BIO
Patricia Saxton has spent a lifetime crafting all things art and writing. Exhibited widely throughout the New York/Philadelphia metropolitan areas before moving west, Saxton is an equally accomplished painter, illustrator and graphic designer. Creative director of design firm Saxton Studio, she is also the author-illustrator of an inspirational design book (52 Weeks of Peace) and three best-selling children's books (Book of Mermaids, Book of Fairies, Book of Dragons). Her approach across mediums is both intuitive and disciplined, with an eye for detail and a spirit of originality using a palette that reflects a deep sensitivity for light and color.
A New Jersey native and graduate of Wittenberg University, Saxton currently resides in Sedona, Arizona and is represented there by Rumi Tree Art Gallery at 40 Soldiers Pass Road. If you're in town, this beautiful gallery is a must visit!
ASKING AN ARTIST TO TALK ABOUT HIS WORK IS LIKE ASKING A PLANT TO DISCUSS HORTICULTURE. [JEAN COCTEAU]
I could tell you stories of how some paintings come to be (sometimes swooping in like a sudden storm, sometimes a quiet, persistent nudging). I could tell you how free it feels in the sweet-spot moments of creation. I could talk about colors, or the thrill of late afternoon light. But I can't tell you why I may choose to paint a pear or a pot or a sky or variations of a horizon line. There are symbolic suggestions within subjects and styles - but these are after-things; after-the-fact musings on deeper meanings. In the moment, I can't explain feeling compelled to paint this or that, why I'm drawn to curves and shadows or often feel a slave to my imaginings. It's a mystery of spirit that moves differently in every artist; what feels beautiful or unnerving, what inspires individual expressions and forms unique bodies of work that may touch some hearts and not touch others - after all, art speaks differently to each viewer, and that's all I really know. Spirit moves and you follow. - Patricia