Invented Images

She made her first Christmas card appearance in 1989, sharing the drawing with her great grandmothers, Nana and Nonnie.  She subsequently featured in 6 more holiday greetings, the last celebrating her pending graduation from high school and the as-yet-to-be realized adventures in college (Christmas 2006).  Now it’s 2011 and there’s been another graduation (okay, i STILL, can’t believe 4 years went by that fast) so, naturally, this year’s card needed to once again spotlight Jesse.  The best Companion a mother (or Time Lord) could ever have!

Wrapping up her senior year at NYU, finishing her last two classes in a study abroad program at Trinity College in Dublin, followed by what i affectionately call “The Mother/Daughter Magical Mystery Tour of Time & Space (w/ Nerdy Geek Encounters in) Ireland, England & Wales” ~ it’s ALL here.  Well, in the symbolic and convoluted way i depict things, which, of course, necessitates the customary Explanatory Notes/Background Syory portion of a Laurie Allen Klein Christmas card.  So sit back, relax, pour yourself a Guinness and enjoy.  Slainte!

The setting is a pub (and – no – not for the obvious reason, though Irish pubs did indeed get a fair workout).  Jesse and i took a Musical Pub Crawl through Dublin that turned out to be wonderfully educational (as opposed to simply an excuse to get wasted) and we learned, among a variety of things, that if the place looks like someone’s livingroom – you’re in a real Irish pub – so that seemed like the perfect setting for a picture that is not only part autobiography but also a holiday celebration The other thing we learned on the tour was – Irish music is taken very seriously.  There are, certainly, those places where folks just go to booze and watch football and sing badly to  Top 40 songs, but the real pubs are home to serious musicians who drop in with their instruments and just start jamming – ebbing and flowing, picking up the theme and playing with it before relinquishing it to the next instrument.  There is drinking, but more importantly there is always a corner of the pub reserved for the communal spirit of music and singing and sharing stories.  And as with all good jam sessions, my musicians tell the story.

Jesse’s in the middle, wearing the scarf that features in just about every photograph taken of her the past 4 years, and she’s playing a Clarsach (harp), a traditional symbol of Ireland. On the fiddle is a lion,  representing England, and playing the bodhran (drum) is the Red Dragon of Wales (the other places we visited on our travels).  The sheep plays the tin whistle and represents Ireland because Jess saw so many on her trip (and is just mad about them).  From New York, hoisting the pint of Guinness and holding Jesse’s diploma, is the NYU mascot (NOTE: the other two pages in the bobcat’s paw are the certificates Jess and i both received from the old Jameson Distillery, certifying us as “Qualified Irish Whiskey Tasters”).  Which, finally, brings us to the shark who probably needs no explanation if you are familiar with Klein family obsessions in general or Jesse’s in particular. That’s Bruce, the shark from JAWS.  Jesse got the movie when we moved to Florida 14 years ago and it has been a favorite ever since, so much so in fact that not only did Jess take a copy to college with her, it was the only DVD she specifically took to Ireland as well.  From a holiday standpoint it also happens to be a family tradition to watch the movie every Christmas (or the wonderfully awful Jaws 3 in 3D) but i have long forgotten how that started. The Christmas pudding has no symbolic significance other than this is a Christmas card and i wanted a holiday reference but, truth be told, it actually  wound up there because i had an empty space beside the bobcat and needed to fill it with something.

Of course no trip to Wales and England would be complete without indulging our other Mother/Daughter fixations, manias and obsessions and those too are represented in the card.  In Cardiff, Jess and i went to the Millennium Centre – home of the Time Rift and secret entrance to the Torchwood Hub; and in London we enjoyed the Doctor Who Experience and saw David Tennant and Catherine Tate (the 10th Doctor and his companion Donna Noble) in “Much Ado About Nothing” so those names are painted on the pub wall.

“Galway Girl” is the name of of one of the songs on Jesse’s Irish play list that she listened to a lot (tho, technically, not a traditional Irish pub song it was a favorite and she really liked Galway) and Jesse is, and always has been, mysterious… and stuff.

May your heart be warm and happy, with the lilt of Irish laughter, Every day in every way, And forever and ever after.

