We stumbled upon Robert Charley in the Four Corners area of the United States in May.  We traveled down a little dirt road at the point where Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah meet on the Navaho Indian Reservation.  It was a beautiful clear day which we were told was a rare thing in that area as they get a lot of dust storms.  At the end of the narrow road, there were a few vendors set up with traditional Navaho art work and we spent a nice afternoon chatting with Navaho ornament artisan Robert Charley who has literally carved his own niche in the world of Native American ornaments with his arrow ornament designs. 

Mr. Charley learned to make arrows from his grandfather who traded with other tribes to get the obsidian that he needed for the tips of the arrows.  A process of flaking is used where the obsidian is hit at an acute angle and chipped away.  The obsidian becomes even sharper than a metal blade.  The native tribes in that area also used jasper, chalcedony, basalt and other hard minerals for the arrow tips which were struck with antlers, bones, wood or other rocks so that they were fractured into the shape and size needed for the arrow.  Once the tip was shaped, it was carefully chipped or ground, and today Robert Charley actually dulls the obsidian for the ornament arrows because of the safety issue. 

The Native American ornaments also have a spiritual significance to the Dine or Navaho culture.  It is said that the hand painted arrows hung over the doorway of your home offer protection for your family and all who enter.  Each ornament decoration has a different meaning with a lot of symbolism attached especially to color.  An arrow with a black feather can mean male as well as night or darkness.  Blue stands for female, sky or water.  An ornament hand painted in green signifies earth or rain.  Red represents sunset, and yellow is the symbol of day and sunshine.  Dots painted on an ornament symbolize day and night.  The four colors used to make the ornaments are also a symbol of protection from all four directions.  

 East – Black or Red     South – Turquoise     West – Yellow     North – White

Robert Charley says that he can sell all of the arrow ornaments that he can make and he doesn’t have a web site.  However, he did say that he welcomes calls to 970-739-2503 from individuals as well as stores that might have wholesale needs.   You may also contact him by email at RobertCharley@ymail.com .

Article and images used with permission from Robert Charley 

Our search for unusual ornaments lead us to the National Folk Festival in mile high Butte, Montana last week. We were pleased to see so many local artists with one-of-a-kind ornaments made from a variety of materials ranging from art glass to buffalo horns.  It was a delightful assortment of designer ornaments, and the artisans were so willing to share their techniques and ideas with the folks who crowded around their booths. 

Many of the artists spend the cold winter months coming up with fresh ornament designs and producing ornaments in preparation for the various fairs and festivals in the summer months.  The National Folk Festival is a real favorite for the ornament artists partly because the Butte community is so supportive and attendance at the festival was around 200,000 people over a three day period.

Our first stop was at the Folk Art of Norway booth where we had a nice chat with ornament artist Patti Jo Meshnik.  Patti Jo uses the traditional Norwegian art of Rosemaling to hand paint her colorful glass ornaments.  Rosemaling began in the 1600’s when Norwegians began painting their walls and furniture  with summer flowers to brighten their homes during the cold winter.   Another favorite from Norway are ornaments depicting birds and the Kornband.  A Kornband or sheaf of wheat is saved from the harvest to be set out for a Christmas Feast.   A native of Montana, Meshnik says that her Norwegian heritage influenced her style of painting and that it took several years to learn the art of Rosemaling.  Every ornament at Folk Art of Norway is signed and recorded in a log and some of her art has the logged number secretly embedded in the painting. 

There were also wonderful wearable ornaments created by Kevin and Valerie Pourier using buffalo horns.  Oglala Lakota, the Pouriers were the recipients of the 2006 Archibald Bush Foundation Artist Fellowship and the 2005 Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian Visiting Artists Fellowship as well as many other awards for their buffalo artforms.   Recognized world wide by collectors, their wearable ornaments are displayed in several museums, including the Smithsonian National Museum and the Royal Museum of Scotland.   Using traditional techniques of the buffalo people, the artists work together to shape and carve their jewelry and wearable ornaments into the predetermined design.  The intricate process is lengthy and comes only with years of practice.  The artform is completed when they inlay the buffalo horn with semi-precious minerals.  You will want to read more about these charming artists at KevinPourier.com.

