Robert Hurlburt

Title:
Tech Artist II

Started at Hallmark:
November 1978

Started at Keepsakes:
November 2004

Hometown:
Holden, Missouri

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How was Keepsake artist Robert Hurlburt able to wow his grandsons and pay tribute to a fallen hero with his two latest ornaments. Continue reading to find out.

Get it right is Robert Hurlburt’s mantra. Even as a child, Robert took a scientific approach to his art. No purple suns in his boyhood pictures. He enjoyed sketching celebrities from photographs. “I wanted to see how close I could get,” he says. With that kind of mindset and determination, it’s no surprise that when he was hired at Hallmark over 25 years ago, Robert excelled in the detail-focused engraving department.

In late 2004, he brought his talents to the Keepsake department, which he calls “a whole new game.” Just a month into his job, Robert was asked to design. His first ornament, a Star Wars™ piece, was available in 2006.

As the Keepsake Artists continue to collaborate, Robert is challenged with finding ways to keep the creative process simple and the sculpture detailed. Robert is hooked on working with three-dimensional product, and his scientific mind continues to question how to take his artwork further. The daily one-hour commute to Hallmark gives him plenty of time to think about ornament design. When he’s home, Robert is a soybean farmer. He and his wife share their 40-acre homestead with horses, ducks and chickens and are considering adding llamas to the collection.

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