Nollaig shona duit!

I spent a good portion of 2010 working on a book about the solar system called, “Meet the Planets” (there are a couple blogs about the start up, with more to come).   I read everything i could about astronomy and the universe and while i fully expected to find all the scientific connections i was surprised to see how my research touched every other discipline as well:  Biology, Chemistry, Math, Philosophy, History, Mythology, Art, Literature, Music, even Pop Culture and Science Fiction.  I found such a wealth of information, in fact, i went a little nutty finding ways to squeeze it all into 12 illustrations (it was simply too perfect an opportunity to indulge all my space geek, science nerd, sci fi fan-girl obsessions).  The result was a sort of multi-style, collage-type effect and i was so pleased with the look i wanted to duplicate it in my 2010 Christmas card.  The fact that Christmas has its roots in the Winter Solstice (space) and the Roman Saturnalia (planet) perfectly brings my year spent in Time and Relative Space to a satisfying conclusion.  So, without further preamble (or pre-ramble in my case)… let’s Meet the Holiday!

It begins, quite literally, at the dawn of civilization, when Neolithic people celebrated the annual return of the midwinter sun – the Winter Solstice.  From the Latin, sol stetit (sun stands still) when the Sun appears to rise and set more or less at the same point on the horizon (thus appearing to stand still in the sky), our agrarian ancestors rejoiced in the renewed promise that planting would begin again.  In 3,200 BC  ancient Celts constructed what could arguably be called one of the first solar observatories in Newgrange, Ireland, aligning it so that on the day of the Winter Solstice a shaft of light penetrates the passageway and illuminates the rear wall of the chamber.  (The image of the sun on the horizon comes from a wonderful time-lapse photo of the Winter Solstice and the Newgrange entrance and carved megalith are depicted as they appeared at the turn of the century.  I should also note, while the image at the back of the cave is an actual carving from the interior, in reality it’s on a side wall).

Cernunnos, the horned Celtic diety of the natural world, here represents the Neolithic shaman who climbed into ancient oaks or ascended rocky crags and returned with messages from the spirit world bringing promises of the new year.  Very much like another annual gift-giver who descends chimneys every year.  (Cernunnos, with antlers and torq, is done in the style of an image from the Celtic Gundestrop Cauldron, and blows a carnyx, a Celtic horn).

Over time the rebirth of the Unconquered Sun took on new incarnations, with a number of  ancient cultures sharing similar nativity stories of their respective solar gods.  The birth of the Greek god, Apollo (pictured here in the style of a wall painting from the Etruscan city of Tarquinia, 470 BC) was celebrated with games and festivities on December 25 about 10 BC,

and around the 2nd century AD the Persian sun-god, Mithra, was imported to Rome by legionaries, and his birthday was similarly celebrated well into the 4th century.  (The image of Mithra is taken from a fragment of fresco, but i took creative license and added the fiddle).

Of course, if you really want to talk holiday fun you need to look to the ancient Roman midwinter festival of Saturnalia from which we derive many of our current traditions (see, i told you there was a planet involved).  From December 17 to the 24th, Saturn, the god of the harvest, was honored with feasting and merriment.  Slaves exchanged places with Masters in the spirit of Misrule, warfare was suspended, homes and places of worship were decorated with greenery, gifts were exchanged, candles lit, and there was much music and revelry (sound familiar).

Into this Big Bang of social and cultural activity a new Judeo-Christian religion emerged.  As the early Christian Church struggled to become established its leaders understood the powerful hold the midwinter festivals had on pagan worshippers and in the 4th century the Church officially recognized December 25 as the anniversary of the Nativity of Jesus Christ to win converts (NOTE: the actual phrase, Christmas, was first recorded in 1038).  Within a century the pagans were won over but  while they were willing to follow the new religion they had no intention of giving up their long treasured midwinter festivities.  This dual nature  of Christmas – pious and pagan – is represented in the style of the Celtic illuminated manuscript, The Book of Kells (ca. 800).  Combing both pre- and post- Christian influences and pagan traditions, sacred text illuminated by ancient motifs, the Celts bring this brief, unofficial history full circle as the bard, Taliesin (both a figure of myth and history), leads Saturnalia revelers: Apollo, Cernunnos, and Mithra from the Newgrange sidh along a path decorated with festive greenery in celebration of the Winter Solstice.

