Tuesdays with Chris: “Unconscious Muses”

staley.2black

Today Chris shares a couple of personal stories that revolve around the concept of triggers, epiphanies, and threads that weave consistently throughout our lives, our work and our psyche. The unconscious muses, as he calls them.

We all may recognize something of ourselves in what he says. And I’ll bet that my fellow artists out there will relate to his insights at the end ~ I know I did!

(If you missed my introduction about Chris Staley, master potter, educator and Penn State Laureate 2012-2013, you can read that here.)  Enjoy!

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Mother – Daughter Dragons

Halfway through this new dragon sketch for the book, I stumbled across a gem from my daughter’s grade school days. How fun is that?!

The two works have a similar feel, I think, don’t they?  In terms of emotion, obviously, not color or medium, they both seem to say “I’m a little bit scary, but not really scary…. or am I?”

And I absolutely adore the free-spirited, in-your-face, “I’m a two-headed dragon, alright” feeling of the youthful piece of art. Not that I’m biased or anything, but I find it inspiring. :  )

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Dreaming Dreams

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”  ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

I can dream with the best of them. Big dreams. The fanciful, full-on, reach-for-the-stars kind. Maybe crazy, maybe not… but some have come true, and that’s enough for me to keep dreaming (even if I could stop.) And so it follows, not surprisingly, that I believe dreams are important, valuable, and potentially powerful. And everyone’s got a few ~ so I say, nurture them.

There are some pretty big guns who agree with all that, and so, well, I went a little “poster crazy” recently showing off the whole notion. Here they are.  ~ Dream on. Dream big. Dream well. :  )

dream.sky.fariy.bw

mickey.quote

dream1

dream.lofty

dreambigdreams3

dream.star

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Tuesdays with Chris: “Slow Time”

horse

“Beware the emptiness of a busy life.”

Oh boy, I think we can all relate to this video’s message about time…  Beautifully done ~ and a beautiful horse, too! Thanks Chris, for this wonderful reminder.

(If you missed my introduction about Chris Staley, master potter, educator and Penn State Laureate 2012-2013, you can read that here.)  Enjoy!

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Embracing Nonsense

i like nonsense

Oh! The places you’ll go! … “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go…”
~ Dr. Seuss

………

It’s Dr. Seuss’ birthday. What an amazing man, he was! And in his honor, I’ve added a few new posters to my “nonsense” files. Hope you find them funthubbly (new word). :  )

gootch

gluppity

sneedle

diffendoofer

yuzz

fizza

skritz

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March: Like a Lion

saxton_lion.cub

Don’t know how the March weather will play out this year ~ we’ll just have to wait and see ~ but the old phrase “in like a lion, out like a lamb” conjured up some fond lion-memories for me.

It was in Kenya, about this time of year back in 1990, that I captured a small lion family on my old Chinon 35mm. So I thought I’d share part of a sequence that delights me now almost as much as it did watching it unfold in front of me then.

They look so sweet, don’t they? We were reminded that despite appearances, they are killers ~ and we were only 20 feet away . It was an extraordinary treat being so close, but I was equally glad for my zoom lens (and that Mama Lion decided we weren’t a threat and could get back to her nap). What a beautiful wonder they are.

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Hello Dragon

Another sneak peek of a work-in-progress for the upcoming Book of Dragons.

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Gordon / @Patricia Saxton / Pencil on paper

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Tuesdays with Chris: “Beauty”

Chris Staley

Chris Staley

What is beauty? Where do you find it? How? In what? Why is something beautiful? What is beautiful to you? Chris, and several graduate students, share their thoughts on beauty – sometimes poignant, sometimes comical. A treat!

(If you missed my introduction about Chris Staley, master potter, educator and Penn State Laureate 2012-2013, you can read that here.)  Enjoy!

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“where in the world is peace?” … north carolina to new york to barcelona

52 Weeks of Peace keeps traveling the world! Thank you for these terrific images and for sharing peace, and your smiles, across miles.

NYC bound

Serving it up right in Chapel Hill, NC

It’s a family affair in Salem, Virginia!

Beautiful adornment from a Florida-born friend

Peace at the Bar!

Peace in Barcelona, Spain

Shopping in North Carolina

Proud in New Jersey

Wearing Peace : )

Peace at the 501 Diner, Chapel Hill, NC

Where to next?

(ps:  you can see all “where in the world is peace?” images compiled on our special “where in the world is peace?” page. Our book is on Amazon, our totes, mugs and things are available here. Send your own pictures to 52weeksofpeace@gmail.com or post them on our FaceBook page. Let’s see where peace goes!)

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Tuesdays with Chris: “God and Art”

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On a snowy mountaintop, Chris ponders God, love, curiosity, and art. As ever, one of the things I like most about this presentation is his sharing pearls of wisdom from both heart and mind in such an unaffected and accessible manner ~ even on a topic so broad and deep as “God and Art”.

And today, after listening to this, I feel inspired to walk somewhere I’ve never walked before… Thank you, Chris!

(If you missed my introduction about Chris Staley, master potter, educator and Penn State Laureate 2012-2013, you can read that here.)  Enjoy!

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