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Inspiration for my Christmas “cards” comes from many unexpected sources and often arrives in piecemeal. The inspiration for this, my 2005 “card”, began when I heard a flute rift during a symphonic piece of music that I really liked. I liked it so much that I did a fast sketch of Dai (pronounced as “Day”) energetically dancing faun-like while playing a flute.
Another component to this “card” comes from my long-standing admiration of the work of the American illustrator, Norman Rockwell. Most of Rockwell’s works were done for the cover of the weekly Saturday Evening Post with some of his most enjoyable covers being done to celebrate Christmas.
I initially began this picture with those two elements in my head as a holiday cover similar in Rockwell’s style for a faux magazine called “LionMonthly”. The “magazine cover” was never published but it left me with what I thought was a pretty interesting picture.
Christmas is a time for family and friends and so I brought in Dai’s life-time lupine friend, Wilber Crooktail, for a Christmas Eve sleep-over. And it was Wilber who provided the back-up on the drum to Dai’s early morning Christmas rendering of “Silent Night”.
Another component to this “card” comes from my long-standing admiration of the work of the American illustrator, Norman Rockwell. Most of Rockwell’s works were done for the cover of the weekly Saturday Evening Post with some of his most enjoyable covers being done to celebrate Christmas.
I initially began this picture with those two elements in my head as a holiday cover similar in Rockwell’s style for a faux magazine called “LionMonthly”. The “magazine cover” was never published but it left me with what I thought was a pretty interesting picture.
Christmas is a time for family and friends and so I brought in Dai’s life-time lupine friend, Wilber Crooktail, for a Christmas Eve sleep-over. And it was Wilber who provided the back-up on the drum to Dai’s early morning Christmas rendering of “Silent Night”.
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hehe... yeah, I am gonna go nuts for years to come... yule is the 21fst. then my second son's birthday is on the 23th, and then my extended family does X-mas on the 25th.... this year, Oak moon fall on the 24th, then we move to our new apartment on the 28th, and then it's happy new year in our new home on the 31fst... yeah, I didn't think that one fortnight could be so crazy in these days.
Thank you very much Susi. I'm happy with just a pair of sweatpants for winter sleepwear. Wilber, my little lupine, would be wearing underwear and socks to bed if he could manage it. Dai is a "nature boy" most of the time when it comes to his sleeping wear. I prefer to simply classify him as an exhibitionist and let it go at that.
Oh your consideration for others renews my faith in the Future, Vivian.
And Wilber? He's a cute little guy with innocence and a charming touch of naivete thrown into the mix. You can be sure that it wasn't him that got the idea of an Early Morning Christmas Concert going.
And Wilber? He's a cute little guy with innocence and a charming touch of naivete thrown into the mix. You can be sure that it wasn't him that got the idea of an Early Morning Christmas Concert going.
Thank you very much, Foxystallion. Give my love to all the forest critters around your home for me and wish them all much happiness. And take an especially big helping of happiness for you and yours.
And thank you for giving your kind comments to my submissions through the year. It's kindness’ like that which help an artist to "grow up big and strong".
*appreciative hugs*
And thank you for giving your kind comments to my submissions through the year. It's kindness’ like that which help an artist to "grow up big and strong".
*appreciative hugs*
and on the third day...
Lionus finally went all "fiat volumtas". :)
"memo on self: never ever give them something that makes noise."
Norman Rockwell sounds familiar. I think I even have seen one or the other of his covers.
this initially reminded me of a german postcard illustrator who indulged in creating furries to hold up a mirror for society. although a highly humourous one. :)
http://www.ak190x.de/Information/Ku.....hur-Thiele.htm
his postcards are sought after, and not cheap... I have three of them and paid through the nose for them. :)
Lionus finally went all "fiat volumtas". :)
"memo on self: never ever give them something that makes noise."
Norman Rockwell sounds familiar. I think I even have seen one or the other of his covers.
this initially reminded me of a german postcard illustrator who indulged in creating furries to hold up a mirror for society. although a highly humourous one. :)
http://www.ak190x.de/Information/Ku.....hur-Thiele.htm
his postcards are sought after, and not cheap... I have three of them and paid through the nose for them. :)
Oh that artist (Arthur Thiele) is fantastic! He was, what I would consider, one of the first modern day "furry artists". Not only are the costumes of his little creations very period (1841-1916), but their expressions are priceless and adorable.
Thank you very very much, Anbessa for the address to that site featuring his work. What a wonderful Christmas gift you have given me, both as an artist, but also as an amateur historian. Danke, danke, danke!
Thank you very very much, Anbessa for the address to that site featuring his work. What a wonderful Christmas gift you have given me, both as an artist, but also as an amateur historian. Danke, danke, danke!