But while the card’s story ends here the history of Christmas has another chapter.  Those killjoy Puritans attempted to suppress the holiday because of its pagan heritage (even going to far as to declare it a criminal offense to celebrate Christmas in Massachusetts in 1659) and the fact that they weren’t real keen on all that drinking and revelry.  You can’t keep a good party down however, and by 1800 Universalists and Unitarians began calling for a public observance of Christmas even tho it was not a biblically sanctioned holiday – they just wanted to celebrated it.  About 20 years later the emergence of a family centered hearth & home holiday, visited by a jolly old elf, calmed much of the “misrule” (ie: boozing) aspects of the festival and Christmas – as we know it – was offically here to stay.

As for any remaining explanatory bits:  the Triads (Power of Three) had a special significance to the Celts and is a common motif in their art and literature, thus the three swirls, the three suns, and the three groupings of berries.  The greenery is mistletoe, for obvious Christmas-y reasons and because it was a plant  held sacred by the Druids – representing the divine spark of creativity.  And the design on Saturn’s goblet is a Gallifreyan inscription because i simply couldn’t do a Time and Space history card without some nod to Doctor Who.

To History and Astronomy and Art, and the rich traditions of the Season!                       LAK 2010

There has always been a Santa Claus.  His story goes back to the beginning of known history when, on Winter Solstice nights, Neolithic shamans climbed into ancient oaks or ascended rocky crags and returned with messages from the spirit world.  The world’s first gift-giver has gone by many names and incarnations since then ~ these are but a few.

CERNUNNOS (c. 1000 BC) –  The Celtic “Horned Sacred One” was the god of animals and nature, symbolizing fertility & plenty.  Reborn every Winter Solstice he is often depicted sitting cross-legged surrounded by animals and holding a ram-horned snake.  Occasionally he has a cornucopia in his lap and gold streams from his fingers.  His antlers illustrate the eternal cycle of life, while the two torcs – gold collars – he wears denote power and prosperity.  [The image on the card was inspired by a detail from the Celtic Gundestrop Cauldron]

ODIN (c. 1400 AD) –  The Scandinavian god of war and poetry flew the skies on his eight-legged horse dispensing gifts.  Blind in one eye, the two ravens perched on his shoulders personify “thought” and “memory”.  [This image was taken from a 13th century stone tablet, tho in this drawing i was attempting a brass rubbing effect]

ST. NICHOLAS (1400 – 1600 AD) –  The good works of this Bishop of Myra grew into legend.  A wealthy man he was said to have left anonymous gifts in the homes of the poor and saved three dowery-less girls from prostitution with secret deposits of gold.  In the early middle ages winter celebrations honoring the saint replaced pagan solstice feasts.  [This image takes its inspiration from medieval  illuminated manuscripts]

FATHER CHRISTMAS (1600 – 1800 AD) –  When Protestant reformers sought to do away with “heathen traditions” and ties to the Catholic church St. Nicholas was quietly secularized into Father Christmas.  Embraced by cultures throughout the world he has been depicted as a kindly Victorian gentleman, a pioneer peddler, a smith, a knight, a mysterious hermit, and a jolly old elf.

Forever young, forever enchanted, with a twinkle in his eye… Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus and however he comes to you, may he bring you joy & laughter.

Images & information courtesy of “The Santa Map: A Cultural Geography of the World’s Most Beloved Man”.

Today – April 8 – happens to be my grandmother’s birthday.  She went by many names: Lillian, Sis, Mother.  My brother and i called her Nana.  Or “My Nana” as i often have to say now, because my mother inherited the title when my daughter was born so when reminiscing about my childhood with Jess, i have to make the distinction to avoid confusion.  Anyway, at 4 this morning i happened to wake up and suddenly got the whim to post a detail of a drawing i had done of my Nana on my fb wall (yeah, i got sucked into that vortex – but that can be another blog) to celebrate her birthday and her memory.   The beauty of being an artist is – you so often have the odd piece of art just lying around to be used at such random, impulsive insomniatic moments.  And – to be honest – i also thought i could make this a fairly short blog.  We’ll see.

