The Twelve Days of Christmas are from Christmas day to January 5th, or Epiphany. 10 years ago, when I was still in the illustration game, I got the job to produce paper sculpture illustrations for a book on the “Twelve Days of Christmas.” I had recently moved to North Carolina, the publisher was in Santa Monica, CA, so it was a cross-country project on a tight deadline.

Once the layouts had been approved, I cut, painted, and assembled the illustrations three at a time. Then they were shipped to be photographed by Blue Trimarchi in Pasadena, CA, because at that time I didn’t have a relationship with a photographer in Asheville, NC.

Paper sculpture is basically a decorative medium, and my versions of the 12 days of Christmas are “over the top” decorative illustrations. The 12 backgrounds were painted from yellow through a 12 step color wheel. I had been teaching Bauhaus based color theory on and off for 50 years, so it was a logical solution.

I had to make sure of the character count, for example 12 drummers drumming, by making small silhouettes, because I was told that the children were darn sure going to count them.

I have exhibited them during Christmas seasons past in the Asheville Community Theatre, the Grovewood Gallery, an artists co-op gallery, the Care Partners Solace Center, and now they are on display at Mission Hospital, a major medical center. Heaven forbid you have to go to Mission Hospital during the holidays but if you visit someone, go to the Cafeteria and see the illustrations hanging in the hallway…

Early Morning Cheer

Thank you to everyone at Arts for Life for helping make this possible, along with all the wonderful folks in the Child Life Unit at Mission, and the Facilities folks who approved and hung the display.

Enjoy this fun rendition of the song itself.

Read more about the song to help get it out of your head.

Thanks for visiting me …

leo