Meet Keepsake Artist…Rodney Gentry. Though Rodney expresses his playful nature by designing motorcycles, beloved characters, and retro toys, what really fascinates him is the thought that goes into each Keepsake. Rodney considers research as important as the artwork. In Rodney’s words, “I want to know the ‘why’ of the ornament. Why that particular pose? Why that expression? And why will this make a great Keepsake?”
Rodney’s 2020 designs.
2020 was a rough year and it was sad to see many of the Hallmark Keepsake artists go. Does anyone know where they are going? I am looking forward to the 2021 ornaments. Every year Hallmark does a fantastic job of creating beautiful ornaments. I would love to see some sneak peaks of the ornaments for this year. Will they bring back Mary’s Angel the one that Robert Chad does? I hope that everyone has a much better year in 2021.
Laura, since the Studio works in advance, artists who retire often have several ornaments “in the pipeline” that will appear in future years.
Some (not all) even continue to work for years as freelancers for Hallmark. Two great examples of this are Patricia Andrews with her Barbie ornaments and Don Palmiter. Don retired in 2014, but he has still sculpted Nostalgic Houses & Shops every year since.
It’s too early to know what direction the most recent retired artists will take. Mary’s Angels is a very successful series, I’m sure it will continue on for a long time no matter who sculpts it.
As far as 2021 Sneak Peeks, we have all the available sneak peeks on our 2021 page. You can find that under the Ornaments menu found on every page. Here is a direct link too: https://www.thedigitaldreambook.com/ornaments/2021-all/
Abigail