Monday, December 12, 2016

A Season of Merriment and Melody in Dallas,Texas

Welcome friends!
Today I want to share a special email I received over the weekend
from 
The National Society of Decorative Painters.
This is the society I've had the joy of being a member of since 1988.
As most of you know, I'm a Decorative Design Painter and Interior Style Artist.
I painted ornaments for the White House Blue Room Christmas Tree along with other members in 1998 and 2004 
and
 was invited to visit and have dinner at the White House.
An experience that still brings great joy when I remember those special times traveling
to Washington DC.

The musical drum I painted is shown in the Society's graphic to the left. It was hand painted in several jeweltone colors all around with directions for stroke work Rosemaling designing to complete each instrument.

This season my 2004 trip is being revisited and shared exactly the way it was
at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, Texas.
Below is the blog post from the Society that was shared with me over the weekend with links to my post which I shared with you in blogland.
It is an honor to help decorate the People's House
and  
if you live in the area or plan to visit Dallas now through Jan. 8th 2016,
I invite you to share in the fun of seeing the amazing theme for 2004.

Posted: 09 Dec 2016 10:39 AM PST
The new exhibit “A Season of Merriment and Melody” at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, Texas opened on November 17 and is a replica of the 2004 White House Christmas tree, which featured more than 350 miniature musical instruments hand-painted by our members.
Bush Library-Blue Room Tree SDP
Our Boots & Brushes of San Antonio Chapter visited center last month. They enjoyed classic holiday music, took photos with Santa and in front of the Christmas tree, and saw the original White House decorations from 2004! Current Past President Wendy Watson ADP shared pictures from the visit.
Bush Library announcement Visit to Bush Library 2016 with SDP tree Wendy and Michele Oval Office Oval Office - Wendy and Santa Bush Library Chorale Visit to Bush Library - Yummy beautiful cookies
A number of our members who painted the ornaments are reminiscing about their experience, one of them being current President Kathy Swigon CDA. Take a look at the ornament she painted for the tree.
kathy swigon ornament
Another member is Celeste (Celestina Marie) who painted an ornament for the White House Christmas Tree in 1998 and 2004. “As a (SDP) member since 1988, I have improved my skill, met many great artists, studied alongside kindred spirits, and yes, even taken the road to the White House, she said. “What an honor it was for all of us!” You can read more about Celeste’s experience in this blog post on her website Southern Daydreams.

Larry and Celeste with Laura Bush in front of the Blue Room Christmas tree 2004.
Laura Bush (1)
You may ask, what happens to the ornaments once Christmas is over? The ornaments painted for the White House stay with the White House and are used in other ways in the future or displayed in the Library of Congress.
The exhibit will be open to the public through January 8, 2017. To purchase tickets and for more information, visit BUSHCENTER.ORG/HOLIDAYS.

Thank you for stopping by and sharing in my revisit from the Society for 2016.

See you soon with more Christmas home decorating.
Wishing you happy days as we countdown to Christmas.

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