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| Sue Myal and Sue Sprunk, owners of Artistry of Poland have selected a winner in the Design Like a Star contest. David Blair, a retailer who won the first competition, assisted in the judging. | ||
| Susan Vanderhoek, a folk artist from Salem, Oregon, submitted three different designs. The judges selected her Victorian Santa entry as this year’s winning design. | ||
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According to Vanderhoek, Victorian Santa Claus is 4.5 inches. His red hood sports festive
holly leaves in hunter green. The ornament will be painted in a gloss for shine and lightly sprinkled with German glass glitter. It’s almost unimaginable to find an ornament line without a Santa Claus, but this will be the first for Artistry of Poland! “Susan’s design has inspired us and we hope to add additional Santas to the Artistry of Poland line,” said Sue Myal. |
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| Artistry of Poland will work closely with Susan through every step of the ornament creation process. She will receive 10 ornaments and her design will become part of the Artistry of Poland collection in 2010.
Susan is a member of American Holiday Artists. You can view her work at seasonalwhimsies.blogspot.com. |
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Category: Artistry of Poland
Antique Spatterware Christmas Tree Ornament
Exclusive Design from Artistry of Poland
This item is available exclusively at Celebrate365.com
- Edition size: 25
- 3″ ball ornament
- Handpainted in Poland
- Comes in a red gift box
- The perfect gift for the spatterware or antiques collector!
The ornament pays homage to a rare antique ceramic design — spatterware Christmas tree festoon pattern.
Spatterware is a brightly colored tableware made in England for export to the United States and other countries between 1810-1850. It reached its peak between 1830-1840.
Manufactured in England’s fames Stafordshire district, the table ware was considered too gaudy for refined British tastes. It made its way to the Pennsylvania Dutch are where housewives purchased it as every day tableware.
Spattware has a finely sponged or dotted look. The spattering itself was applied in black, blue, brown, green, red, purple and yellow paint. There are over 60 known patterns of decoration, along with many variations, including birds, flowers, buildings, fruits and rainbow colors.
Patterns such as the Christmas Tree are rare. Can’t you almost picture a German-speaking farm family enjoying a wee bit of whimsy with this Christmas china?
For more information about Spatterware and its patterns, please visit these sites:
Mexico’s Day of the Dead Celebration
With its headquarters in the Southwest, it’s no surprise to discover this new addition to Artistry of Poland’s collection. La Ofrenda (The Offering) celebrates Mexico’s unique Day of the Dead customs. Contemporary ornament designs often reflect popular culture and this new piece is an exceptional example.
Adding detail to an ornament
Co-owner Sue Myal of Tucson explains how this ornament came about.
I did spend some time in the Arizona Historical Museum photo archives looking for just the right photo to place on the altar. I decided upon Poncho Villa. To me, his image depicted the perfect Mexican grandpa. We reproduced the photo image here in Tucson, sent it to Poland and the workshop added it to the ornament in Krakow.
On the altar, we depict traditional papel picado (tissue paper cutouts), fruit, tequila, a sugar skull, pan de muerto (bread of the dead) and a metate used to grind corn for tortillas. We also added lots of colorful marigolds. They are always an important part of Dead of the Dead observances.
The back features a beautiful Monarch butterfly. Monarchs fly south to Mexico at the same time each year, arriving at the time of Day of the Dead celebrations. Legends say that the Monarchs are the spirits of the children who have died.
Artistry of Poland Announces Contest Winner!
Artistry of Poland owners, Sue Myal and Sue Sprunk, along with last year’s contest winner David Blair, have selected a winner in the 2008 Design Like a Star ornament contest. The judges have selected “Victorian Valentine” as this year’s winner.
Kelly Ryan, a Celebrate365 subscriber from Minnesota, submitted the design concept. “I’m embarrassed to say my inspiration was a paper party napkin! I bought them years ago and just loved the little cherub so I saved one,” Ryan explained. “I liked the rich colors and the elegant style so when the contest came about I dug out my box of stuff and found the napkin. I think it makes a beautiful Christmas ornament.”
Artistry of Poland agreed! Myal and Sprunk based their selection upon their overall business plan. “Since we are always searching for the ultimate design to include in our collection it should have general appeal without giving in to the ordinary,” Myal explained. “We also think about marketing,” she continued. “Who will buy it? Where will we sell it? Has anyone ever inquired about a design like this”
Clay model of Ryan’s design.
The clay model creates the 3-dimensional detail for the mold maker.