Featured Artist: Tracy Larsen
Title:
Hallmark Artist
Started at Hallmark:
October 1987
Started at Keepsakes:
August 1995
Hometown:
North Ogden, Utah
Lee’s Summit, Missouri
A longstanding artist with diverse and divergent interests, Tracy Larsen has contributed greatly to the Keepsakes legacy. From early pop culture pieces featuring Howdy Doody™ and The Three Stooges™, to his own recent imaginings of Santa, Tracy’s versatility and creative spirit continue to invigorate the art of ornament-making.
Like most preschoolers, Tracy Larsen spent a lot of time with cartoons—but instead of just watching them, Tracy studied them! He spent his childhood hours drawing characters from The Flintstones™ and Peanuts®. He also copied newspaper comic strips, but at the mature age of eight, Tracy moved to the more sophisticated material on the editorial page. The 1968 Nixon vs. Humphrey presidential race became a favorite subject. While looking through newspapers and magazines, Tracy started noticing the differences among artists’ styles—another aspect of his self-described “knack for art.” He studied everything he found around his house, from European magazine illustrations to his own personal favorite of the day: Mad magazine. Tracy did his first sculpting with clay-like kneaded erasers, but through his schooling, moved on to higher-quality materials and projects. He produced his first serious sculpture, a bust of Muhammad Ali, while he was still a teenager. During junior high and high school, Tracy kept honing his skills in his art classes, his primary instructor/mentor being the noted fantasy artist, James Christensen. What a great program those schools must have had, since Tracy is one of several classmates now working as professional artists.
2018 Sneak Peek: April Wallpaper
Soar into April on the wings of fantasy with this month’s free desktop or mobile device wallpapers featuring Flight of Fancy by Tracy Larsen.
Flight of Fancy
2018 Sneak Peek: The Beauty of Birds Miniature
Red-Tanager
In celebration of the changing season, here is a sneak peek of the 2018 miniature Red Tanager by Keepsake Artist Edythe Kegrize. It was inspired by the 2011 KOC Event exclusive Scarlet Tanager* ornament.
Q&A: Dream Book
2018 Dream Book
Every year, the Dream Book is one of the most anticipated, most exciting happenings in the world of ornaments. Not only is it fun for collectors to dream about upcoming ornaments, it’s also a great way to catalog ornaments from Christmases past. This year, Hallmark Art Director Ron Arens gives us a behind-the-scenes look at what went in to the making of the Dream Book for 2018.
2018 Dream Book
Keepsake Ornament Club Edition
Ron Arens: The biggest change this year is the size. The in-store Dream Book is now 7 ¾” wide x 10 ½” tall, which is 40% larger than in previous years, and also the size of a standard catalog. I know they say size doesn’t matter, but in this case, I disagree. The larger book really highlights the ornaments, the artists and their families. And the Keepsake Ornament Club Edition is specifically tailored to the club member, with unique photography and stories throughout. Collectors will love it!
2018 Sneak Peek: Upon This Rock
Upon This Rock
This charming stone church ornament is a sweet reminder of all of spring’s blessings. Keepsake Artist Don Palmiter created “Upon This Rock” based on a local stone church.
For Keeps: Volume 17, Issue 2 Spring 2018
See what’s coming and what’s going in 2018, take a look inside the making of the Dream Book, and meet your fellow club members.
- A note from Anita
- A new year of memories
- First and finals
- An inside look at the Dream Book
- Crafting with Keepsakes: Make a wabi-sabi planter
- Meet the members
- Jerry B.
- Catherine P.
- Claudia B.
- 2018 Keepsake Artist Signing Events
For Keeps – The Official Newsletter of the Hallmark Keepsake Ornament Club.
Online Dream Book Release Date
2018 Dream Book
The online version of the 2018 Dream Book will be posted on Hallmark.com on Thursday, April 19, 2018. A downloadable copy of this year’s Wish List will also be available at this time.
Local Club News: March 2018
Here is the latest Club communication from the KOC.
Hello Local Club Presidents and/or contacts:
As a valued member of our Keepsake family and an important influencer and communicator for your club members, we want to keep you informed about some important information related to the KOC.
2018 Sneak Peek: Mary’s Angels
Allium
31st in the Mary’s Angels series.
Every year, a different, unique flower and the meaning and symbolism behind it inspire the Mary’s Angels series.
This year, the long-stalked, round-headed allium flower inspired Keepsake Artist Robert Chad in his design.
Robert is an avid bicyclist and often bikes around Kansas City for inspiration. The purple color of the 31st in series was inspired by a beautiful bunch of allium he saw while biking in the Kauffman gardens near his home.
Allium’s meaning is about humility, patience and unity—a beautiful theme for a beautiful ornament.
Sneak Peek: What New Series Are Coming in 2018
This year brings four new exciting series to collect and enjoy.
- 1957 CHEVROLET® BEL AIR™
1st in the Lil’ Classic Cars series
Each ornament will feature a different classic car. Wheels turn. Metal.
By Don Palmiter. - 1938 BUICK® Y-JOB
1st in the Legendary Concept Cars
Each ornament in this five-part series will feature a legendary concept car that helped shape the future of automotive technology and design. Wheels turn. Die-cast metal. - PEACE
1st in the Christmas Angels series
Each ornament will feature an angel with a meaningful holiday message. Artist crafted, fabric and metal. By Joanne Eschrich. - JOURNEY TO THE STARS
1st in the Christmas Carnival
Each ornament in this five-part series will feature a festive amusement park ride with sound, light and motion. Collect future ornaments in the series to unlock more interactive performances.
By Ken Crow.