Yet another Althouse Moment -- this is becoming something of a Christmas tradition -- as we print, crop, stamp with gold seal and tip in the inside vellum of our Christmas cards.
The Xmas Card Factory on our dining-room table is in full production mode. Tuck put in an order for 25 this year. We got the idea for the gold seal from President and Mrs. Bush's Christmas card. [Note: White House website caption for Jamie Wyeth painting featured on card misidentifies black cat India as "Willie the cat." We've notified the WH webmaster. Update: India's nickname is "Willie," according to her webpage within the official WH site.] Our message this year expresses "the tidings that dare not speak their name" by artfully implying without spelling out the forbidden word: "Hang a shining star upon the highest bough . . . [And have yourself a merry little Chrismas now]."
Beauty in unexpected places strikes again, this time as the morning sun backlights a fistful of frame shapes left over (behind card in top photo) after cropping. Note whisper-thin black crosses articulating the space, the cropmarks and centerfold lines that had guided our hand now transformed into gestural accents guiding our eye.
Our throwaway handful of paper scraps backlit by the sun called to mind the effect of Noguchi's akari light sculptures: "the name akari, which I coined, means in japanese 'light' as illumination. it also suggests lightness as opposed to weight."
While we waxed poetic, Tiny once again went for the jugular, her gleaming eye transforming a Glue Stic into the object of her predatory desire.
Sisu, you do find extraordinary beauty wherever you look.
Posted by: goomp | December 03, 2005 at 05:01 PM
Absolutely beautiful, and that pic of Tiny is priceless.
Posted by: Mog | December 03, 2005 at 10:12 PM
May I ask what program, if any, you used to make those gorgeous Christmas cards ?
Not being a creative soul..I definitely would need some kind of software program to help me along !
Posted by: Tara | December 04, 2005 at 05:10 PM
Photoshop rules!
Posted by: Sissy Willis | December 04, 2005 at 05:41 PM
Sissy... abso-LUTE-ly magnificent! I especially like the first photo of "scraps." I would never have thought of that...
... and now I've got to figure out a way to finagle myself into a PhotoShop class, especially since beloved Husband just upgraded us to CS.
Please give your wonderful purrs lots of skritchies from me, and keep up that gorgeous work!
-- R'cat
CatHouse Chat
Posted by: Romeocat | December 04, 2005 at 07:46 PM
Beautiful photos. Just really pretty. Gave me some peace just to look at them.
Posted by: Laura Lee Donoho | December 05, 2005 at 12:34 AM
R'Cat is right, that first photo is awesome!
If I get Santa to get me a digital camera for Christmas can I borrow just a smidge of your talent?
Posted by: Janette | December 05, 2005 at 03:13 AM
The miracles of Photoshop !
I suspect, though, that the talent is all yours,Sissy.
Posted by: Tara | December 05, 2005 at 12:25 PM
It doesn't hurt to have an artistic eye . . . :)
Posted by: Sissy Willis | December 05, 2005 at 12:32 PM