I agree, Chaser. The commercialization and materialization of Christmas abuses us all.
Perhaps one of the reasons for the change in how we celebrate Christmas and the event for which was originally celebrated is our attitude towards gift giving. Christmas was originally a holy day; a day to remember and celebrate the “gift” that God gave to Mankind. A holy night where kings and wisemen gave gifts of Frankincense, gold and myrrh in acknowledgement of the receipt of that Gift.
It's sometimes hard to remember amidst all the modern day lights and noise that the spirit of Christmas is really about giving rather than getting. That’s a piece of wisdom that each of us hopefully figures out as we grow older and wiser. For as many gifts that we get and material wealth that we can accumulate, there can never be enough to fill the emptiness inside us when we can not have a full heart and give of it to others.
Christmas is a Christian holiday the universal spirit of which has spread out to embrace everyone regardless of which faith, Christian and non-Christian that is embraced. The effect of that spirit was nicely encapsulated for us all by Charles Dickens’ “Christmas Carol.” Ebaneezer Scrooge was a commercialized and material man of his times. A man who as wealthy as he was, was empty inside like so many of us are today. And it was the embracing of acknowledging that Christmas is the time of year when we should set aside our greedy self-interests to acknowledge others.
Christmas is really about remembering others. Gifts are a token of that remembering. Remembering family, friends and yes, even complete strangers. IT IS THE SOLE REASON FOR THE GIVING OF GIFTS, not the gift’s price or value. For if we ever lose the capacity of finding joy in the making of others happy or being made happy in receiving of another’s giving then we have truly lost Christmas.
Perhaps one of the reasons for the change in how we celebrate Christmas and the event for which was originally celebrated is our attitude towards gift giving. Christmas was originally a holy day; a day to remember and celebrate the “gift” that God gave to Mankind. A holy night where kings and wisemen gave gifts of Frankincense, gold and myrrh in acknowledgement of the receipt of that Gift.
It's sometimes hard to remember amidst all the modern day lights and noise that the spirit of Christmas is really about giving rather than getting. That’s a piece of wisdom that each of us hopefully figures out as we grow older and wiser. For as many gifts that we get and material wealth that we can accumulate, there can never be enough to fill the emptiness inside us when we can not have a full heart and give of it to others.
Christmas is a Christian holiday the universal spirit of which has spread out to embrace everyone regardless of which faith, Christian and non-Christian that is embraced. The effect of that spirit was nicely encapsulated for us all by Charles Dickens’ “Christmas Carol.” Ebaneezer Scrooge was a commercialized and material man of his times. A man who as wealthy as he was, was empty inside like so many of us are today. And it was the embracing of acknowledging that Christmas is the time of year when we should set aside our greedy self-interests to acknowledge others.
Christmas is really about remembering others. Gifts are a token of that remembering. Remembering family, friends and yes, even complete strangers. IT IS THE SOLE REASON FOR THE GIVING OF GIFTS, not the gift’s price or value. For if we ever lose the capacity of finding joy in the making of others happy or being made happy in receiving of another’s giving then we have truly lost Christmas.
Actually the reason why it changed is because humans have changed over the years. Lives have gotten busier and busier, everything has to go faster nowadays. People just need to stop and slow down.
I've heard that christmas actually started as a pagan holiday long before the birth of christ (though since romans considered early christians to be pagan, either way it seems to be a pagan holiday).
I've heard that christmas actually started as a pagan holiday long before the birth of christ (though since romans considered early christians to be pagan, either way it seems to be a pagan holiday).
*nods in agreement*
Many Northern Hemisphere civilizations had festivals around what we today would mark as the end of December. The Romans had several days around that time dedicated to honoring their god Saturn; with the raucous festivities being called the Saturnalia.
The pagan festival had been celebrated within the Roman Empire for many centuries and was an established and looked-forward-to-event long before the arrival of Christianity. Many of Christianity’s early followers did not see a contradiction in celebrating Saturnalia while also being devout Christians.
So instead of trying to stamp Saturnalia out, the Church Fathers simply adopted it as their own and everyone went on with the festivities as before. Smart men those early Church Fathers.
Many Northern Hemisphere civilizations had festivals around what we today would mark as the end of December. The Romans had several days around that time dedicated to honoring their god Saturn; with the raucous festivities being called the Saturnalia.
The pagan festival had been celebrated within the Roman Empire for many centuries and was an established and looked-forward-to-event long before the arrival of Christianity. Many of Christianity’s early followers did not see a contradiction in celebrating Saturnalia while also being devout Christians.
So instead of trying to stamp Saturnalia out, the Church Fathers simply adopted it as their own and everyone went on with the festivities as before. Smart men those early Church Fathers.
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