Tuesday 16 December 2014

Nicola's Christmas card and the story behind it

The painting - by Phyllis Dodds, a celebrated artist and wife of a former director of Glasgow School of Art - was on a Christmas card years ago. The original was in the Glasgow School of Art's archive and survived the dreadful fire earlier this year. 

Bringing it back to life as a Christmas card seemed like the perfect way to symbolise the restoration of the fire-damaged School. 

I have to say that I prefer it to the tacky nonsense that some politicians go for, with their own photograph, or them with their kids. I mean who wants Tony and Cherry Blair looking down from the mantelpiece?

17 comments:

  1. Nice idea, an escape from a cataclysm and then a rebirth, what we all wished for.

    A photo of the warmonger and spouse, on the mantle, it would certainly keep the bairns away from the fire.

    jimnarlene

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    1. And the mice... and spiders... and burglars...

      Trouble is you really wouldn't want to be in the same room as him.

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  2. Peaceful picture although I keep seeing it as two pictures top and bottom.

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    1. It could be two pictures, CH. I thought it was that at first...

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    2. Very talented lady, as indeed are all those who studied at the Glasgow School or Art!

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  3. It's full of symbolism.

    Nearest the viewer, ivy, which should be a dark vibrant green is shown as washed out. A bench, utterly useless for it's job - then suddenly a barrier, the first of several; yet within those barriers are arrows pointing to the horizon.

    Then in the distance, the only colour, a faint trace of the warmth to come...

    Of course, I'm probably talking bollocks...

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    Replies
    1. Of course, its not bollocks if that is how you see it. Can you see the "eyes" peering through the fence and is the bench a horse waiting to jump over the fence? Are their footprints in the distance?

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    2. Oh tae be a intellectual, like whit yous twa are...

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    3. PS They're's no harme inn the od spalling mistak. I'fe bean nown too mack thim meslef!

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  4. Tris

    Yeah agree, some of the tacky cards are just awful. Like the traditional ones with a Robin etc.

    Bruce

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    1. I have to be honest and say that I like robins... (I've got one in the garden who is getting tamer by they day), but I could do without cards altogether.

      Seems like a waste of money in giving cards to people you see every day; you can offer them your greetings (or not) face to face. And those you only see once a year, well... there are phones, or if they are in Zimbabwe, or Australia, the internet.

      It's just another way to get money out of us.

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  5. Instead of the Blairs, think about a luminous one from Murphy with eyes that follow you around the room. I do like a good ghost story at Christmas.

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    1. Look, there's scary and there's scary... then there's downright horrific... and then there's a Murphy Christmas card...

      But hush, for children may be reading this, and we don't want to scar them for life...

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  6. I think it is a lovely card and I do like the sentiment behind it, that there was so many things, precious things in the School that were lost that this survived and is being used as her card by our First Minister is superb, and may I say whilst it may appear feminine it is also neutral and can be sent to everyone.

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    Replies
    1. I didn't think it was feminine Helena. It's just a pleasant winter snowy scene...

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