The Arts
With Pencil in Hand, Tony Saunders Leaves an Impression
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ometimes art is learned and sometimes I think you are born with it. Perhaps we are all born with the ability to create, but sadly some never find it. That is not the case with our featured artist, Tony Saunders. “I always had a pencil or a crayon in my hand. As long as I can remember I have always loved to draw,” this Rabun native told me in a recent interview. Tony’s art came to my attention when his sister, Bonnie Wallace began posting his prints on her social media page. The detail in his pencil drawings was incredible. Barns, farms and old fences by flowing water all spoke to me, a reminder of simpler times. As I scrolled through Bonnie’s page I saw acrylic paintings much the same. She posted to her brother that she had found them in her mother, Thelma Saunders’ things. “I gave my mom paintings for her birthday or for Mother’s Day,” Tony told me when we spoke. “She always encouraged me to paint and draw. I had some friends on Lake Burton that I had worked for who did the same. They helped me get some lessons and bought supplies for me. It means a lot when people believe in you.” Tony spoke of one woman, an art teacher
20 - www.laurelofnortheastgeorgia.com - April 2022
