The art of Christmas

One of the most important and enjoyable Christmas decorations in our house is the profusion of Christmas cards. I am fortunate to number quite a few artists among my friends, and a good percentage of them make and send their own Christmas cards. Most of these tend to the secular and celebratory, but the range of image and technique is what really stands out. Literally, in the case of the sculptor Ann Christopher (born 1947), who makes wonderful little constructions of flexed and frayed silver card often decorated with stars, which balance three-dimensionally on the mantelpiece, like geometric Christmas trees. Other artists send small paintings — the abstract painter Edwina Leapman (born 1931) does exquisite stripe watercolours, the landscape painter David Tress (born 1955) sends tough charcoal snow scenes or light on winter gorse painted in acrylic and mixed media — and when these generous gifts turn up, it really feels as if Christmas has begun.

I have of course kept all these unique Christmas cards, which are now beginning to form quite a substantial collection. Among the most remarkable is the sequence from Euan Uglow (1932–2000), which I received during the last ten years of his life. I didn’t know him earlier when he sent etchings or a plaster Christmas pudding, or a miniature green felt Christmas tree sitting on a domed lead base, but I did receive images of various ladies, usually printed in linocut with collaged additions. (These might include halved pistachio shells for breasts or a red felt figure-hugging dress.) One year there was a linocut angel with sycamore seed wings, another year a figure fashioned entirely from dried rosemary and split lentils. In 1989 he sent a lino-cut of two camels in the desert printed on dark grey sandpaper, sprayed with gold and green. Every December Uglow produced about 300 of these highly individual and much-prized Christmas cards.