Our third visit was with Leonda of Browning, Montana who uses colored glass to create vibrant ornaments.  She says that her favorite ornament is the red buffalo which has real buffalo fir for the tail.  She cuts the colored glass into the shape that she wants, and then she uses copper to enclose that shape for a finished look.  She often uses copper for the tails and manes of the animal ornaments.  Leonda has a great assortment of ornaments mostly depicting Montana life and animals.  The pretty blue horse above is so nice that we brought it home to display in our office.  An experienced artist who has worked with art  glass for many years, she will create custom ornaments for you if you call her at 406-338-3158.

Thanks to the citizens of Butte, Montana for supporting the arts. 

Article and images used with permission from the artists

 in Guanajuato, Mexico.

The colorful handcrafted and handpainted ceramic ornaments can be purchased online at La Casa Mexicana for $18 each.  The ornament supply is limited, so hurry if you want to add several Christmas ornaments or spring ornaments to your ornament collection.  The Gonzalez studio produces ornaments for many occasions and the red and green or red and blue heart ornaments are just perfect for a Valentines Day gift.

As the son of sculptor Rodolfo Gonzalez,  ornament artist Gorky Gonzalez  studied sculpture and casting objects in bronze and lost wax with his father. Later he worked in the village San Miguel de Allende at the School of Arts and the Allende Institute, where he built an artistic foundry attended by both student and professional sculptors.

Gonzalez also founded a small workshop of terra cotta manufacturing in the village of Marfil where he reproduced Jean Byron’s designs. His main interest, however, has always been rescuing the traditional majolica. Majolica refers to a type of pottery that is glazed with tin oxide to produce a soft white color.  Intricate designs are painted on the background with other metallic oxides.  These handpainted designs often change colors when the pottery is fired, making each ornament unique.   The name Majolica actually comes from the Spanish island of Majorca, where this style of pottery was exported to Italy beginning in the 15th century.

Currently, Gorky Gonzalez works with his son in his studio in Mexico where they continue to produce unique majolica ceramic ornaments.  You will want to see more of his ornaments as well as many of his other designs and creations at La Casa Mexicana.  You can also learn more about majolica and other Mexican handcrafted art on Wikepedia.

Article and images used with permission from LaCasaMexicana.com

The handpainted Victorian style ornaments designed and crafted by Debi Coules are irresistible!  They are so feminine and pretty that I want them all.  They are the perfect addition to a guest bathroom and of course they look fabulous on a traditional Christmas tree.  There are so many ideas for a subtle Victorian touch, and you are probably thinking of even more.  Debi’s ornaments would add a nice softness to an evergreen tree and even a pastel colored artificial Christmas tree with pink and white lights sounds very appealing with a few of her handpainted ornaments creatively placed. 

  Designing and creating is Debi Coules’ passion and she studied art at Syracuse University to enhance her natural talents and graduated with a BFA from the School of Visual Arts.  In case you haven’t guessed it by looking at these pretty pink ornaments, Debi is a true romantic at heart.  She says that she tries to evoke a feeling of romance in everything that she creates and she often uses nature as an inspiration.  Give in to your true romantic spirit and gift your sweetheart or yourself with a divine pink Christmas ornament.

Article and images used with permission from DebiCoules.com

All of the Art Collectible Ornaments found at OrnamentsMV.com are designed, sculpted and painted by artist Mark Venaglia in his Burbank, CA studio. Mark says that he is his own slave labor, often utilizing paintbrushes with two hairs and hand applying glitter imported from the far corners of the globe. No molds exist for any ornament or tree topper. Every Holiday Art Collectible is unique, and is created as an original work of art, then signed and dated. The more traditional ornaments are hand painted on mercury glass harvested from Discovery Thrift Stores. Vengalia utilizes casein fresco paint, local business Nova Color’s acrylic mica paint, and Trompe L’oeil techniques to alter the sphere in any way that he can.

As depicted on the website, OrnamentsMV.com, each ornament comes with an individual Certificate of Authenticity. The sculpted pieces combine Florentine plaster (it more effectively holds the carved details) and domestic stucco with several types of papier machie. Reclaimed phone books and cotton T shirts are shredded to make the papier mache.

Though Americans certainly value artists, original works of art only find their way into about 2% of our total population’s homes. For the majority, Christmas trees provide the only experience for owning original works for art. Mark says that the love and care that people demonstrate with his Art Collectibles Ornaments often surpasses how some collectors treat the paintings that they’ve acquired from him.

