Tag Archives: lantern

Holiday 2021

Holiday 2021 Show Is Up

Monday morning the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts was buzzing with activity. The artist/owners were busy installing the holiday 2021 version of the Art of Giving show. We completely reinstall the gallery for the holidays. Twinkling lights on white branches appear in our front window with a wide variety of ornaments. Blown glass orbs, ceramic bells, and hand painted miniature paintings are a few examples you will encounter.

I’ve already shared a couple of my new holiday themed pieces. They, along with others are now available in the gallery.

Emperor Cocoa

Emperor Cocoa is my newest original sculpture for our holiday 2021 Art of Giving show. This anthropomorphic penguin is holding a mug of steaming hot chocolate. He stands about twelve inches tall. Constructed of needle felted wool roving over a wire and quilt batting frame. The art doll figure stands on his own with help from his tail for balance. He is intended for the holidays, but he can bring cheer all year long.

Emperor Cocoa anthropomorphic penguin art doll sculpture. Needle felted wool over wire and quilt batting frame w/glass bead eyes. 12" tall. Holiday show original
Emperor Cocoa

Other Holiday Offerings

Along with the original art doll sculptures, I also produced some holiday exclusive items. This year I’ve again made Lantern Houses. I created them last year in response to the Hillsborough Solstice Lantern Festival. Each year Hillsborough has a Lantern Walk along the Eno River. Last year’s was altered due to the pandemic. Instead businesses and downtown residences displayed lanterns. I created these little needle felted structures to house an LED light. At night the light shows through the windows and doors, and makes the translucent walls glow. Additionally, I created miniature Christmas trees on natural wood bases this year. These stand between 8 and 12 inches tall. They are accented with hand sewn glass and crystal beads.

needle felted Lantern houses and Christmas trees
Lantern Houses with LED lights

I do still have my original design puffin and polar bear ornaments available as well. Stop in at HGA to check them out, and do a little holiday shopping.

puffin and bear ornaments holiday
Puffin and Bear ornaments
Mouse #1 with striped hat

Restocking Items for the Holidays

I wasn’t really planning on creating any additional holiday themed items. I usually build up my holiday inventory of one-of-a-kind pieces and ornaments before the show installation. Then I start thinking about the next year’s new work. A reimagined local event and and a vacated pedestal changed my mind this year, so I’m restocking items for the holidays.

When “Winter Ride” sold, I replaced it with another polar bear creation “Climate Report“. But, I couldn’t help feeling that the pedestal should have another seasonal piece. So, meet the “Caroling Mice”.

Caroling Mice anthropomorphic needle felted sculpture
Caroling Mice

These three little carol singers measure between 5 1/2 and 7 inches high. They are decked out in their warm winter gear and have their mouse-sized sheet music in hand.

Each mouse stands on their own on little booted feet and propped up by a long curving tail. The needle felted wool covers a wire and quilt batting frame. Glass bead eyes are sewn in place, and the sheet music is secured to their mittens.

Light on the Longest Night

One of the yearly winter events put on by our local arts council is a Solstice Lantern Walk along the Eno Riverwalk. Unfortunately, as you may have guessed, COVID had forced the arts council to reimagine the lantern walk. In the past, a long parade of participants march together along the river with their “winter white” lit lanterns of all shapes and sizes. This year residents, and businesses in the downtown historic district are displaying their lantern creations for the weekend of the 19th through the 21st. There is a map that will be created so that people can drive or walk by the locations safely distanced.

I’m creating some items that can be displayed in the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts window during the walk. The first is a little Lantern House. It is needle felted wool that I’ve stiffened on the interior. A small battery tea light sits in the interior and shines through the windows and open door, and glows through the wool walls.

needle felted "lantern house
miniature needle felted house lantern

Restocking Items in the Gallery

The Caroling Mice are now available in the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts, and I will bring in my lantern pieces on the afternoon of December 19th.