Artists reveal talent in Christmas Card Lane

MADISON – Madison Arts Council invites everyone to drive by or walk through Christmas Card Lane in downtown Madison for a stunning view of Christmas past, present and imagined.

In its fourth consecutive year, Christmas Card Lane is an outdoor exhibit of life-size cards that volunteers have placed in residents’ front lawns and at businesses along Church, Front and Main streets in the historic district. MAC provided each artist with a 4-feet-by-6-feet sheet of half-inch plywood to create the card design.

These artists are among the contributing painters for 2017:

* “Alabama Cotton Christmas” — Emily Barkley designed her first card this year. A visual artist, she primarily works with acrylics and watercolor but specializes in mixed media collage. Cotton fields are one of her favorite subjects, and Barkley wanted to show cotton as a fixture in this community and the South in her card submission. She works at Huntsville Hospital and studied art/painting at University of Montevallo.

* “Merry and Bright” — Stephanie Thompson of Madison chose to create a whimsical painting to brings smiles to all faces with a Rudolphesque reindeer who has tangled his antlers in Christmas lights. Actual blinking lights add whimsy. “My experience with art has included making custom art pieces for family and friends and painting a mural for a business,” Thompson said. Currently, Thompson serves as set director/artist for Drama Club at Columbia Elementary School.

* “Let It Snow” — Art Club members at Discovery Middle School collaborated on this charming depiction of a puppy wearing a Santa cap in a field of snow drifts. Participants included Kadyen Rose, Marcello Mancusi, Zachary Persons, Mina Brunsvold, Madison Castillo, Joel Helwig, Vivian Wuu, Lily Parsley, Elizabeth Koifman, Baraka B, Gwen Newell, Nolan Cooper, Emma Teng, Tabitha Gionia, Jakovia Garner, Riley Fitzpatric, Hannah Southward, Alia McGee, Callie Gregory, Ashley Baragona, Ariana Fulda, Kathleen Stephens, Alia Mcgee and art teacher Judy Bagwell.

* “And to All a Good Night” — An accomplished artist, Gerald Clark used the poem, “T’was the Night Before Christmas,” as inspiration for reindeer in flight with Santa’s sleigh after delivering gifts. An Auburn University graduate, Clark works as a licensed landscape architect at Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood and represents District 6 on Madison City Council.

Cards are illuminated each evening until 9 p.m. through Dec. 31. For more information, visit artsmadison.org.