From the Editor: Blessed Additions

Blessed Additions
This time last year, my husband Jean-Paul and I were counting the days until our baby daughter, Sophia, was to arrive. She was due on December 11and every minute until she was finally born on the December 14 was fraught with nervous joy and expectation.

Now, one year later, the “birth” of canvas is much the same. As the weeks passed and we built this new magazine it has been much like forming a brand new person. Slowly and steadily our child of words and images began to take form, and seeing the logo for the first time or the feature stories come together reminded me of those early glimpses of a hand or foot or eyes on Sophia’s early sonograms.

Ultimately, it was the completion of our cover that brought canvas to life for me. As parents contribute bits of themselves to create a unique life, so too did visionary artist Nick Cordone and our talented art director Bryan Canniff come together to create the arresting cover you see on this first issue, the title of which might arrest you. Why LI Redux? Because we believe it’s time for a rebirth of ideas relating to this place we call home.

Once you open the cover, what you’ll find is the creative passion of writers, editors, artists and photographers along with production specialists all working to create a voice for Long Islanders who aspire to be “better.” Better to the environment, better to themselves, better neighbors and better human beings.

Through features like Biodiesel Basics in which we give you the true facts about this alternative fuel touted as the hope of the future, and profiles of innovative local artists and artisans, canvas will serve to reintroduce you to the wonders of our island home.

With extras like product reviews for your mind, body, spirit and home; local news and events, and stories that look outward to the world beyond Long Island, canvas will Awaken your passion, Engage your mind, Relate to who you are and Soothe your senses.

The greatest part of our editorial mission is to involve our readers. Through pages like Arts & Letters, we will showcase your artistic contributions whether they are images or written word. Our Web site at canvasli.com will provide further venue for musical contributions and spoken word. As a virtual “sister” publication canvasli.com will feature new material and Web-only extras updated often and not seen in the magazine.

And if you have something you want to see in canvas tell us about it! All input is welcome because we hope to do as journalism great Edward R. Murrow admonished and, “exalt the importance of ideas and information.”

With this goal in mind, canvas will strive to be a forum for fact and informed opinion—even if those truths are unpleasant or difficult to consider. This is because we have faith in our readers’ desire to learn and do more daily so they may live life honestly and to the fullest. And we know our readers have confidence that we will do the same in the pages of canvas.

Now that canvas has been born we, its creators, are sending it out to the great wide world—to you—with love and just a touch of new parent jitters. We hope you will adore it as much as we do.

If it isn’t love at first sight, we hope you will give it a chance, ultimately coming to understand and appreciate it—and find yourself looking forward to reading it cover to cover, every month, for a long time to come.

Thank you for taking the journey with us!