We sure live in wild times, huh. Some good, some ugly, some filled with hope and promise and possibility.

And while I may not know how to speed up the good stuff or how to solve the world’s ills, I do know a little something about creativity. Much of that is from decades of experience (oh but how quickly they go by!) as a creative professional. Like a muscle that grows stronger with use, creativity only expands.

An artist is never done. Ideas are never gone. The drive, and the thrill, for creating something from nothing never stops. There are different stages, of course – some “less exciting” but satisfying nonetheless, where practice happens and skills are honed; some “more exciting”, like when breakthroughs break through, when plateaus are crossed and newly inspired worlds open up that leave you wonder-filled and giddy.

Another part of what I know is that we humans are incredibly creative beings, each and every one of us, whose creativity can be expressed in a multitude of ways from language to science to the broad spectrum of the arts, and on and on and on.

Whatever it is, these seeds of imagination, these inspired thoughts and actions that lead to creations of all kinds ­– I find all of it irresistible! Give me a pencil point and I’ll create a thousand visual versions. Give me a blank canvas and there’ll be twenty more waiting their turn.

But there’s something else I truly love about creativity… which is seeing what others create. How amazing we can be! And I have a special soft spot for those who don’t think they’re “creative”; especially seeing them accomplish something that an hour before wasn’t an inkling in their thinking.

And beyond that – the very act of making something with your hands is good for your soul. In fact, there’s actual scientific reasoning behind it, which escapes me at the moment so I’ll leave that for another day – but I do know it to be true.

ALL THAT SAID …

UNLEASHING YOUR CREATIVITY

I welcome you to join my 4–part “Unleashing Your Creativity” class, meeting each Friday afternoon in February at the Sedona Arts Center. Painting with acrylic, oil, or watercolor, you’ll be encouraged, nurtured, and guided every step of the way. 

Beginner? – that’s great! Experienced? – that’s great, too! 

Whatever your artistic level, this class is an invitation to expand your imagination, experiment, ask questions, find answers, and make art in a supportive environment. It’s about permission to play and freedom to explore. It’s about tools to learn and rules to break!

There will be prompts and direction (and maybe even some homework!). There will be color and collaboration and camaraderie and lots of creating. Getting messy is optional, but welcome. Every Friday afternoon, leave your cares at the door and prepare for fresh possibility. REGISTER HERE!

PS: Let me know if you’d like this kind of class offered again as a consecutive-day workshop (as opposed to once a week). A little slow out of the 2025 gate, I’m now getting around to planning ahead! Private mentoring is also available.

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—  visit patriciasaxton.com to see my full fine art portfolio  —

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WHAT STORIES WILL WE WRITE?

The post Stepping Into 2025 appeared first on saxtonstudio blog.

First, a note: Something is amiss with my blog. Recent posts that I’ve shared with you have (for the most part, I believe) arrived in your email inbox without the accompanying pictures (also with fonts changing, which you may not notice, but I definitely do!). Finding the solution has been harder than expected and is most frustrating – so my apologies for the less interesting visuals you might be seeing. Your patience is appreciated! For the fully pictured as-intended version, please visit the blog itself.  

The post Postcards from Austria appeared first on saxtonstudio blog.

At five years old, this little girl with sparkly glasses from the small town of Warren, New Jersey, was about to embark on the trip of a lifetime.

She would travel with her family across the Atlantic on board the original Queen Mary ocean liner (where, among many other adventures, she’d befriend a waiter named Tony, who would sneak her extra boxes of Sugar Pops, her then favorite cereal), landing on the shores of Southampton, England. From there the six-some would travel by train to Karlsruhe, Germany. (Of note, one brother was inadvertently delivered elsewhere, after strolling onto a car of the train that broke off and headed to France. Fortunately, despite initial panic, he was found and the family remained in tact!)

Once settled into a little house on a street called Gretelweg, she would walk a cobblestoned path to the bus that brought her to kindergarten, where she mostly remembers drawing a lot. She would also play with the neighborhood children, develop a fondness for Toblerone chocolate, visit castles and lap up their lore, travel on winding alpine roads, gape at tulip fields, and collect a doll from each of the umpteen countries they’d visit before arriving home a year later, by then fluent in German.

It was an impressionable age and may very well, as her father suggested, have unwittingly sparked her love for seeing other parts of the world.

While it wasn’t a long stay, Austria had been one of the family’s travel stops. Twenty something years later, she would again visit Germany (and their old house on Gretelweg, which looked even smaller then!) and would again see Austria, noting the similarly striking beauty of both countries. And now, about 60 years later, she’s off once more to Austria – this time to lead an art retreat in the Alps.

Life works in mysterious ways, doesn’t it? I kind of like that. It’s not exactly where it started, but close enough. And part of me will bring the spirit of “little me” along on this next adventure, where I’ll also, no doubt, be drawing a lot and playing with friends.

Side note: I wrote this pre–Austria trip, and have since come and gone (it was glorious), but am just now getting caught up here on my blog. Retreat details coming next!

The post Where It Began appeared first on saxtonstudio blog.

IT’S TIME!

I’ve been drawing as long as I can remember. And those of you who’ve known me a long time, know that I’ve been professionally designing, illustrating, writing and painting for decades! All in all, pretty much a lifetime of creating. And I dearly love what I’m able to do – but something felt missing. That element? Sharing what I know in a more official way – and maybe, just maybe, helping you to tap into your own magic.

Soooo, in early September I’ll be teaching a class in Drawing at the Sedona Arts Center in my beautiful town of Sedona, Arizona. In October I’ll lead a 3-day Illustration Workshop, followed in November by a 3-day workshop that I’m calling Unleashing Your Creativity. In January I’ll teach a Writing & Illustration a Children’s Book class, and in February a class version of Unleashing Your Creativity.

Beginner as well as intermediate level artists are encouraged to join in. Whatever your experience, my goal for each offering is to help you explore and expand both your skills and your creativity. To stretch, play and grow. To feel inspired, build confidence and honor your own artistic expression. And to enjoy the process while receiving plenty of individualized attention.

Registration is now open! You’ll find full descriptions, pricing and dates at the Sedona Arts Center website – this link will take you to my instructor page – just click on any of the classes you’re interested in.

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THE TRUTH IS, WHEN YOU DRAW SOMETHING, YOU SEE IT DIFFERENTLY AND SOMEHOW MORE PROFOUNDLY. AND WHEN YOU PAINT SOMETHING, YOU CONNECT TO A WORLD YOU NEVER KNEW EXISTED. IN ALL FORMS OF CREATIVITY, YOU’RE MAKING SOMETHING FROM NOTHING – AS IF BY MAGIC. BUT THE MAGIC IS ALREADY IN YOU, JUST WAITING TO BE TAPPED.

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