The illustration had been done for the Christmas card the year our daughter was born, really as something of a combination birth announcement/holiday greeting, and originally was just going to feature our new baby.

Thumbnail of Great Granddaughter Card

To that end i did a series of little sketches trying to work out the best angle of our little angel.  The quintessential, five-month-old, new baby pose.  The angel angle if you will.  The smiley one – with her tongue sticking out in pure baby glee – was the obvious choice.

Baby Poses

I don’t recall now exactly what prompted me to include the great grandmothers in the picture (as opposed to the more obvious new parents or immediate grandmothers) but such is the nature of creative whimsy.  I think it was simply because Bob had grown up with his “Nonnie” and i had grown up with my “Nana” AND we just so happened to have these great photos of the two women – as flappers.  That was simply a heritage and a legacy too wonderful to pass up.

Pencil Rough of "The Great Granddaughter"

And, of course, i managed to come up with an appropriate story ~

Some of my strongest childhood memories are of Christmas at Mammy’s house.  She was my great grandmother and her biscuit cookies were legendary.  Christmas is a time of magic and remembrances but unfortunately Jesse won’t have memories of her great grandmothers, and no one has ever been able to duplicate Mammy’s recipes.  She will, however, have the cherished photographs, the old letters and the sepia tinted stories of her parents and grandparents.  And I know that Nana and Nonnie are sharing her Christmas.

The Great Granddaughter, Nana & Nonnie

So to Lillian, Sis, Mother and Nana… Happy Birthday!

So… many, many, many years ago, when i was about 8 or 9  (after my family moved to Florida) we finally got our first dog.  My brother and i had our hearts set on a Manchester Toy Terrier (or at least i did) having seen one owned by a friend of my grandmother, but of course that breed was a bit obscure so not readily available at the place my parents took us.  I don’t recall the details of what spurred the decision to get a dog that particular afternoon, or why my dad chose that specific place (in my memory it was just some pens by the side of the road, but i could be way off).   The whys and wherefores are really rather immaterial now, what is important is – we found a Welsh Corgi.

I can’t say enough wonderful things about the breed now, but at the time we knew nothing about them.  All i know is – there was this animated, adorable, sweet puppy in a litle cage and she just won our hearts.  All thoughts of the “must have” terrier vanished in the presence of her winning smile and personality (and yes – corgis DO smile). In retrospect – now that i’m an adult and have several years of “mom” experience and pets under my belt – i suspect it was my mother who actually chose her, but the decision was unanimous and Tiefy became our family dog and started an obsession with the breed that has lasted a lifetime.

And all of this is a rather long preamble to explain why Welsh Corgis (specifically Pembroke Welsh Corgis) have been a long, and cherished inspiration.  Tiefy was my first introduction to the breed, later – when our daughter was about three years old – Tasha became my second.  We had Tasha (named for the wonderful children’s book illustrator who featured them, Tasha Tudor) for 14 years, and the year she died i dedicated this Christmas card to her.  Since she was mentioned briefly in 2009’s “Auld Lang Syne” card i have been eager to share her own special illustration story.

Tasha & Taliesin

2007

Fourteen years ago, Tasha appeared at Christmas time and proceeded to weave her own unique magic through our lives.  This Christmas there was never any doubt or question that my annual 2007 holiday greeting would celebrate our little corgi’s wonderful life and memory.  Of course, me being me, i couldn’t just leave it at that and simply draw a picture of her.  Instead, in typical Laurie Christmas Card tradition, there is a convoluted story behind the illustration’s ultimate incarnation.  For one thing, i have long wanted to use the Welsh bard, Taliesin (c. 534 – c. 599), in a card (you know my obsession with knights and troubadours). Considered the greatest of the Welsh poets, he is believed to have been a bard to at least three British kings of the era and his name is associated with “The Book of Taliesin“, a collection of poems that was written down in the Middle Ages and is one of the “Four Ancient Books of Wales“.  According to Celtic mythology however, Taliesin was also a wizard and shaman, and the first person to acquire the skill of prophesy through the strange and supernatural circumstances of his birth and multiple incarnations.  Legend further says he attained the status of Chief Bard of Britain in King Arthur’s court.

