O Tannenbaum

2006
Pen and Ink
5" x 7"

In 1989 I decided to make my own Christmas card. Because color reproduction was expensive, I created a black-and-white line drawing. The card proved to be a hit and it started a tradition—I've drawn the artwork for my (now our) Christmas card ever since. Initially my cards featured anonymous, fictional people (mostly children); but since the birth of my daughters they have become my primary subject.

We got a new puppy in 2006 ("Odin", to go with our other dog at the time "Loki"). He's half-Springer spaniel, half-Australian sheepdog. And like all puppies he was amazingly destructive. The scene depicted here seemed pretty likely as the Christmas season approached. Ironically, as it turned out, the Christmas tree was one of the only things in our house he didn't try to eat. He completely ignored it! Can't say the same for our futon however ($!^#&!%$!).