December Days: 24 Something Passed Along




I was searching through my flat-files for something (not yet found). A drawer dedicated for “Artwork by Others” holds art event posters, print exchanges, gifts from fellow artists, and other small pieces. Among the prints (that hope to someday find space on a wall), I found a small piece of which I could not remember the origin.

 

It is a charming little (5.75”x6.23”) flier with an image of a woodcut on one side and a Christmas poem on the other. It looks as if it was intended to be folded, but never was. It appears to be a machine-made copy with blue ink.

 

 

The names of the artists were Lon T. Marks and Beulah D. Marks. So I began researching and discovered they were a pastor and his wife in West Virginia. I found Beulah's lengthy biography on FindaGrave and I recognized the name of a grandson, Terrence Heldreth. He is a sculpture artist in Eugene, Oregon and I had met him when I worked as Gallery Assistant at the Dan and Gail Cannon Gallery at WOU. If you ever get a chance to see his work, it is worth the time.

 

 

 

Mr. Heldreth had an exhibit “Things Passed Down” at the gallery in 2013 from April 3rd to the 26th. One of his installations was interactive with a box full of letters, notes, and other ephemera that he said had come from the attic. The label information invited visitors to take a piece away with them. I remember now... this charming little print is what I took with me. Thank you Lon, Beulah, and Terrence... it is a treasure!

 

God With Us

A candle in a window
A star upon a tree,
A berry on a Holly leaf
All mean to you and me


That Christmas is a season
Of love, and warmth, and joy,
Made possible to everyone
By just a baby boy


Who saw our needs from heaven
And entered earth to dwell,
Borne on the wings of angels
And called, “Emmanuel”.



Comments

  1. When I posted this, there was a typo in the title and I later edited it. Now when I share the link, it shows. i am unable to figure out how to fix it. This is what comes of writing a blog post at 3am!

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