What better companion for a Welsh dog of equally fanciful and enchanted origins.  In legend, the faeries and elves of Wales used corgis to pull their carriages, work their wee cattle, and serve as steeds for their faerie warriors.  To this day, in fact, corgis continue to carry the mark of the faerie saddle across their shoulders.  In modern times, it is theorized that Pembroke Welsh Corgis are descended from the Swedish Valhund, possibly introduced to Wales by the Vikings, so there is a wealth of magic and adventure in Tasha’s heritage as well.

Independent and sweet tempered, with beautiful bright eyes and a happy smile, i picture Tasha now in the land of her ancestors ~ inspiring sages, delighting troubadours, compelling wizards, and encouraging kings in the company of King Arthur’s Bard.

~ Twenty seven years ago (give or take) my fourth Christmas card depicted a Welsh corgi (Tiefy) with a “young” Medieval Santa.  That original design was the basic inspiration for the 2007 card – but with more flourishes.

Tiefy & Young Santa

The New Flourishes:

STANDING STONES ~  Dating back to Neolithic times, their precise date and function remains uncertain, but their connection to the Celts is legendary and not a little magical.  [NOTE:  See “Auld Lang Syne” illus. 2009]

THE ALPHABETS: “Futhark” ~ The message on the stone to the left is written in the Viking Runic alphabet called Futhark.  Most inscriptions in stone were in normal runes while another version of the alphabet was used for everyday messages on wood or bone.  I combined both alphabet variations for this message and while i realize it might be hard to decipher the sentiment without the full code i bet you can still figure it out.

“Ogham” ~ Running along the edges of the center and right stone are a series of notches and grooves depicting the earliest Celtic alphabet called Ogham.  Dating from the 4th and 5th centuries it was believed to be the magic writing of the Druids.  In this case there isn’t any real message, i just wanted to show an example of the script.

TORC ~ Decorative neck ring indicating high rank and status, closely associated with Celtic deities.

IN THE SACK ~  The “Book of Taliesin”, a bodhran, recorder, and skin of mulled wine (the traditional tools of the bard).

THE ANIMALS ~ “Dog” – well that’s obvious.  But also associated with healing.   “Salmon” – a source of knowledge.  One of Talieson’s incarnations was a salmon, represented here by the tail fin-shaped head of the lute.  “White Stag” – represents the eternal cycle of nature manifested in the seasonal shedding and regrowth of antlers.  Oh yeah, and in this case also Santa’s reindeer.

THE PLANTS ~ The Holly and Ivy are probably pretty obvious given the carol, but they were also sacred to the Celts for magical healing qualities, as was the Mistletoe.

TALIESIN ~ Was loosely based on the statue of the Celtic general, Vercingetorix (by Aime’ Millet 1819-91) because, in all honesty, i thought he looked cute .

I know this is an older card… and that it is no longer Christmas… but i am nothing if not fanatically obsessive in my persistent way of linking disparate things together; and in my little world it made perfect sense to begin this New Year entry with an explanatory back-story about the Christmas card i did in 2008.  For one thing i love all the miscellaneous detail that went into the picture and wanted to share it with anyone who happens to stumble upon the illustration on the web site  (but didn’t get the note that accompanied the card when i originally mailed it).  For another (or B) i think the story/card pretty much lays the ground work for what to expect in future entries of 2010.  And basically i just love the drawing and wanted to share all the background stuff.

So, for those of you who enjoy long, involved, labyrinthine explanations of why an artist did what she did please enjoy the following story of…

The Ghost of Christmas Who & Other Relative Dimensions

2008 –

For those new to the experience, this is what my husband calls one of my “weird cards”, in that i practically pull a muscle trying to make random images of the year relate to each other… and the holiday.  You be the judge.

