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Keep up with the latest art and adventures from Rene Shoemaker Art!

A time of travel, then reflection | Un temps pour voyager, puis pour réfléchir

What does reflection mean to you?

After a whirlwind tour to New York City and then Georgia, we returned home to France on January 2nd, and this is what we saw:

It was so quiet, and perfectly beautiful.

After the long drive from Paris, as we entered our neighborhood the snow drifted down on us as a welcoming blanket. In Athens, Georgia, it does not snow often, so I appreciate the special quiet and elegant beauty that comes along with the snowfall that I experience here.

It was so pretty.

***

2025 was a fruitful year for me, and I hope it was for you, too.

So many lessons learned, so many accomplishments, so much work, and so many rewards.

***

My word for 2026 is “Reflect”!

What's yours? Can you sum up your goals and intentions for the upcoming year?

Reflect, to me, means….

  • contemplation

  • paying attention

  • taking time every day to review my gifts

  • think about / plan for the future with an eye on the past

  • taking stock of my accomplishments

  • seeing what I can do to help others in this world.

I often say that I move forward like a locomotive, not slowing down, running into the future full speed ahead.

I want to slow down a little bit.

***

As a visual reminder of reflection and contemplation and beauty, this image is shared with you here. Use this link to download the photograph--would you like to have a copy for yourself, to use as a desktop "'wallpaper'" perhaps?

Êtang de la Valette (photo: René Shoemaker)

***

Best wishes to you for 2026,

-René

Keeping an eye on the future while respecting the past. (photo: Christina Chirouze Montenegro)

​En français | In French :

Un temps pour voyager, puis pour réfléchir

Reflet comme des nuages dans un étang

>Que signifie pour vous la réflexion ?

Bonne année, mon amie !

Après un voyage éclair à New York puis en Géorgie, nous sommes rentrés chez nous en France le 2 janvier, et voici ce que nous avons vu :

C'etati si calme et d'une beauté parfait. (photo: René Shoemaker)

Après un long trajet en voiture depuis Paris, alors que nous arrivions dans notre quartier, la neige tombait sur nous comme une couverture accueillante. À Athens, en Géorgie, il ne neige pas beaucoup, j'apprécie donc particulièrement le calme et la beauté élégante qui accompagnent les chutes de neige que je vois ici.

C'était tellement joli.

***

2025 a été une année fructueuse pour moi, et j'espère qu'elle l'a été pour vous aussi.

Tant de leçons apprises, tant de réalisations, tant de travail et tant de récompenses.

Mon mot pour 2026 est « Réfléchir » !

Et vous ? Pouvez-vous résumer vos objectifs et vos intentions pour l'année à venir ?

Pour moi, réfléchir signifie...

contempler,

prêter attention,

prendre le temps chaque jour de passer en revue mes talents,

penser à l'avenir et le planifier en gardant à l'esprit le passé,

faire le bilan de mes réalisations,

voir ce que je peux faire pour aider les autres dans ce monde.

Je dis souvent que j'avance comme une locomotive, sans ralentir, fonçant à toute vitesse vers l'avenir.

Je veux ralentir un peu.

***

En guise de rappel visuel de la réflexion, de la contemplation et de la beauté, nous partageons cette image avec vous ici. Utilisez ce lien pour télécharger la photo. Souhaitez-vous en avoir une copie pour vous-même, à utiliser peut-être comme « fond d'écran » ?

Étang de la Valette. (photo: René Shoemaker)

Meilleurs vœux pour 2026,

-René

Traduit avec DeepL.com (version gratuite)

Having Fun Making Friends

Crocq. How to pronounce the name of this town in La Creuse?

René with her art at Crocq

I say “crow” as in the bird.

I asked a Frenchman tonight, he said “cro” while swallowing the “uh” sound.

He said “it’s not ‘w’”.

See how hard it is to learn a second language?

Thursday’s event. 1001 réflets, was the annual international art exhibition held in the historic town of Crocq. Above, you can see the two medieval towers and the church on the crest of the hill.

The exhibit is housed on the second floor of the elementary school, in a large, open, and airy space that is light-filled and inviting.

The exhibition hall before installing the art

The theme of this year’s exhibit is 1001 Réflets which translates to “1001 Reflections” in English.

In support of the theme, I exhibited a large silk painting portraying the wall in my house in Georgia that includes framed art and a mirror that reflects the bathroom. The scene is from the time when my children were small (can you spot the rubber duckie?).

Positive/Negative [The Mirror]: (Reflections on everyday life)

What’s so very interesting to me, is this particular artwork is garnering a lot of interest, both in France and back home in the States. I secretly smile to myself when someone remarks on it, as it was created for, and exhibited in, my first solo exhibition back in 2001 at the Clayton Street Gallery in Athens, GA. This “new” interest in my painting tells me that my art is standing up to the test of time.

1001 réflets exhibition poster

I’ve included nine works of art in this exhibit, each with a title that reflects back to the theme of the exhibit: 1001 réflets. The prices on my paintings range from 350 to 650 euros. All but #1 includes a custom blonde wooden frame, and the euro, right now, is about equal to the U.S. Dollar, making it a great time to invest in art!

The nine paintings are listed here:

1) Positive/Negative [the mirror]: The Rubber Duckie (Reflection on Everyday Life)

2) Les Fayes / La Faye (Reflection on the Creation of Two Villages)

Les Fayes / La Faye

3)  Brugmansia Sunset Trumpet Flower 1 + 2  (Reflection on the Beauty of Nature)

Brugmansia Sunset Trumpet Flower 1 + 2

4)  At the Aubusson Train Station(Reflection on Travel)

Aubusson Train Station

5)  Lee's Coffee Shop (Reflections on Japan)

Lee's Coffee Shop

6)  View From the Library, Felletin (Reflections on Learning)

View From the Library, Felletin

7)  Between Grande Rue et rue Chateaufavier, Aubusson (Reflections on Space)

Between Grande Rue et rue Chateaufavier, Aubusson

8)  Château d'Arfeuille (Reflections on Time)

Château d'Arfeuille

9)  Reflections on a Magical World

Reflections on a Magical World

Which is your favorite?