I've written before about how your art work can record what is important to you in your life at that time - and handmade Christmas cards are no different. Today, I want to share three cards I've made over a period of 10 years, and how each is an expression of love and crystallises what was happening in my life that year.
Max our Patterdale Terrier was re-homed by us in 2010. He has been an absolutely fantastic dog - but he does have issues with men. His background is that he was abandoned by someone who came up from England to do fence work on one of the local estates - and who then drove off without him, abandoning him on the estate. He has a permanently broken rib which means he was probably booted in the side at one point. He does not like men he does not know, probably as a result of abuse he experienced in his previous life. I decided to incorporate his attitude towards men into a Christmas card - how he would respond if Santa unexpectedly came down the chimney and appeared in the livingroom. Max would not be happy!
The next card I want to share is one of Estelle I made, just before she was 2 years old. I was obsessed with trying to capture my daughter in my drawings, even though I have never been talented at portraying people. The love I felt for her made me draw her over and over again, until eventually I was able to a fairly good likeness. I was pleased with this Christmas card of how I imagined Estelle meeting one of Santa's reindeer.
Finally, another enduring love I have, of course, is printmaking. Mostly, I make my Christmas cards from linocuts, and I love to come up with cards which tell a story. This is one of my favourite cards I ever produced - a Christmas adaptation of the tale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
What about you? What kind of cards do you like to make at Christmas time, and what do they represent?