It started with the medium – scratchboard.  A kind of reverse process of etching into a thin coat of white clay that has been covered by black ink.  I learned the technique back in high school, but with the exception of a few attempts (the last of which was 11 years ago) i haven’t had much call to use it since.  Until this year that is, when i got a HUGE 4′ x 2.5′ project and wound up falling in love with the process again.  I just knew i had to do [2008’s] card this way.  Now i just had to come up with the subject, and decided to revisit my favorite Christmas story, “A Christmas Carol” since that hasn’t been used as an inspirational source since 1980.  I have long wanted to feature the Ghost of Christmas Present (my favorite of the Dickens spirits) and thought this would be the perfect opportunity.

And the whole card story would end there (and be a much shorter tale) if i hadn’t also felt compelled to shoe-horn in some reference to my newest current obsession of the year – Dr. Who.  [NOTE:  This should explain why The Doctor found his way into the 2009 card as well]

A British sci-fi TV program that depicts the adventures of a mysterious alien time-traveler known only as “the Doctor”, the show originally ran from 1963 to 1989, and then continued via radio shows, books, magazines, occasional specials, and even a play or two.  I remember the show from college, with Tom Baker playing the 4th Doctor (from 1974 to 1981) and later with Peter Davison (who played the part of the 5th Doctor until 1984).  [And regarding the numerical identifiers – the character isn’t officially numbered, he has the ability to “regenerate”, so when any given actor left the series the Doctor himself  remained – albeit with a completely new look and personality.  There have been 10 Doctors to date].  [NOTE:  2010 will see the 11th regeneration of the character]

The series was relaunched on TV in 2005 (featuring the newest, 9th incarnation of the Doctor) but i actually didn’t become aware of it until August 2008, with Doctor #10; and as is so often the case with me, immediately got hooked to the point of obsession.  I still recalled the Tom Baker version with nostalgic fondness, and i had a bit of a crush on Peter Davison way back when, but i love this new adaptation.  How could i resist a show of science fiction and fantasy (“galaxy far away” anyone), not to mention its “relativity” to another growing fascination – time & dimension, multiple universes and unified field theories.  The Doctor, you see, is a Time Lord, who travels between time and space and alternative dimensions in his multi-purpose time machine/space craft – the TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimension In Space) – saving worlds and battling monsters and basically doing all sorts of wonderfully improbable, paradox-defying, logistical time-looping things.

The TARDIS – locked, due to a defective “chameleon circuit”, in the guise of a blue 1950s-style London police call box – can instantly transport its occupants anywhere in time, space or history and it dawned on me what better way for Santa Claus to deliver presents around the world in one night, so that became my (perfectly logical) reason for linking it to the holiday.  Of course, that means the Ghost of Christmas Present wound up being more of a St. Nicholas figure, but i have always felt that Spirit was really just another variation of Father Christmas to begin with – so the concept still works.

Inspired by Dickens and Dr. Who it would probably seem logical to set the picture in London, but i didn’t want to be that obvious.  I mean, if you have access to a machine that can take you anywhere in the universe you should use it.  Besides, our daughter goes to school in New York so i decided to acknowledge that by putting the Washington Square Arch in the background.  Also, additional research into St. Nicholas revealed he was the patron saint of Manhattan (brought to New Amsterdam by the Dutch) so that cinched the setting choice.  And in another interesting coincidence i happened to notice that in most images of St. Nicholas he holds a staff that looks like a Question Mark – the very symbol often used in several of the Doctor’s different incarnations.  So there you have it ~ Scratchboard, St. Nick, New York, and Doctor Who = Laurie’s 2008 Christmas card!

That’s the basic backstory but, naturally, i can’t leave it there.  So with your continued indulgence, please allow me to explain a few of the other, seemingly random, visual bits and pieces found in this holiday greeting.

*  The Ghost of Christmas Present is dressed as Dickens described him, specifically  the wreath of holly and icicles on his head.  However – the tartan under-robe is mine in a blatant use of artistic license (added because i realized i had made his coat too short).  As previously noted, he carries St. Nicholas’ staff as well as Santa’s pack.

*  He also wears a scarf that was an iconic costume element of the 4th Doctor, as portrayed by Tom Baker.

*  The stalk of celery (in the pack) is a reference to Peter Davison’s 5th Doctor, who wore one on his lapel (“Brave choice, celery.  But fair play to you, not a lot of men can carry off a decorative vegetable.”  Line from episode: TIME CRASH).

