Mormon Artists Group

Clockwise from top left: Valerie Atkisson, Nativity; Ultra Violet, La Creche; Glen Nelson, A Christmas Carol; Joanne Rowland, Scents of Joy; Kent Christensen, Ribbon Candy; Natasha Layne Brien, Gifts for Baby Jesus; Stephen Moore, Verdant; Kah Leong Poon, Christmas in Central Park; Annie Poon, Nativity; Luisa Perkins, Angels Among Us (center).

Mormon Artists Group presents Artists’ Christmas Cards

We are pleased to announce our first collection of holiday cards. Mormon Artists Group invited ten artists to participate. Our instructions were simple enough: create a miniature artwork that people could purchase and send through the mail to family, friends, neighbors, business associates, and commercial customers as a holiday greeting.

Here are cards guaranteed to get a second look (and a third and fourth). All cards are signed by the artists and are accompanied by a matching envelope, ready for mailing. Turn the pages of this catalog to discover ten sensational ways to say “Merry Christmas.”

THE 2006 ARTISTS’ CHRISTMAS CARDS ARE NO LONGER AVAILABLE.

Valerie Atkisson
Nativity.
This ingenious and touching object was created using two interlocking sheets of heavyweight paper. Designed to be both strong and portable, it transforms any flat surface into a place of visual reflection. The two sheets have a slot in the center to allow the nativity scene to be assembled in seconds. Made of laser-cut and hand-cut paper, 4.5”x 10” (2 sheets).
$8

Valerie Atkisson is an artist whose work has been exhibited at the Museum of Art at Brigham Young University, Bronx Museum of Art, Exit Art, Queens Museum of Art, and the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. Laser-cut and hand-cut heavyweight paper, 4.5”x 10”x 10” (when assembled). Includes envelope.

Natasha Layne Brien
Gifts for Baby Jesus.
Inspired by her children’s delight in mixing and matching toys together for imaginative play, the artist has created a charming tableau of objects from the family toy box that celebrates the wonder of Christmas glimpsed through a child’s eyes. 4.5”x 6.25”.
$6

The photography of Natasha Layne Brien has been featured in Oprah and Homestyle magazines, and she has worked on shoots for Martha Stewart, House and Garden and The New York Times Magazine. She has exhibited also in New York’s American Indian Community House Gallery. Photograph mounted to 4.5″ x 6.25″ firecracker red card. Includes matching red envelope.
Blank greeting.

Kent Christensen
Ribbon Candy.
Eureka! Guilt-free candy. These might be the only sweets you give this holiday season that the recipient won’t regret in January. This delightful still-life image of nostalgic ribbon candy harks back to an era of handmade holiday treats. Reproduced from an acclaimed series of paintings by the artist. 5″ x 7”.
$6

The artwork of Kent Christensen has been exhibited at the Sundance Screening Room Gallery, Alta Club, and at the University of Utah. His commercial illustration credits include: Time magazine, Sports Illustrated, BusinessWeek, The Los Angeles Times, and The Chicago Tribune. 5″ x 7″ card, printed by the artist. Includes matching envelope.
Blank greeting.

Stephen Moore
Verdant.
Take a close look at this mesmerizing, lush image created in watercolor. Your eyes get lost in the shimmering triangles that evoke disparate images from cultures east and west, including the Christmas tree. It is contemplative, symbolic, and subtly arresting. Minimalism meets Christmas. 6.25″ x 6.25″.
$6

Stephen Moore is an artist and educator in New York. He is a graduate of Utah State University and Pratt Institute. His work has been shown in exhibitions of emerging artists in New York. He created the series of etchings that accompany Silent Notes Taken (Mormon Artists Group Press). 6.25″ x 6.25″ card, printed by the artist on watercolor paper. Includes clear translucent vellum envelope.
Blank greeting.

