Patricia Banker lives among the saints.

After spending time in the busy world of publishing as a writer and editor in Detroit, Banker decided to follow the inspiration of saints rooted in her childhood. A maiden aunt would read the biographical stories of saints chosen by real people to represent the values they held dear.  Their inspiration led to an artistic calling she found she could not resist.

Rather than one who searches endlessly for a vision for their life, Banker followed the vision she had, nurturing it until “Saints Preserved” grew to the worldwide business it is today. There are 35 Anachrons of saints in the exhibit presented in a collection of posters, wooden plaques, ceramic tiles and jewelry and 11 sculptural plaques.

The public is invited to an exhibit of the collection, “Anachrons,” in Fernwood Botanical Garden and Nature Preserve’s Clark Art Gallery until the end of January. Visitors are invited to meet the artist at the wine and hor d’oeuvres opening reception from 4 to 6:30 p.m. today.

“Anachrons” is a word, trademarked by Banker, meaning “anachronistic icon.”  Elements of old-fashioned holy cards and medieval illuminations mix in a montage of images gleaned from hundreds of sources from the ancient to contemporary.  Banker then uses her electronic “paintbrush” and a myriad of traditional and modern techniques to create her unique icons filled with both obvious and subtle symbolism.

Ninety percent of Banker’s artwork is sold through her website patriarts.com. Anachrons have found their way around the world shipped from the Buchanan Post Office. This is the first public exhibit of this size she has attempted and seeing the body of her work displayed in one place has been what she describes as a” rewarding experience.”

Her latest work featured within the exhibit is not one of her Anachrons. Neither was this latest saint ever canonized.  Hildegard von Bingen intrigued Banker.

“Hildegard was a strong creative, powerful woman-unbelievably creative — stood up to popes, was a visionary, she was a doer, a creator … actually, I haven’t ‘done’ her. I have not done an image of her because she had all her own artwork. All I have done is adapt and alter her own artwork, which is wonderful, and with that I’ve done the prints and jewelry … her own artwork was done over a thousand years ago and you would think a contemporary artist did it today,” Banker said.

Hildegard was on her “Saints to-do list” for a number of years because in fact she was not an official saint. She was never canonized, precisely because she was a strong, powerful woman. One day a friend invited Banker to attend a meeting of the Michiana unit of the Herb Society at Fernwood and two women were presenting Hildegard von Bingen. Banker could put her off no longer.

Ten percent of all sales of items from the Hildegard collection, during the two-month exhibit, will be donated to the local unit of the Herb Society, which maintains the herb and sensory gardens around the stone dovecote at Fernwood.

Banker’s first Anachron was Saint Fiacre, the patron saint of gardeners.  She created the saint as a sculptured plaque for her own garden.  While enjoying the results of her artistic labor she surmised that others might enjoy the company of the saint too.

While many may not be familiar with Fiacre, most will have heard of Saint Francis of Assisi. Banker’s icon will be different from what one usually thinks of when conjuring up an image of the beloved saint. Banker’s Francis depicts a lesser-known side of the patron saint of animals, birds and environmentalists, choosing to portray a moment of his life as a promoter of peace, simplicity and harmony, dining with a sultan during the Crusades.

“The saints that I do are normally quite obscure and those nobody has really heard of before. They are the ones I like, but of course everyone had heard of Francis … I wondered why I should do him when there are already so many beautiful depictions including those of contemporary artists,” she said.

“That was when President Bush decided we should go to war in the Gulf. That affected me so much. In doing research I found what was, I believe, a little known fact: that while he may have been a bit wild, getting into scuffles in his youth. When the Crusades began, Francis was very much against them, and so I depicted him having dinner with the sultan, trying to negotiate peace, in the midst of all the animals.”

Paul Moses, author of a book on the peacemaking Saint Francis, was moved when he came across the depiction on Banker’s website. He wrote: “In my book, ‘The Saint and the Sultan: The Crusades, Islam and Francis of Assisi’s Mission of Peace,’ I suggest that the enduring image of the encounter between Francis and the sultan ought to be the meal I believe they shared before Francis left the sultan’s camp. I’ve never actually seen it in art until I came upon your card on the Web — and it’s done so well! Beautiful.”

Moses gets it. He joins Banker’s tribe, the name she gives to the audience she has served for the past 15 years.

In an age when icons are created as rock stars, Banker still prefers those who became our heroes because of the lives they lived and what they gave to life. Banker believes we still need these forever heroes in our lives.

Her tribe gets it. They appreciate her personal as well as her artistic integrity. They are grateful for the biographical sketch of each saint, provided with most purchases in the form of modern versions of the rich illuminated manuscripts found in texts of old.

They applaud the detailed quality of her work as much as its variety. They appreciate that here is an artist who, rather than creating exclusive pieces for exclusive collectors, reproduces her work in a variety of medium at a variety of prices.

Banker credits equal access to both the left and right hemispheres of her brain for her ability to be both artist and entrepreneur.  With the help of a few trusted workers, and the support of a loving husband and children, who also get it, she has been able to become that rarest of all beings:  the successful working artist.

In addition to the opening reception this Saturday, a second event is planned for 4 p.m. Jan. 21 to celebrate St. Vincent’s Day.

Banker will be on hand on that date to share how Vincent of Saragossa earned the title of patron saint of wine and vineyards. She will also explain how Fiacre became patron saint of gardeners as well as cab drivers; why Gobnait is the patron saint of beekeepers; and how the beauty and bounty of Berrien County has inspired her artwork.

More information is available at both patriarts.com and fernwoodbotanical.org. Fernwood is located at 13988 Range Line Rd., Niles.