Peace In Our Time

Peace In Our Time

8" x 10"

Acrylic Paint

London, Ontario

April 2015

Jim Kogelheide

In the early part of 2015, I was invited to an art exhibition entitled ‘Hip To Be Square’ at a local community art gallery.  As the name of the exhibit suggests, artists were required to create square images.  I submitted two art creations to this exhibit and one of them was purchased by a local musician who wanted my painting for his music studio.  I was absolutely delighted with this outcome! 

This is the painting that was sold… 

A short while later, I felt inspired to create another ‘peace’ painting, evolving some of the techniques that I had learned while creating ‘According To Rorschach’.  Although I really enjoyed the mirrored symmetry found in this painting, I wanted to see how a peace symbol would look without being symmetrical while continuing to keep the ‘wiggley’ aspects of its design. 

I began this painting by laying down the colours of the peace symbol, first.  This took close to a week – a couple of hours each night for four or five evenings.  During this time, life continued around me and on three separate occasions I heard the phrase ‘Peace in our time’.  I read this phrase in a book, on one occasion.  A day later I was watching an old movie about World War II and this phrase was spoken by one to the characters and while I was driving to work the next morning I heard this phrase spoken by the host of a local radio talk show.  

The number three has always been an important number in my life and so I recognized this three-time repetition of this phrase immediately!   

That evening, I began to mix the orange paints that would be used to finish this painting.  Since this portion of the canvas was still white, I decided to make a last minute change to my design by adding the words ‘In Our Time’ to the upper portions of the peace symbol.  

And that’s the story of this artwork’s creation!  

I know that many of you are a bit more interested to find out how YOU could soon be hanging this original painting on one of the walls of your home… 

I love finding fun ways to share my art with others and so I’ve created a simple competition to allow someone a chance to win this painting!  I thought that this would be a great way to usher in the New Year!!  It shouldn’t take anyone more than a few minutes to complete the assignment that I’ve planned.  

Step 1) Find a large piece of cardboard or paper and a big marker or paint brush.

Step 2) Write the phrase “I want (or We want) peace in our time in” and then add the city, province or state, and the country that you live in. 

Just like this example that Devon helped me with! 

Step 3) Take a photograph with just you, or you and your family or friends with your sign.

Step 4) Send me an email of your photo…  

citizenjimkogelheide@gmail.com

  

 IT’S THAT EASY!!!!! 

I will be sharing your photos as I receive them, right here underneath this story, so if you enter to win the painting revisit this page a few days later and then you can show your friends a picture of you on this webpage!  

Here’s a couple of things to keep in mind…  

1)    If you see that someone else from your city has already sent in a photo that does not mean that you cannot enter.  All entries from anywhere in this world will be entered to win even if a city has more than one entrant.

2)    Although only one person will win this painting (I’ll put all of the photos into a hat and have a random draw to find a winner) everyone who enters will receive a special gift from me.  This special gift will include a selection of my personal peace Stik-ers and maybe a few other small surprises.  SO – EVERYONE WILL BE A WINNER!

3)    The photo that you email to me must be in a jpeg format.  This is the only format that my home computer can deal with.

4)    DO NOT think that thousands of people will enter and therefore you shouldn’t enter to win because your chances will be slim.  I’ve had other competitions in the past and have heard this comment many times before and this is a false assumption.  If I receive ten photographs over the next month I will be very happy… so take the chance and do enter!

5)    I will be accepting photographs starting today until the end of January 2016 and the winner will be announced close to Valentine’s Day.

6)    Have fun and be creative!!!!

Jim Kogelheide

Dec. 29, 2015

Possible Winners!  Thanks for entering!!!

Andie W.

Yeah!  I've just received my first entry!  See how easy it is to win my original art.  Don't forget that everyone who sends me a picture will also receive an envelope filled with peace Stik-ers!!!  That way everyone who enters is a winner!

Andie has been a supporter of my work for many years.  Once, when she removed her children's small pool from her backyard (at the end of summer) she noticed a big round ring where the pool was.  She then made a huge peace symbol in this circle and sent me that photo with her whole family in the picture.  I was delighted!!!

Kolya & Tanya

 These two students live in London, Ontario but are presently studying in Belarus.  They have family there and their father thought that this would be a fantastic experience for them.  I would have to agree!

Their father, Menno and I met a couple of months ago to talk about organizing some educational activities for local youths in the London area and I hope that we will be able to get a few workshops up and running soon!



Neal & Tami

 My wife and I met Neal in 1999 when we had first moved to Neepawa, Manitoba while we were working on a Cross-Canada art project entitled Canada: Glorious To Be.  For many years, we kept in touch via snail mail and close to seven years ago we reconnected through the wonderful world of Facebook.

Neal and I have many online conversations about humanity and peace and it was because of one of these conversations that I had to re-define my definition of the word PEACE!  Thanks for expanding my horizons, Neal!



Yves C.


Yves came to my home, last summer, for a visit with my family.  It had been around 23 years since we had last seen each other.  We met while I was living in Toronto to study Architecture.  Yves and I were both bus-boys at a fun downtown eatery and dance club.  There were several other bus-boys that we used to hang out with and we always had a great time at work and during our time off together.

Yves has been a supporter of my artwork for many years and I'm delighted that he was able to participate in this fun contest!!!

Steve D.

And just when I thought that there would only be four entrants in my contest, I receive this photo from Steve!  Steve is Andie W. partner (Andie was the first person to enter this contest) and I'm guessing that Andie really wanted to 'up' her chances to win my painting by having her partner enter.  I'm glad!  We'll have to see how this works out.

* * * * * * * *

I promised everyone who entered that I would send out an envelope filled with a poem or a news story along with a handful of my peace Stik-ers!  And I did just that the other day...

This is my dining room table filled with all of the stuff that went into the five envelopes.  Devon helped me to set up this photo so it would include the painting... and a few of his favourite dinosaur toys!

I decided to fill these envelopes and then place them on the table... upside down - so that Devon wouldn't see who's name was on the envelopes and then I let him pick just one envelope and that person would be my winner.

Let's see how this all worked out...

So - there you go!  A big congratulations goes out to Steve Dean from Dundalk, Ontario!  Thanks to everyone who entered and I hope that those who didn't enter but were just watching this process, enjoyed themselves, as well!!!!!

I will be getting this painting ready for the mail over the next few days and I would imagine that Steve will receive it within 10 days!!!!

Maybe I'll have just one more photo to share, at that time... if I can convince Steve and Andie to send a photo with the two of them standing beside the painting once it is hanging on their wall!!!!