*  The pocket watch and “sonic screwdriver” (also in the pack) are both nods to the 10th Doctor, David Tennant (and if you look closely, he is the one driving the TARDIS).

*  The vortex-y image on the left also contains a 10th Doctor reference, specifically his explanation of time, “People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint – it’s more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly… time-y whimey… stuff.”  (from the episode BLINK) –

*  As well as – Einstein’s Field Equation (put the image upside down & turn) for a scientific approach to relativity.

*  And, finally, in the pack behind all the Dr. Who stuff is a dragon holding its tail.  That is an Ouroboros.  Discovered while reading “Godel, Escher, Bach” by Hofstader (one of those “time-y whimey” books) – it stands for, among other things, Eternity, Infinity, and (my favorite) Alchemy.  It also represents Circularity and no better image symbolizes my circular thinking, or the way things from my past keep reappearing in my present – particularly in 2008.  A dear friend from junior and senior high found me after a 30 year absence.  An obscure TV show from my college days once again came to my attention. And i rediscovered an art technique learned back in the 70s.

I keep a notebook of all the Christmas cards i’ve done since Freshman year of college (when the tradition began).  Several years ago i did a scratchboard card of Santa Claus (the first use of the technique since graduating from high school) and out of curiosity i pulled it out to compare techniques.  I didn’t entirely remember when i had done the card, so imagine my surprise – that scratchboard Santa was done exactly 20 years ago – Christmas 1988!  So to the amazing, the coincidental, the improbable, the magical, and the just plain weird…

That was how i ended the original story… but i think it pretty well sums up my hopes for the new year as well!

I have been drawing my own Christmas cards since college.  The first one began as an assignment but every Christmas after that i just liked having the creative outlet.  The designs started out simply enough – variations on traditional holiday icons – but before long i began getting more adventurous.  It wasn’t long before i started coming up with little stories to complement the picture, and added that to the back of the card.  Over time however the stories started getting more complicated, or  the illustrations did – becoming a kind of visual version of a Year in Review letter only with lots of hidden subtext.  Thus requiring a full sheet of paper… and very small type.

All this is by way of a Preface for my 2009 Christmas card and the story behind it.  Now besides simply showing the work i can also share the behind-the-scenes details and inner workings of my convoluted thought process.  So sit back, relax, maybe stock up on some food and beverages cos this might take awhile, and allow me to share the explanation that accompanied ~ “Auld Lang Syne In the Land of Let’s Pretend (with bagpipe and fanfare)“.

It’s that time of year again ~ time for Laurie’s seasonal homage to current interests, obsessions, and the year’s events and activities, the Rorschach Test known as my annual Christmas card.  While i really intended this one to be less complicated then usual those familiar with the process know even the most simple idea tends to have a convoluted story behind it and this year is no exception.  So let the elucidation begin.

The original idea was born in October at my alma mater, Maryville College.  I had been invited to do a book signing for Homecoming and Oblivious Me didn’t realize it also happened to be my 30 year class reunion (i’m terrible with numbers so didn’t notice the date but friends suggested i was simply in denial) so Reunions and Reconnections became something of the underlying theme for the card.  And it began with the Scottish Terrier.

I should note here that i have long loved Scotland (we have relatives in Ayrshire, the Children’s Hospice Association Scotland has a few of my books, and this year i met a delightful couple from Edinburgh on the A Train from JFK) and while it has been a source of artistic inspiration oddly enough i had completely forgotten Maryville College had a strong Scottish connection (we were the Fighting Scots after all, with a Scotty dog mascot.  We even have an official tartan).  Once i was reminded of this past link i knew i had to celebrate it in this year’s card and figured the Scottish terrier was a natural place to start.  Problem is, we do not own a Scottish terrier which i feared might cause some confusion (our dog heralds a bit farther south: Wales to be exact).  But then i thought – why not include our new Welsh corgi, Taliesin (named for the famous Welsh bard, tho we call her Tali for short) since she has yet to be featured in a card, and this will be her second Christmas with us.

