Happy New Year, Friends!
My own New Year’s celebrations were pretty tame by some standards—dinner
at home with family, followed by watching fireworks from my upstairs
patio. My daughters Becky and Ginny were with me, along with their families,
and we were delighted to have my children’s father Jack and his
wife Malone join us for dinner on New Year’s Eve. This is my favorite
way to welcome the New Year, quietly with family and friends.
Earlier in the week my long-time friends from Pennsylvania Bob and May
Johnson paid me a visit, bringing their daughter, son-in-law, and their
two children with them. I was very happy to see them and reminisce about
old times.
Surrounded with friends and family over the New Year. Pat stands
with her friend May Johnson (right) while their grandchildren take up
positions in the banyan tree near Pat's house in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Now that the holidays are behind us, I will start working
again. There are a number of paintings I need to finish by rapidly approaching
deadlines, and Becky and I have plans for some new etchings, too.
In the meantime, Becky’s oldest daughter Sofie has learned to
ride a bike, and Michela is working on it. It’s exciting to see
the children grow and develop before my very eyes.
Sofie learns to ride with her Mom, Becky.
One day, all the kids climbed a banyan tree, reminding
me of the day my own children did the same thing and inspired me to
paint All in theTree, the original of which hangs in my museum
in Waynesboro, Virginia. A couple years ago I painted a similar scene,
titled Growing
Stronger Together, which depicts multi-racial children in a
tree and is still available as a print.
Becky with the kids, all in the tree.
Pat's painting All in the Tree which which hangs in the permanent
collection at the P. Buckley Moss Museum.
As a young mother, I strove to teach my children many
things and to pass on to them anything useful I had learned in life.
As a grandparent, I realize now that my children also taught me many
things, and their children are continuing to teach me today.
Life's a Beach for Corrado. Our esteemed Director of the P. Buckley
Moss
Museum catches some well-earned rays.
Family is so very important, and my heart aches for the
tsunami victims who have lost not only family members but everything
else in their lives as well. This is a disaster of Biblical proportions,
and it will take a global effort to provide relief. I encourage everyone
to “give as they are able,” to quote our country’s
President. I’m working on an idea for a fundraising print, and
I’ll give you more information about it soon.
Let’s “grow stronger together” in 2005.
Love,
Pat
Pat's print
Growing
Stronger Together. $125