Glen Nelson
A Christmas Carol.
Is it possible? Dickens, palm-sized? This edition of the classic holiday story is presented as a miniature, accordionfold book including the full 1834 text with reproductions of the eight original illustrations by eighteen-year old John Leech. The book is accompanied by a tiny magnifying glass . . . for obvious reasons. 3″ x 5.5″ (unfolded length 90”).
$6

Glen Nelson is the director of Mormon Artists Group. With this collection of Christmas Cards he marks the tenth publishing project of MAG. Glen is also a writer; his opera, The Book of Gold (music by Murray Boren), premiered at Brigham Young University, 2005. Accordion-fold book printed on Mohawk Superfine paper, 30 pages with 3.5” magnifying glass. Includes matching envelope 4″ x 6″.

Luisa Perkins
Angels Among Us.
Technology of the Digital Age gives new life to an age-old concept. Photos of the artist’s children—along with original images of winter gardens, groves, and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine—combine to remind us that we live on the edge of the miraculous. 8.5″ x 5.5″.
$3

Luisa Perkins, a graduate of Brigham Young University, is the author of Shannon’s Mirror and contributed two essays to Silent Notes Taken (Mormon Artists Group Press). Two of her fantasy novels, The Holly Place and ZF-360, will be published late next year. 8.5″ x 5.5″ card, printed by the artist. Includes matching envelope.
Greeting: “May angels attend you at this season and always.”

Annie Poon
Nativity.
This vibrantly colored nativity scene was created by the artist using watercolored hand-torn paper. The image, saturated in luxuriant, rich colors, radiates joy and blends innocence and sophistication effortlessly. 6”x 4.25”.
$3

Annie Poon is an animator and artist whose work is in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, New York. Her films have been exhibited at museums and film festivals throughout the United States including: BAM Next Wave Festival, Slamdance, LDS Film Festival, The Brooklyn Museum, The Arizona International Film Festival, and The Chicago International Children’s Film Festival. 6″ x 4.25″ card with gold foil-lined envelope.
Greeting: “Merry Christmas.”

Kah Leong Poon
Christmas in Central Park.
A romantic holiday image of Central Park, its gaslight lamps, and skyline. The falling snow holds some surprises; each snowflake bears greetings of its own: “peace,” “joy,” and many more left to the imagination. 5″ x 7″.
$3

Kah Leong Poon’s commercial clients include VH-1, London Fog, Polaroid, Ernst and Young, and The New York Times. He had a one-man exhibition at Grey Worldwide Advertising Agency. He has received awards from Fuji Film, Polaroid, and Adobe, and his work is included in the 2002 and 2006 Graphis Photography Annuals. 5″ x 7″ card with matching envelope.
Greeting: “Happy Holidays.”

Joanne Rowland
Scents of Joy.
What is more immediately evocative of Christmas than the smell of cinnamon, cloves, orange peel, and anise mixed with balsam needles? This card is an aromatic stroke of genius: it can be used as a tree ornament, a party favor, a gift adornment, or simply the best smelling card that ever graced a mailbox. Made of gossamer ribbon, golden tassel and tie chord enclosing a designer mix of holiday fragrant ingredients. 4″ x 2″ x 1″.
$6

Joanne Rowland is a writer, attorney, and educator. Her essays appear in Silent Notes Taken (Mormon Artists Group Press). After a twenty-year stint practicing law in New York City, she has recently relocated to South Korea where she teaches English in the state school system. Satchel of potpourri, ribbon, tassel, and card (1.75 ” x 1.25″). Comes with golden mailing tube 6″ x 2.25″.
Greeting: “May the fragrance of the season fill your home and your heart with joy.”

Ultra Violet
La Creche.
A vividly contemporary take on the imagery of the nativity by one of our most established artists. Using techniques of Pop Art and her own spiritually-based iconography, this magnetic picture wrestles Christmas away from tradition to make it new and relevant. 4″ x 6″.
$6

UltraViolet is the distinguished artist and author of Famous for 15 Minutes: My Years With Andy Warhol. Exhibitions of her work in 2006 include museums and galleries in Paris, New York, Houston, Seattle, and the Czech Republic. 4″ x 6″ card. Includes matching envelope.
Blank greeting.