Five ‘cards’ on Christmas Card Lane up for auction

“My Christmas” by Nadiya Smyrnova is one of five cards on Christmas Card Lane up for auction. Madison Arts Council will accept bids through Dec. 29 at 5 p.m. (CONTRIBUTED)

MADISON – Madison Arts Council (MAC) is auctioning five of the ‘cards’ on Christmas Card Lane.

A MAC fundraiser, the auction “is a great opportunity to have a beautiful work of art as part of your future holiday decorations,” MAC President Shrail Heinrich said. Online bidding will start at $50. To view and bid on the cards, visit artsmadison.org/auction.

Bidding will end on Dec. 29.

“Many of our card artists have studios, online shops and do commissioned work,” Heinrich said. “Please be sure to visit the website and click ‘Bio’ under each card image for more information.”

Individuals can bid on the following cards:

* “Big Al” – Connie Broadway-Lougheed has taught classes for the past 10 years. For Christmas Card Lane, she chose to paint the University of Alabama’s Big Al, who appears to be stuck in a chimney top.

* “Christmas Carolers” – Sandy Sparks’ creation has a working, twinkling lamppost and three-dimensional snow. The Sparks family moved to Madison in 2011. She was introduced to the area’s art world at Madison’s former 16 Main artist community.

* “Home for Christmas” – Connie Blackwell created a nostalgic landscape that engenders the look of a classic Currier & Ives scene. A horse-drawn sleigh plows through the snow on its way home to a house with a bright Christmas tree in the front window.

* “My Christmas” – Nadiya Smyrnova, a junior at Madison Academy, painted a stone church with lights glowing inside. A recent snowstorm has drenched the evergreen trees and nearby bridge in a cushion on snow.

* “Wise Men Still Seek Him” – Misty Merschat created a subdued representation of the three Wise Men riding on camels in shades of blue. They are following the brilliant star over the town of Bethlehem to find the Christ child.

“We hope everyone has enjoyed the first annual Christmas Card Lane,” Heinrich said. “We appreciate the artists, residents of historical Madison and our sponsors for helping to make an idea a reality.”