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Wednesday, March 6, 2019

When Keepsake Artist, Robert Hurlburt sits down at his desk to work every day, he has a wealth of inspiration at his fingertips ready to influence the next Keepsake ornament in the line. “I sit in the Innovation Center at Hallmark, so my work space is surrounded by all kinds of cool workshops,” he said. “From ceramics to fiber art to wood working/carving to laser and 3D printing—I’m surrounded by ideas and inspiration while I’m coming up with my own ideas for ornaments.”

But Robert also credits many of his great ideas to caffeine. “I’m a coffee-holic,” he said. “I can’t do anything without my cup of inspiration. I like to toss ideas around with Ken Crow while hanging around the coffee machine.”

When idea time is over and he’s ready to get sculpting on his latest creation, his workspace is packed with tools to get the job done. “My grinder tools from my engraving/die-making days are used a lot to create parts for other artists,” he said. “I also use them to do intricate detail work that would be difficult to do otherwise.”

When asked if his workspace feels conducive to creativity, Robert chuckled. “Well, it’s a creative mess with all the tools that I could need at my disposal,” he said. “But it’s also littered with examples of past and present work laying around for reference, and that’s always helpful.”

Also helpful is a gift from former Keepsake Artist, Sue Tague. “Sue made these little Calvin and Hobbes characters years ago,” Robert said. “They remind me every day of the wonderfully talented people I get to work with.”