Mark Venaglia tells us that it is Christopher Radko who elevated ornaments to a collectible level. Expanding beyond Radko’s tradition, Mark designs and creates complete trees, which dramatically represent the life of the person or family commissioning the ornaments. Even the most exclusive tree designers cover their clients’ trees with ornaments available to everyone else. No molds exist for any ornament or tree topper that Mark Venaglia creates. Typically, eight weeks are required for this exclusive artist service.

As an Art Historian, Venaglia also enjoys including additional depths of meaning in each ornament. Working at The Getty, and hosting art tours in every major museum in LA, art history comes alive on each Art Collectible. The matilaja poppy ornaments he creates are also very popular. Along with the orange California poppy, both of these native botanicals appear on ornaments as painted garlands or sculpted flowers with petals unfurling.

The custom ornaments typically start at $185 per work of art. Tree toppers are acquired for $500-$2,000. Amazingly, hundreds of these Art Collectibles have been shipped all over the world, and not one breakage has ever occurred.

Be prepared for a breathtaking experience when you visit Mark Venaglia’s Art Collectible Ornaments! Don’t forget to mention Ornaments.com when you order, because Mark has very generously offered free shipping on your commissioned ornament when you tell him you read this article.

Please email Mark Venaglia to receive free shipping on your custom ornaments.

Article & images used with permission from Mark Venaglia.

A licensed artist with Great American Collectibles, sculptor Robert Francis is a self-taught artist who has turned his love of wood and sculpture into a thriving online business at RFStudio.com. We were astonished to learn that he creates all of the ornament designs without ever touching a pencil to paper. The graphic design is already in his mind before he begins each ornament, and in that artist mode, creativity flows, and another matchless wooden ornament is formed. Then, the handcrafted basswood ornament is hand painted with bright and cheerful hues. That beautiful hand painting is the “icing on the cake.”

From his home studio in Syracuse, New York, Robert Francis spends the day around his snowmen ornaments, angel, santa and folk ornaments. His shelves also include wonderful figurines for Christmas, as well as other holidays. But he doesn’t get to keep the ornaments and figurines around long, because once he displays them on RFStudio.com, the ornaments usually sell out very quickly as does his other artwork. As you can see from the close up image of the snowman ornament, it is attention to detail that sets the hand carved wooden ornaments apart from the ordinary, and each of the ornaments are designed to be unique and one-of-a-kind with a personality of its own. No two ornaments can ever be identical!

The artist will accept commissions to create special heirloom orders. If you have an ornament design in mind, you can take advantage of Robert’s years of experience and his natural talents to bring that design to life. Contact him through the studio today for an appointment to discuss your keepsake ornament. Mention Ornaments.com or enter the word “ornaments” in the coupon manager at the time of the order and receive 20% off of any purchase!

Article and images used with permission from rfstudio.com.

Susan Cherry says that she is thrilled to be a grandmother, and it only takes a few seconds on the Cherry Designs Inc. website to know that she is pretty delighted with life in general. Her enthusiasm is reflected in the prolific collection of ornaments that she and David Cherry have put together to celebrate every occasion and milestone .

The sense of humor that comes through in the ornaments is contagious, and scrolling through the pages of blown glass ornaments may just make you laugh out loud. I get the feeling that she had one of her grandchildren in mind for every design and that every ornament is “grandchild inspired.” Being able to see life from a child’s point of view is definitely an asset for creating fun “one of a kind” ornaments.

Susan and David Cherry are both artists, and have recently added a gallery of Susan’s ornaments and David’s newest inspirational art to their website. It is important to them that you are pleased with your ornaments, and so each of their handblown ornaments comes with a lifetime guarantee and free personalization.

Susan Cherry started Cherry Designs, Inc. in 2000, and with her skills as an artist, seamstress and writer, she has developed a prosperous business, and her blown glass ornaments have been shipped worldwide. She basks in her role as Nana, and she loves all celebrations, especially Christmas. Susan is very pleased, because through her charming ornaments, she gets to share the Christmas fun that has been a part of her family tradition for years.

Article and images used with permission from Cherry Designs Inc.

