THANKSGIVING 2006

As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving Day, we give thanks for the many ways that we have been blessed during this past year.

We are ever grateful for the blessing of good health for ourselves and our loved ones.

We feel privileged to live in peace, with freedom and prosperity.

We are thankful for having the compassion to help those in need.

And, lest we forget, we are just as appreciative for the many pleasures that make our lives worth living: the bliss of family, the joy of love, the gratification of friendship, the exhilaration of nature, the fulfillment from a good deed, the contentment of curling up with a good book.

The list is endless, with things large and small to give thanks for: a delicious meal, a good wine, a fine play, an enthralling opera…

On this Thanksgiving Day, I want to give thanks for Maira Kalman and her blog for the New York Times. Since her column started appearing, the first Wednesday of each month has been transformed into a very special day for me; judging from the hundreds of comments on her blog, I am not alone.

I wanted to share with you what is mere fragments of Maira Kalman’s beguiling world.

Thank you Maira and Happy Thanksgiving to you!

About the Artist

Maira Kalman is an illustrator, author and designer whose artwork is featured in a new edition of Strunk and White’s, “The Elements of Style.” She has created many covers for The New Yorker, including the famous map of “Newyorkistan” (created with Rick Meyerowitz).

Ms. Kalman’s 12 children’s books include “Max Makes a Million,” “Stay Up Late,” “Swami on Rye” and “What Pete Ate.” She also has designed fabric for Isaac Mizrahi, accessories for Kate Spade, sets for the Mark Morris Dance Company and, with her late husband Tibor Kalman under the M&Co. label, clocks, umbrellas and other accessories for the Museum of Modern Art. Ms. Kalman's work is shown at the Julie Saul Gallery in Manhattan.

Ms. Kalman lives in New York City and teaches graduate courses in design at the School of Visual Arts. Her illustrated column for New York Times Select, “The Principles of Uncertainty,” appears on the first Wednesday of each month.

PS-You may click on any picture for a closer view; you may also click on any link in Maira Kalman's bio above for more of her work