Holiday Art in the House

Do you rotate art in your home during the holidays? I do. Well, at least some of it! In the case of my hallway, the Paris wall comes down and the holiday wall comes up! Most of this year's wall features the work of Muppet master Caroll Spinney, along with a special piece by a good friend. (Cue the music!)

The centerpiece of the wall this year is a costume design for The Ghost of Christmas Present, done by the late Gretel Geist Rutledge. Gretel was a mainstay of the Michigan State Theatre department during my time there as an undergrad and until her retirement, probably about ten years ago. She went on to pursue her art in a variety of ways. After her death, her family allowed friends to choose from her many costume renderings. This watercolor holds pride of place.

Most of the rest of the wall is donated to the wonderful Caroll Spinney, whose death left a hole in the hearts of many who knew him. You knew him too -- under his name of "Big Bird" and "Oscar the Grouch." I was lucky enough to meet Caroll and his lovely wife, Debi, when they came to our station in 2004 for our anniversary and have been fortunate to exchange holiday greetings with them every year since.

These are a few (I need more frames!). In addition to being a master puppeteer and author, Caroll was also an artist.

Each year he would take his beloved characters and incorporate them into a holiday card.

Caroll Spinney died in December 2019. He left a remarkable legacy of two of television's most endearing characters and to those of us who met him, a lot of wonderful memories.

Big Bird lives on in a new actor but Caroll (and Debi, who sent the one below last year) are always in my heart, but no more so than at Christmas. 

Here are a few other pieces I see each year -- a lovely cat-snowman scene I got at a gallery in Sonoma decades ago...

...a pressed paper piece I did long ago... 

...a lino block print I did a few years ago, thanks to my friend, Kate's, tutelage!

And this very special Christmas card my dad made for me. 

I did this abstract angel in an art workshop long ago.

 And this was from a Southern Exposure workshop, more recently.

 Soon enough, these will go back into their storage box and the other art I've collected will return to the walls. 

I'll miss them.

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