Ne’Qwa Art is the world’s largest producer of the centuries-old tradition of painting on the inside of glass. The same meticulous techniques that captivated emperors and art connoisseurs ages ago are used to create each of their lovely designs, including their most popular lines of decorative ornaments and petite ornaments. Although some scholars have dated the Chinese art form of painting on the inside of glass to over 1000 years ago, it was not until the mid-17th century that it became a prized and collected art form within the imperial court.

The artists at Ne’Qwa Art must paint through a small opening in the ornament on the inside of the glass. To paint in this art form, the artist has to paint in reverse order with the foreground completed first and then finish with the background. Certain ornaments used are opaque mouth-blown glass. These ornaments don’t allow the artist to see the tip of the brush and all painting must be done by “feel”. Through a small opening in each ornament, the artist uses delicate brush strokes to hand-paint on the inside of mouth-blown glass. From outlining to shading to color application, all work is painstakingly done in freehand. Although this reverse-painting art form flourished during the 17^th century, today there are only a few artist groups, living in remote villages throughout China, who possess the skill to create these Ne’Qwa ornaments. The carefully chosen artists at Ne’Qwa Art offer stunning diversity of subject matter, ranging from whimsical characters to sensuously rich details.

Their distinguished artists have built a following of fans worldwide who recognize their distinctive styles. Collected by celebrities across the globe, these amazing ornaments are enjoyed as perfect gifts for any occasion. You will recognize several names & faces on the celebrity gift list who appreciate these outstanding hand painted glass ornaments. Each piece comes packaged in a luxurious, satin-lined, velour presentation case, ideal for gift giving. In addition, each ornament is accompanied by a signed Certificate of Authenticity describing the unique art history and reverse painting process.

Take a look at Ne’Qwa Art’s online video to see the artist at work and watch how the incredible images are magically created on the inside of glass. After all… true beauty comes from within.

Article and images used with permission from NeQwa.com

At age 12 Christine Coffman asked her father to teach her to carve. That was 46 years ago in Garden City Michigan. Over time her own style developed and people began to see her Polish and German heritage in her work. Listening to advice from fellow carvers, she learned to be more detail oriented. She also learned that she was not so much a woodcarver, but an artist who worked in wood.

Coffman draws her own ornament and figurine patterns and then forces the figure from the wood. She uses both Butternut wood and Linden wood, also known as Bass wood. Linden wood is used due to the perfect pairing of its properties to her needs. Linden wood is light and strong. The grain is straight and allows fine knife strokes to create a smooth surface. Butternut wood is used for its interesting grain patterns. Both woods are native to the eastern United States.

Ornaments were a natural extension of her artwork. Each ornament is still a tiny, original sculpture that looks natural hanging by a string. Granted, sometimes the cats or elephants ornaments are hanging by their tails, but who is to say that is not perfectly natural?

By drawing her own ornament patterns, Christine is able to change them on a whim. She will use a basic outline to start the carving but by giving each ornament carving different details, she creates very different looks. That premise carries over to every ornament figure she carves. The little children ornaments may be described simply as being dressed in pajamas or nightgowns and holding onto the string with one hand, but once carved, each child has his or her own distinct look. The wooden ornaments at Christmas-Carvings are not limited in design. You will find nativity sets, wooden santas, cat figurines and much more. With Christine Coffman’s talents and skills, a piece of wood is pure potential.

Article and images used with permission from Christmas-Carvings.com

Angelo Tiozzo is the glass master who heads Gala Glass. His pedigree as a glass artisan is beyond reproach. He was born in Murano, Italy – a small island close to Venice – which is the world’s premiere centre for glass artistry. Murano has produced families of master glassmakers for more than a millenium. Angelo Tiozzo was born into such a family, and starting at the tender age of 11, he began polishing his craft under the watchful eye of Murano’s great glassmakers.

Today, with over 50 years of experience in the glass arts, Angelo works in the family business along with his wife and two sons. To ensure a wide offering of artistic crystal glass creations, Angelo also selects the best from the work of other world-class craftsmen to enrich the Gala Glass legacy.

Angelo is such a stickler for quality that every creation is inspected at the workshop by a trained member of the Tiozzo family to ensure the high standards that Gala Glass demands are constantly met. You can rest assured that when they ship your order, it will contain a standout handmade creation that will be treasured for years.

Article and images used with permission from GalaGlass.com