If Patrice Mastrianni has a brush in hand, she is likely at peace.

“Nothing is as relaxing as painting by hand, and also designing something special for someone,” Mastrianni said.

A graphic designer by trade, the Saratoga Springs woman got into painting custom lawn jockeys a few years ago.

“I like to make them more of a work of art instead of a checkered jockey’s silk,” she said. “It is fun to make a painting, or more of a picture, and I think they are really very beautiful.”

Earlier this month, Mastrianni was putting the finishing touches on a statue for a couple that recently moved to Saratoga and wanted something to reflect their love of their hometown in Florida.

“It is very exciting and it is almost always sentimental,” Mastrianni said as she painted a palm tree onto the jockey’s pink shirt. “The reasons are always sentimental about something that is very special to them, and they want it represented on their jockey.”

Since starting her company, Saratoga Jockey, Mastrianni says she’s done a little more than 20 custom creations.

“I’m actually surprised people keep wanting more and more lawn jockeys,” Mastrianni said. “It’s something I thought just people would want a couple here and there, but now, people keep asking me because it does represent the excitement here.”

Long before she takes out her brushes and paint, she sits down at her computer and works with her customers to design an image they’ll love.

“It’s fantastic to have the ability, the talent, the God-given talent to make something that brings people such joy,” she said.

As she makes her way around town and sees her jockeys decorating the front of homes, Mastrianni knows she’s given her customers something to cherish forever.

“It is very rewarding and a lot of fun to put a smile on peoples’ faces when I deliver the jockey to them,” Mastrianni said. “It’s something I can talk about for years to come, and that it was my creation and I worked really closely with the customer to come up with something that just delighted them.”