Granny Pat's Gifts

I began life feeling as though there couldn't possibly be anything the likes of me could do well. It wasn't until I was 12 years old that I discovered a knack for art. Just for fun, I tried copying cartoons from the funny paper, and when I showed my work to peers at school, they accused me of tracing them. What a great compliment! That is when graphic art entered my life. I took every art class possible in school to learn different techniques and art mediums, though my parents insisted I only took them because they were easy. I have to admit at the very least, art class was my favorite hour of the day. The first employment that came my way was painting signs for a local pizza parlor, "Three Bears Pizza". As you may imagine, the signs consisted of the three bears holding the available sizes of pizza, large, medium, and small. After that, I was asked to design a company logo and stationary for a new building supply business. Small jobs came and went, until finally I was asked to paint a mural for the little town of Stockton, Utah. Work had begun on it when my husband found employment in S. Dakota and I had to hand my paintbrush to another artist since we needed to move. Graphic art 'took a back seat' to crocheting, knitting, and sewing after that. I designed doilies and tableclothes, and enjoyed seeing them on the covers of national publications. I also designed and sold sweaters among other things. My husband passed away June 19th, 2009, and I am making an attempt to return to the artistic arena with the help and encouragement of my grown daughter and her husband. I am very thankful for their patient support.