March 10, 2013 In art, creativity, drawing, illustration, imagination, inspiration, work and play By Patricia Saxton

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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March 7, 2013 In art, craftsmanship, creativity, design, life and the universe, philosophy By Patricia Saxton

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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March 5, 2013 In art, craftsmanship, creativity, design, inspiration, life and the universe, philosophy, skill By Patricia Saxton

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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March 2, 2013 In appreciation, art, color, creativity, design, graphic design, imagination, inspiration, words and language, work and play By Patricia Saxton

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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February 27, 2013 In art, books, children's books, creativity, drawing, illustration, imagination, inspiration By Patricia Saxton

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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February 26, 2013 In art, craftsmanship, creativity, design, inspiration, skill By Patricia Saxton

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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February 20, 2013 In art, books, branding, creativity, imagination, inspiration, life and the universe By Patricia Saxton

“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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February 19, 2013 In art, craftsmanship, creativity, design, inspiration, skill By Patricia Saxton

Tuesdays with Chris: “God and Art”

chrismountain2

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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February 12, 2013 In art, craftsmanship, creativity, design, inspiration, skill By Patricia Saxton

Tuesdays with Chris: “Hands”

“I feel, therefore I am.”

This is Chris’s astute take on René Descartes famous line “I think, therefore I am”, as he reflects on all the ways our hands express our selves.

I love the austere, but still warm, shooting of this one, and marvel at the ease with which Chris shares his thoughts, simultaneously simple, profound and accessible. Anyone who works with their hands will certainly appreciate what he has to say. Anyone who talks with their hands, and anyone with an understanding of body language will be nodding along.

(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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February 11, 2013 In art, black and white, creativity, drawing, illustration By Patricia Saxton

Taming the Dragon: Drawing Process

First comes the rough sketch. An idea of facial structure, wing positioning, where the horns may go, what kind of tail… all this is given thought, but not fully formulated. Then a tighter sketch and the beginnings of detail, then more, and more, with some touch-ups here and there as the beast emerges and takes on a personality. We become quite fond of one another during the process. He’ll get some color and maybe a few more crags, bumps and scales before all is said and done ~ but I thought some of you’d enjoy seeing the progression to this point. (The rest will have to wait for the finished book!)

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dragon.wing.detail

dragon.flying.full.back

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