By Kellen Olshefski
Editor
With the winter holiday season in full swing, artist T. James Carson is continuing Elkhorn’s Christmas Card legacy, featuring one of the city’s iconic landmarks.
With the cards historically featuring buildings and events within the proximity of downtown, according to Chamber of Commerce Director Chris Clapper, Elkhorn’s historic Sprague Theatre – now known as the Walworth County Performing Arts Center – fit in perfectly.
“We look at it as an iconic building in Elkhorn with its nature, being the past movie theatre and now a theatrical type of venue,” she said.
Clapper said the chamber typically gives the artist several options to run with, allowing the artist to make the final decision.
“This is what he came back with and I love the way it looks,” she said. “It kind of gives that hometown feel.”
The card contrasts last year’s, which Carson chose to feature a scene of the Stallman Farmstead outside of Elkhorn. Clapper said the chamber was looking to pursue a more rural scene last year in attempt to show that Elkhorn still does have “that country type of feeling.”
The Sprague Theatre opened in May 1928, originally featuring silent movies. After equipment was later purchased to show talking-pictures, the theatre functioned as a movie theatre through the 1970s. The screen and projection equipment were later removed from the building and the Lakeland Players, a local community theatre group, purchased the building in 1990 and have used the building for live productions since.
Carson’s original watercolor painting used for this year’s Christmas Card is on display at the Chamber office, 203 E. Walworth St., and will be until next year’s card is unveiled. His previous two paintings are on display at Matheson Memorial Library, 101 N. Wisconsin St., Elkhorn.
A Christmas tradition
The watercolor painting by artist Tim Carson was unveiled Oct. 18 during Oktoberfest celebrations. This is Carson’s third year working with the chamber on the Elkhorn tradition.
Carson is the third painter to carry on the Elkhorn tradition since the Christmas Cards were introduced several decades ago.
Beginning in 1958, Cecile Johnson, an artist from New York, was commissioned by the Ford Motor Company to create a series of six watercolor paintings to illustrate an article for the “Ford Times,” a monthly publication from the company.
Using the City of Elkhorn as inspiration, five of Johnson’s watercolor paintings were later used as artwork for Christmas Cards by a major publisher, distributing a little piece of Elkhorn Christmas cheer to thousands around the globe.
Five of Johnson’s paintings are displayed in Elkhorn City Hall at 9 S. Broad St.
Three decades later, the tradition was revived, with Jan Castle Reed being selected to paint 14 different winter scenes from around the city. Painting with acrylics, Reed was commissioned annually until she retired in 2010.
Reed donated all of her oil paintings to Matheson Memorial Library where they will remain on display permanently.
The artist and the card
Carson, whose painting of Elkhorn’s 1887 building was selected among four other competitors three years ago, is a full-time architect at Angus Young in Janesville.
Clapper said Carson’s paintings differ from Reed’s as he uses watercolors, much like Johnson back in the late 1950s.
Clapper said Carson’s cards have taken on a very “true-to-life” feel.
“I mean, you look at that, it looks like a real winter scene,” she said.
Clapper said feedback on the three cards Carson has done thus far has been overwhelmingly positive.
Carson’s paintings will join Reed’s works on display at Matheson Memorial Library, 101 N. Wisconsin St., Elkhorn, in the near future.
Future Christmas cards
Clapper said the Chamber hopes to continue to work with Carson on the annual Christmas Card in the future, something she said Carson is very interested in.
One of the ideas Clapper said the Chamber has tossed around with Carson is finding a way to do a sort of collage featuring various aspects of the community or possibly the numerous buildings restored by Elkhorn resident Gary Wallem, who portrays Santa Claus each year for chamber and city events. Clapper said it was originally what the chamber wanted to run with this year, but it was difficult to make the image cohesive.
“That’s something that’s actually still in his hopper, he’s still trying to figure out how to do it,” she said.
Clapper said they’d also like to see Carson do a painting of the Elkhorn’s downtown square, all decked out in Christmas decorations.
“Not that I want snow, but when snow hits and they put their decorations up, that’s one of the things we’re going to take a lot of photos of to try and help him with,” she said.
Continually looking at options throughout the year, Clapper said the Chamber welcomes suggestions from area residents.
In addition, Clapper said though it is only Carson’s third year executing the annual card, they hope to do a variety pack like they have done with Reed’s cards.
Want to buy a card?
This year’s cards, as well as those from the past, are available for purchase at the chamber office, 203 E. Walworth St., for $10 for 10. Cards can also be purchased at the Pharmacy Station, 3 E. Geneva St., and Friends on the Square, 41 N. Wisconsin St. Individual cards are also available upon request.
For more information, contact the chamber at (262) 723-5788.
