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Deck the Halls with Diane Dempsey

Published by Modtraveler.net On October 2, 2021

Retro Christmas Cards inspired by Midcentury Memories

 

October 2, 2021 – If you grew up in the 1950s, ‘60s or ‘70s, you’ll remember shiny tinsel trees, atomic age ornaments and frustrated fathers trying to figure out which faulty bulb to replace in order to fully illuminate their tangled string of colorful holiday lights. Back then the anticipation for Christmas was palpable. In recent years, however, many have turned to nostalgia to re-live those festive days gone by.

Modtraveler.net guest writer and artist, Diane Dempsey, shares with us her take on the holiday nostalgia craze and how she turned her own Yuletide memories and love of Midcentury Modern into a thriving seasonal business …

 

The sense of style that developed during the mid-century era was different than anything that came before. The lines were simple and clean, the spaces were open, the colors were fresh and popped in contrast to the traditional times that preceded them. These elements and other influences inspired me to create my Mid-Century Modern  Retro Christmas Cards and related products.

My Mid-Century Modern house illustrations were a peek into an era that I remember fondly. The memories of these childhood days of the 1960’s, with all the heady excitement of Christmas looming in the near future, lives on with me as I sit down to sketch the next Retro Christmas Card.

“Be home before dark,” Mom would say. As we rambled home from a day playing in the snow, right at twilight, we passed the warmly lit homes a-glow with holiday lights. This memory is a treasured recollection that inspires my Christmas illustrations. In each scene I imagine a family gathering in celebration of their holiday. Putting up the lights, bringing home the tree, waking on Christmas morning, throwing a memorable party… all scenes that I hope you can place yourself in as I did when I illustrated them.

A great deal of research is done to create these illustrations, and I am inspired by the great architects of the era. I take liberties with the architecture by peeling open the fronts of these homes to reveal the festivities inside.  I  love seeing neighborhoods at Christmas and looking at the holiday lights, it especially charms me to see the silhouettes of families inside the houses though the picture windows. That is the inspiration behind my Retro Christmas scenes.

My fascination with the imagery of a Christmas witnessed at the magic hour brought about a long dreamed of product for the Retro Christmas Card Company – The Retro Christmas Village. I created this village collection to bring my illustrations to life. I am proud to say this, as I worked for years perfecting the process that created this magical mid-century panorama. It was my goal to represent the era that I remember from the 1960s, and to illuminate these scenes from my memories of Christmas past.

I hope my artwork will bring back fond Christmas memories and bring a smile to your face.

by Diane Dempsey

To check out Diane’s Retro Christmas Card Company, visit her website at retrochristmascardcompany.com

Place your order early, she sells out every year!

 

 

Categories: Blog, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Palm Springs, Uncategorized, Vancouver Tags: cards, christmas, christmas cards, diane dempsey, midcentury, midcentury modern, modern, retro, retro christmas village
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About Our Contributors


Ken MacIntyre

A modernism enthusiast, author and world traveler - if you only count Palm Springs, Las Vegas, Hawaii & Vancouver! - Ken is the creator of Modtraveler.net.



Anant Topiwala

Anant is an Architect living and working in LosAngeles, CA. His passion for art and design led him to study architecture at the University of Texas at Austin. He's since worked on a multitude of projects in the United States, Canada, and Brazil.


About Modtraveler.net

Ken MacIntyre is a contributing writer to Atomic-Ranch.com as well as the author of Coco Cabana: Designed for Gracious Living and the best selling travel guide Reel Vancouver: An Insider’s Guide to Hollywood North, which was recommended by Lonely Planet as a “definitive guide to screen culture in the city.”

With Modtraveler.net, Ken combines his love of all things mid-century modern including architecture, design and 1950s-60s popular culture, with travel, and shares over twenty years of experience about his favorite destinations, including Palm Springs, Las Vegas, Hawaii & his home town, Vancouver, British Columbia.

Ken welcomes readers to share their own travel tips and retro recommendations! Read more here ...

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