspen, aspen art, aspen painting, aspen print, aspen stand, aspen stand art, aspen wall art, aspens, breckenridge, colorado, copper mountain, david robinson, david robinson thursday, davidrobinsoncreative.com, denver, DR thursday, instrument of peace, instrument of peace painting sale, itunes: kerri sherwood, john denver, kerri sherwood, kerrianddavid.com, kerrianddavid.com/the-melange, kerrisherwood.com, keystone, make me an instrument of peace, morsel, painting, painting morsel, quaking aspen, quaking leaves, rocky mountains, silverton, snowmass, snowmass logo, society6.com/davidrobinson, society6.com/kerrisherwood, studio melange, telluride, the melange, the rockies, vail | Permalink.

July 26, 2018
by kerrisherwood11 Leave a comment

an instrument of peace. [d.r. thursday]

croppedandsharpenedINSTROFPEACE copy

we were canoeing and it was quiet.  the only thing you could hear were a few birds, a loon from time to time and the sound of the paddle hitting the water.  we went through the channel and above us we saw it.

the young bald eagle was taking its first flight and we had the great fortune of witnessing it. i knew i wanted to write at least a few words about how lucky we were to see it, watch and quietly be a part of it.  as this beautiful creature soared over us, it seemed to relish its newfound freedom, its new ability to fly.  even as we watched it struggle a bit with the landing, we could see its determination to its flight.  we talked about how the eagle was representative of this country we live in.  in the late 1700s it was chosen as the emblem of the united states…based on its long life and great strength, it is majestic, bold and faithful, independent and a symbol of freedom.  such hopeful words, such a powerful emblem of a nation that has lost its center.

after some time, we continued on.  we talked about writing.  we talked about why.  why do we write each day.  why do i compose.  why does d paint. what words could you wrap around what we do, why we share what we share, why we fly in this artistic-world, the place we are at home.  is it important?  why?

we are merely instruments.  we can watch and quietly be a part.  we can simply start the ripple.  that’s all that is really possible.  that is our job.  to be instruments.  like pebbles dropped in water.  our emblem would be just that.  tightly-starting-ever-widening-circles of ripples, repercussions, the effects moving, ever-moving.  what we choose in the center counts.  if we choose peace and kindness, then we can start the concentric circles outward of peace and kindness.

when we were designing our website, the dalai lama quote ““Just as ripples spread out when a single pebble is dropped into water, the actions of individuals can have far-reaching effects” needed to be present.  the ripples of water on the front page of our site are not graphically brilliant or even singularly creative. but they are an emblem, so to speak, of the reason we do what we do.  the meaning behind that emblem is the reason we keep trying.  it is the reason we yearn to make it possible to live as two artist-ripples, to make a living and pay the bills and do what we can to be instruments of peace.  we hold tight to the center.  and like that young eagle, we are determined.

“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace; where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console; to be understood, as to understand; to be loved, as to love; for it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.”  (the prayer of st. francis of assissi)

view or purchase DAVID’S painting INSTRUMENT OF PEACE – this painting makes me weep

InstrumentofPeace copy

instrument of peace, mixed media, 48″ x 91″

instrument of peaceWALLARTsize

click on image for INSTRUMENT OF PEACE products

read DAVID’S thoughts on this D.R. THURSDAY (DAVID ROBINSON THURSDAY)

D.R. THURSDAY – ON OUR SITE

instrument of peace ©️ 2015 & 2018 david robinson & kerri sherwood

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Categories: art, DR thursday, kerri sherwood, Uncategorized | Tags: an instrument of peace, artist-ripples, artistic-world, artistry, artists, bald eagle emblem, canoeing, center, composing, concentric circles, dalai lama, dalai lama ripples quote, david robinson, david robinson thursday, davidrobinsoncreative.com, determined, DR thursday, emblem, first flight, hold tight to the center, in the center, instrument of peace, instrument of peace painting, itunes: kerri sherwood, kerri sherwood, kerrianddavid.com, kerrianddavid.com/the-melange, kerrisherwood.com, life, love, maiden flight, make me an instrument of peace, making a living, painting, peace, peace and kindness in the center, pebble dropped into water, prayer of st francis, relationship, ripples, society6.com/davidrobinson, st francis of assissi, stories, story, the bald eagle, the melange, two artists, two artists living together, united states of america, up north, why, work, writing | Permalink.

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