Vivid pictures of childhood

Small-town life in the '20s and '30s is recounted in words and paintings.
By THERESA M. HEGEL
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
"Rix Mills Remembered: An Appalachian Boyhood," by Paul W. Patton (The Kent State University Press, $39)
In "Rix Mills Remembered," the late Paul W. Patton, who was born in Alliance in 1921 and died in 1999 after serving as a bomber pilot in WWII and as an elementary school teacher in Bedford, recalls growing up during the '20s and '30s in Rix Mills, a village in southeastern Ohio in the Appalachian foothills of Muskingum County.
A self-taught folk artist, Patton painted from memory scenes from his childhood. He completed more than 500 paintings, many of which are carried by galleries in Ohio and New York City or owned by private collectors. More than 100 of his charming works are reproduced in full color in "Rix Mills Remembered."
The paintings included in the book are accompanied by brief passages describing in more detail the scenes he painted. The book is divided into three sections. The first contains paintings that help give a rough overview of the topography of Rix Mills. The next section outlines life in the village in spring and summer, and the last is reserved for life in the fall and winter.
Years of hard work
Patton's mother moved to Rix Mills in 1922 after her husband died in a steel mill accident in Alliance. She brought her six children -- including Patton, who was only a year old at the time -- to a house on the edge of the village.
There they grew "potatoes, beans, tomatoes, corn, cabbage, celery, and more" in their garden, cared for 10 fruit trees and raised livestock, such as chickens, which "were always underfoot, laying eggs or growing into Sunday dinner." Patton's language is at times almost as vibrant as the paintings it complements.
"Rix Mills Remembered" portrays a time in American history when the church and general store were the hubs of the community, when children learned lessons in one-room schoolhouses during the cold months and spent their summers working on their families' farms.
Patton recalls that when the last day of school arrived, "we joined the countryside in preparing for the summer ahead. We were needed. It took all of us, young and old working together, to care for our farms and animals, to plant our gardens and fields and cultivate and harvest them."
Days long gone
Though perhaps slightly colored by the rosy tint of nostalgia, "Rix Mills Remembered" is a clear look at a way of life made obsolete by rapid technological advancements.
Patton didn't start painting until his retirement, and nearly half of the 12 years he painted, "he was homebound with health problems and on oxygen." Despite the time gap between the paintings and the events they depict, Patton displays a keen eye for detail and obviously had a terrific memory. It is easy to see why, as the jacket cover explains, he was affectionately known as "Grandpa Moses."
hegel@vindy.com