And that was the card, tho obviously i couldn’t leave it at that.  I wanted to include some of the year’s other hi-lights so that’s what prompted the addition of the standing stone.  I’ve used them before [refer to the 2007 card ~ “Tasha & Taliesin, In the Company of King Arthur’s Bard”, which also happens to feature our first corgi], but what better way to include a whole bunch of disparate ideas (not to mention tie into the Celtic theme) then by carving them into a Pictish stone which, in this case, was specifically inspired by [another connection] a book on the Picts recently given to me by our Scottish relatives.  Historically there is some debate about what the various stones, circles, and carvings might mean, but speaking as an artist who likes to tuck the occasional personal image into her work i can easily imagine a few ancient sculptors including their own obsessions and memorable events into their commissioned designs (i just use paper while they use rock).  And this year was full of memorable events.

For one thing, i now have this web site (new this year).  For another, i painted a series of murals for two local elementary schools:  J A Crookshank (represented by their mascot, the Cougar) and Ketterlinus (represented by their mascot, the Dolphin).  The dolphin carving serves multiple purposes as it also represents a couple other projects – my first residential mural (an under-the-sea theme featuring three dolphins) and the 47 species of dolphins i drew for SeaWorld (36 Oceanic Dolphins, 5 Fresh Water/River Dolphins, and 6 Porpoises).

As for the obsessions ~ interest in Doctor Who continued from last year [featured in last year’s scratchboard card ~ “The Ghost of Christmas Who…” ]  particularly when my daughter, Jesse, got hooked on the show over the summer (my wonderful partner in crime).  And since this will be our Doctor’s last year (sadly he regenerates into a new guy in 2010) i specifically wanted to include him and the TARDIS in this card.  Other Doctor Who references include the Gallifrey Time Lord Seal of Rassilon and Tali is wearing the scarf favored by the 4th Doctor (who i first encountered back in college – note the returning connection).  Also, the music wafting above the stone is not Auld Lang Syne, despite the title of this card, but is instead the final bars of the Doctor’s original, hand-written, symphony, “Ode to the Universe” (as seen in his Music of the Spheres concert appearance).

Of course no card would be complete without Jesse’s and my original Mother/Daughter obsession – Star Wars, especially since we both saw “Star Wars In Concert” (albeit separately and in different states), thus combining both music AND obsession.  To that end (and to mirror the Doctor Who images) i included Obi-Wan Kenobi  and the Rebel Alliance insignia on the stone.  And to further the musical emphasis Tali holds a Fanfar, the wind instrument played by Tedn D’hai of the band, the Modal Nodes (aka: The Mos Eisley Cantina Band).

Which brings us to the most memorable event of all, represented by the box at the base of Tali’s stone.  As mentioned in my bio on the Contact page, when i was a little girl in Philadelphia one of my favorite TV shows was Cartoon Corners General Store, hosted by Gene London.  Mr. London told stories and illustrated them on big pads of white paper and i have long credited his show, and his drawing, as inspiring me to be an illustrator.  I mentioned this in an Internet interview earlier in the year and a short time later received an e-mail from my publisher, forwarding a letter they had received on behalf of London Studios.  GENE LONDON himself wanted to contact me!  Words cannot express my thrill, but perhaps the picture can.  My parents once took me to a taping of Cartoon Corners and as one of the kids in the “peanut gallery” i got to draw a design on Mr. London’s drawing pad which he then turned into a picture.  Sadly i no longer have the sketch he drew but i do have the memory of a squirrel that he made out of my squiggle.

And one last note before i bring this tale to an end.  Often i spend as much time coming up with the titles of my cards as i do drawing them but “Auld Lang Syne” seemed an obvious choice for an illustration of a Scottish terrier playing a bagpipe inspired by a college reunion (“Ode to the Universe” aside).  Of course, much like the card itself, it would have been far too easy to end there.  Then i remembered seeing the lyrics to the song Mr. London sang just before he’d tell a story, the final line of which was, “In the land of Let’s Pretend”.  Brilliant!

So with that, the links and connections, the reunions and the remembrances, the music and magic are complete.  To old acquaintances & cherished friends, Time Lords & Jedi Knights, sculptors & storytellers ~ Merry Christmas!