Breaking Bread

Last night I was preparing the stuffing for the turkey. It’s the breaking of bread that always seems to take more time, so I wait until the last minute to get started with this task. I was listening to the television, World News Tonight, and going through the repetitive motion of taking chunks of bread from a stuffing loaf and placing into a large metal mixing bowl. As I was working, terrible events were happening in the news. An officer was lost by violence, fugitives on the run, countries being torn by chaos. I continued to break the bread apart. As I did, I realized how lucky I am to being doing this simple task. I became overwhelmed with gratitude for food in a home I love and know my family and friends  are safe. But I also know life can change in a instant. It has happened before. I appreciate being blessed with mundane normalcy and peace. And try to help others who are less fortunate and be a blessing to someone each day.                                                                                            Thanksgiving is a time for us to remember how blessed we truly are in this life. So as this great meal ends and we begin to do our tasks, clearing the table, doing dishes, putting away leftovers, I will cherish the day at home. That warm place filled with scents of roasted turkey and pumpkin pie, recalling warm memories of those no longer with us, and thinking of those who are less fortunate who would have loved to just break bread for a holiday meal. Volunteering or donating supplies or funds is one way to make a difference. During this holiday, its best to remind ourselves that breaking bread is in itself a blessing everyone deserves.  XO,  PattyL #illustration #watercolor

'Juicy' Watercolor and Ink, 11" x 14"

Acts of Hope

Artists are hopeful people.

We read, draw and paint, write and wait while nothing appears to happen.

Yet we expect the audience will react...and eventually they do.

With responses of positive support and encouragement.

So I wasn't surprised to see the country's responses just a few days after the October 1st Las Vegas tragedy. Volunteers gathered to plant trees, flowers and plants in honor and memory of a loved one lost to such sadness. A community garden created by the community, for the community, to heal the community. A Healing Garden that will last and endure forever.

"Plant now, so in the spring, we can be reminded that even a tiny sapling can win against all odds."

-anonymous volunteer

As we attempt to return to a new 'normal' in the aftermath of our national tragedy, it may be gardening isn't just a hobby, but a way of life. One that lessens stress, brings beauty, provides inspiration for expression, and gives one hope for the future. As an artist, I spend a great deal of time tending to flowers, plants and vegetables in the garden. As well as studying colors, leaf formations, butterflies, birds and insects. I collect specimens of plants and press them for future reference for my paintings. Sometimes we underestimate the impact beauty has on our life. If we just take a moment to enjoy the colors, scents and sounds, it may be a powerful thing in one's journey on earth. 

So as we prepare for the holiday season ahead, and reflect on our past, celebrate the present, and await the future, let us be grateful for the many gifts our talents have been given to us to share with others in these challenging times.

XO,

PattyL

"The love of gardening is a seed once sown that never dies."

-Gertrude Jekyll

#autumnart #illustration

Seasons

Coming Full Circle...

Every Autumn, I become consumed in the process of preparing the garden for winter.

I reflect upon how much the seasons direct my life. The seasons are a fact of nature, they just happen. I reminisce, it's all about time. I ponder activities such as planning, plowing, and harvesting the garden as well as religious celebrations and holidays. All seem to be part of a circle of events. Once again, its Autumn. Cold weather arrives and I put all summer items in storage for the garden has been put away.

I remember the warmer days with windows wide open. Soft breezes, colors of sky, soil and sunflowers. The beautiful monarch butterflies floating through the air from flower to flower. How the change of the butterfly adapts to its setting. Strength and beauty found in their translucent wings. Every spring the butterfly returns to my garden to bring beauty and hope.

I have come full circle. I am thankful for the blessings of each and every day and the cycle of seasons that bring joy to my life.

XO, 
Patty

 "September is dressing herself in showy dahlias and splendid marigolds and starry zinnias." 

-Oliver Wendell Holmes

'Wings of Grey', Pen and Ink, 8" x 11"

ART OF FACTS | Uncovering Pittsburgh Stories Opening

Exhibit Saturday, July 22nd

@Senator John Heinz History Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania running till January, 2018

Member of the Pittsburgh Society of Illustrators Group Show

Art of Facts| Uncovering Pittsburgh Stories has been a wonderful experience for me.
The call to illustrators was to communicate the significance of Western Pennsylvania history in a way that tells a story through one's art. After I began to research all the many amazing facts about Western PA, I found Pittsburgh's roots showed great value.

I became intrigued with one person whom I found quite interesting. A woman who began her young career as a lace maker in a little shop in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania. She evolved to be the first woman editor to run the first newspaper in Pittsburgh, "Pittsburgh Spirit Liberty." Jane Grey Swisshelm was the person I chose to illustrate for this exhibit. Her strength and determination were somehow connected to my personal beliefs.

The story of Jane is one of conviction, courage and independence. She was a petite woman, with a pleasant face, eyes radiant with kindness, a soft voice and gracious manners. Her personality, however, was eccentric and abrasive but her intellect and positivity was clear in its principles. 
She became a great American journalist, publisher, abolitionist, women's rights advocate, Civil War nurse and first woman Correspondent in the Senate Gallery in Washington, DC when President Andrew Johnson was in office.

Eventually she returned home to farmland east of Pittsburgh, to Swissvale. Here Jane continued to write her autobiography, Half of a Century, which was published in 1881. She passed away on July 22, 1884 and is laid to rest at Allegheny Cemetery, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
         

Like Jane Grey Swisshelm, I am a true believer in fairness and equality. It's important to me to help others, to have a strong faith, to care for the poor, to take care of loved ones who are ill, to love family and friends.

Yes, we should live a life worth living!

'Paper, Pens & Petticoats, Jane Grey Swisshelm', Watercolor, 18"x 24"