Something About Flowers

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Aside from their part in the cycle of life, I think flowers are here for 3 main reasons: 1.) to please the senses, 2.) to lift the spirit, and 3.) for artists to paint. They do all three for me, and I guess I’m particularly  guilty of the third.

I was the girl who sat for hours in the garden, sketching the array of flowers my father had lovingly planted and tended. They were there, they were pretty, they posed easily, I had time then, and a talent I liked to use. Not for any other purpose than the joy of seeing something come to life, become 3-dimensional on a flat surface simply by touches of pressure and shadings made with a regular old pencil. I was unintentionally honing a craft I would use my entire life.

I drew other things too – the odd sugar bowl, a barn, a tree, portraits from record albums of my favorite musicians. I’d leaf through National Geographic magazine and inevitably find something draw-worthy; a lot of the time it would be faces from places I’d not yet been, faces with great character and expression, or an interesting animal. I didn’t think I was very creative then ~ whether I naturally saw, or learned to see, my time with paper and pencil was all about shades and tones forming something “real”. I was practicing; perfecting skills, self-teaching. As time passed I’d feel free to venture into more “creative” and conceptual territory ~ but then, it was “how well can I draw this?”

So my first flowers were detailed pencil work. I played with ink and then watercolors, and finally oils. Each medium brought a different feeling, different nuances and different kinds of detail. But then, at some point on the canvas I strayed from detail (I’d always secretly wanted to – but old habits die hard, it was my “comfort zone” and received all kinds of accolades, so why stop a good thing?) and let the brush do more of the talking. I liked what it said.

That’s not to say I don’t, or won’t, do more “detail” (one peek at my dragon drawings and you’ll see that’s not been abandoned!), but I love the progression, the change, the freedom that’s come along at this point in the road that says, “Paint it however you want, Saxton. You’ve nothing to ‘prove’ anymore. You’ve earned your wings, now fly!” (Flying would be easier, of course, without the roof-overhead-syndrome, but it’ll all come, in its due time. )

Which brings me back to flowers. Those intoxicating blessings of beauty. They’ll always bloom on someone’s canvas, somewhere, I imagine, til the end of time, including some of mine. And that picture at the top of the page? ~ that’s one (though not from the garden, it calls my name). And I find myself wondering how I’ll paint it. It’s kind of exciting not knowing – letting go of the outcome. Which muse will take the wheel? We’ll see…!

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Sleeping Dragon

“Meddle not in the affairs of the dragon; for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.” (author unknown)

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Sleeping Dragon with Feather Wings / pencil drawing @Patricia Saxton

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Chalk as Design & Typography Tool = Great Stuff

Bright young talent just shines in Dana Tanamachi.

I completely adore what’s she doing ~ by hand, with a practically perfect mixture of head and heart ~ and luckily for her, so do some big name clients. It’s very, very cool. And in this day and age of technology, it’s wonderfully refreshing.

Enjoy the video ~ enjoy the images!

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isn’t this superb? my favorite!

You can see some great time-lapsed videos of the artist at work, here: http://tanamachistudio.com/time-lapse/

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January + Yellow + Dragons

I don’t know about you, but I’ve had a hard time finding my groove this month. And I’m really not sure what the connection is, but I’ve noticed a couple of recurring themes ~ so maybe that’s a start.

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First there’s yellow. Not normally a color I’m especially drawn to (I like yellow, don’t get me wrong ~ in fact, I’m not sure I’ve ever met a color I didn’t like. Well, that’s not true, but that’s for another time), it’s been popping up and infusing itself into my work as if of its own volition … perhaps forcing cheer, optimism and luminosity into my sub-conscious mind. Or maybe it’s coming from my sub-conscious. Either way, I guess it’s not a bad thing.

So, there’s that. Yellow, welcome to my world.

At the same time, dragons are shrieking. You may (or may not) know that I’ve been working on my Book of Dragons for some time now. There’s just not been enough time in the day to get it done in the timeframe I’d hoped for, and no one has offered an all-expenses-paid art retreat in Tuscany or Fiji, or even North Dakota. As a result, many of them (the dragons) are still in my head instead of freed on paper, and they are restless, let me tell you. It was hard to get this one to calm down from a very fitful slumber long enough to capture the basics.

So the beasts are on the march, and yellow is pervasive. And that is that.

Although somehow it might tie in with having felt overwhelmed with all the various irons in the proverbial fire for so many months, and the so many months before that. And storms, and a holiday, then another, then another. You know how that goes. And then all that non-stopping made my back say “you’ve had enough, but you’re not relenting, so I’ll make you!” So there was that. And then January and the yellow and the dragons started happening. I dunno, maybe it all fits, somehow. And then again, maybe not.

But if one were to portend … maybe there’s a yellow dragon in my future… a happy, luminous beast. Until then, it’s back to work and finding my groove ~ but stay tuned!

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Cheers

A few ditties to get you in the Christmas spirit.

1. Holiday tea #1: remedy for too much hustle-bustle ~ enjoy liberally whenever peace & calm are needed.

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2. Holiday tea #2: when you need a little more pep in your step, and some umph in your ho-ho-ho.

3. A Plethora of P’s / #49: Peppermint: Popular for providing a perky punch to the palette. Also a preferred prescription for various physical predicaments, and provides a sweet emotional pick-me-up when given to the young, then watching their faces light up.
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4. Because we all need a little cheer. : )

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Cheers!

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Books, Buttons & Bows

Have I mentioned that our 52 Weeks of Peace buttons make great gift-toppers? Just another fun way to share peace … :  )

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Creative Holiday Gifts!

The holidays are kicking into gear, and our shop is always open! Please feel free to share with friends interested in something special, good for mind and soul, priced under $25 and created from the heart. ♥


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Dragon Moods

“Come not between the dragon and his wrath.”
~ William Shakespeare, King Lear

I’ve been stealing some time here and there to work on my Book of Dragons, so thought I’d share a couple more glimpses. Funny thing about these, I find myself feeling attached, as if they were real…. but then again, maybe they are ~ just out of sight, across and through the veil that separates worlds… :  )

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Creative Duet: The Prolific William Morris

Perhaps the grand lord of the decorative arts, one could think of William Morris as the craftsman’s craftsman. His uncompromising  belief that the best things in life were hand-made using natural materials combined with his exquisite drawing and watercolor skills to produce a vast collection of wallpaper and fabric design still widely used today.

Early on he was dedicated to creating beautiful, hand-crafted furnishings, which led to fabric printing and then to excelling in the arts of carving, dying, embroidery, stained glass and weaving.  A prolific individual, to be sure.

But ~ yes  ~ there was more to this inspired man than textile design. Throughout his life he wrote and published poetry, fiction, and translations of ancient and medieval texts. As author, illustrator and medievalist, he helped establish the fantasy genre, and was a direct influence on authors such as J. R. R. Tolkien.

Morris was born into a well-to-do family on March 24, 1834 in Essex, England, educated at Exeter College in Oxford, and was married to Jane Burden until his death in October, 1896.

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Two Autumns

Two styles. Two quotes. Two Autumns.

Autumn Leaf / © Patricia Saxton (colored pencil on paper)

“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf’s a flower.” ~ Albert Camus

Autumn Mosaic / © Patricia Saxton (acrylic and watercolor on paper)

“Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all.” ~ Stanley Horowitz

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