"New Day" is a 22" x 28" acrylic painting on gallery wrap canvas. I created this piece for a local celebration in Bay St Louis, which is planned for the third year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. All of us here on the coast wanted to mark this anniversary in a special way; we are excited about our future, and gladdened by the progress we have made in our recovery. When the call for new art came out, I decided that I wanted to concentrate on the incredible beauty of our natural environment. I began with the two oak trees, which point to our abundance of plant life in this semi-tropical setting. I then added land, air and sea creatures. I indicated that the human touch upon our world should be light, as indicated by the almost invisible hand print. I am attempting to get children involved by having a contest for kids 10 and under; the first child who can find all of the critters will win a framed print of the painting for their room.