Latest News: Artists

Latest News: Artists2020-04-11T17:36:55-06:00

Artist Insight: In The Studio with Allie Robillard

The Keepsake Studio spoke with Hallmark Artist Allie Robillard about her background and shared a glimpse of an ornament she created for 2025.

Allie: “I’ve been at Hallmark for around 8 years, and I’ve been working on ornaments the entire time. I spent 3 years in Hallmark Ornaments before moving over to Keepsake Ornaments for the next 3 years. And now I kind of double-dip into both!”

Allie: “Oh, wow, club members probably wouldn’t realize how much I love the horror genre. Most of my ornaments are on the sweeter side with bright colors and fun vibes. I couldn’t tell you why, but I’ve always just loved horror movies.”

Allie: “I’m looking forward to spending more time outside as a family. I LOVE winter but I’m missing how easy it is to get outside for a quick walk or playground run.“

Allie: “I was originally inspired by my best friends as I was designing this ornament. But then, I found a new, special meaning when I learned I was pregnant with my second daughter! Now I will always see my girls in these fox sisters.“

Sisters Share the Love will be available at Keepsake Ornament Premiere in July!

Sisters Share the Love

April 2nd, 2025|0 Comments
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Top Picks for 2025

Hmmm, decisions are hard!

If Keepsake artists could choose only one ornament as their number one pick this year, what would it be-and why? After checking in with a few of them, we learned it’s definitely a tough question. But these artists were up to the challenge.

Allie Robillard
Hallmark Keepsake Artist

Dasher
Eight Tiny Reindeer
1st in the series.

“My top pick for 2025 is going to be Dasher, the first ornament in my new series, Eight Tiny Reindeer. It ended up being a very collaborative project to plan this series, and I’m so excited to share what our studio created.”

– Allie Robillard

Christmas Cooker

“I am really looking forward to picking up the Christmas Cooker ornament by Matt Johnson. I love the little snowman face! All the detail he packed into this miniature ornament is amazing.”

– Emma Leturgez-Smith

Emma Leturgez-Smith
Hallmark Keepsake Artist

Sharon Visker
Hallmark Keepsake Artist

Keepsake Village

“The ornament I’m most excited about is the 2025 Keepsake Village magic ornament. This was a collaborative piece that I did with Emma LeturgezSmith. With light, sound and motion, this ornament required a lot of teamwork with our engineer, editor and art director. It was a labor of love, and I hope our club members love it, too!”

– Sharon Visker

“Let the Wookie™ Win”
Star Wars: A New Hope

“I can’t wait for the magic of “Let the Wookiee™ Win” from Star Wars: A New Hope™. When you press the button, the ornament comes to life with a hologram effect in the Dejarik (holochess) scene that looks awesome! The combined magic of video, light and dialogue from the film will be so cool for fans to experience.”

– Orville Wilson

Orville Wilson
Hallmark Keepsake Artist

“Top Picks for 2025.” For Keeps 25 Spring 2025: 13-14

March 5th, 2025|0 Comments
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Artist Insight: In The Studio with Kris Gaughran

The Keepsake Studio spoke with Hallmark Artist Kristina Gaughran about her background and shared a glimpse of an ornament she created for 2025.

Kris: “ I did a summer internship in 1995, and then when I graduated from college in 1996, I started as an official Keepsake Ornament sculptor! I love creating ornaments that tell a story or mark a special occasion or interest in someone’s life. As a mom, I love pulling the ornaments out and reminiscing about what my boys were into each year.”

Kris: “My husband is putting new windows in my office, which will be nice but maybe not super-exciting. But I am really looking forward to everything turning green again—and for the daffodils to come up. They’re my favorite flower because they always mean spring is making its first appearance!”

Kris: “This is a koi mermaid, inspired by a koi fish. These fish are so beautiful with their color patterning, and I knew while planning out the series that I wanted to create a mermaid inspired by them. I remember going to EPCOT on a family vacation and seeing koi fish while at the Japan Pavilion, so I wanted this mermaid to feel Asian-inspired with that same beauty.”

Mythical Mermaids #3 will be available at Keepsake Ornament Premiere in July!

Mythical Mermaids
3rd in the series.

February 25th, 2025|0 Comments
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Artist Insight: In The Studio with Emma Leturgez-Smith

The Keepsake Studio spoke with Hallmark Artist Emma Leturgez-Smith about her background and shared a glimpse of an ornament she created for 2025.

Emma: “I went to school for art and illustration, and I kind of fell in love with sculpting while I was there. After I finished school, I really started to practice sculpting. That’s when I decided to try to get on at Hallmark.”

Emma: “It turned out my husband’s good friend from childhood was the connection. His mom was a previous Hallmark artist-sculptor. She brought me in to show me around Hallmark. I got to see the Rice Center and the Discovery Studio with Hallmark Artist Matt Kessler, who inspires creative teams to innovate and learn new skills—and that was very cool. Then she introduced me to the freelance director for the Keepsake Studio. I started freelancing in 2016, which gave me a nice sneak peek into how everything works. I continued to freelance until 2020, which is when I officially became a Hallmark Keepsake artist.”

Emma: “This is the Lady Blackburnian Warbler, the female companion to the series ornament for 2025. And yes, I always get to choose the bird for the series! And I also get to choose the birds for the miniature and KOC-exclusive designs. That means I have a rather full folder on my computer of bird ideas and research for the next few years.
 
Each year I might have a different inspiration that leads to which bird I choose. Maybe it’s a trending color or something that shares a similar palette to another Keepsake Ornament. Or it could be as simple as seeing a bird in my own backyard!
 
This year’s design has a special touch. I think probably all Beauty of Birds ornaments have either gold or silver decorative outlines. But this Lady Warbler has pearl white outlines instead, to mimic some of the soft, pale streaks of color on the real-life bird.
 
The Lady Blackburnian Warbler will be available in limited quantities at Keepsake Ornament Premiere in July!”

Lady Blackburnian Warbler
Limited Edition

January 28th, 2025|0 Comments
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Artist Insight: In The Studio with Orville Wilson

The Keepsake Studio spoke with Hallmark Artist Orville Wilson about his background and shared a glimpse of an ornament he created for 2025.

Orville: “I’ve been working at Hallmark for 28 years and have been in every department you can think of that has to do with art—from greeting cards to gift products to marketing to packaging and finally to Keepsake Ornaments, where I’ve been since 2007. Before I started at Hallmark I worked on screen printing and trading cards, and my educational background is in commercial art and graphic design. Throughout the years, I started learning 3D design on my own and now use this self-taught skill every day as a Keepsake artist.”

Orville: “I’m excited to be working on two series that have been passed down to me: Toymaker Santa and Nostalgic Houses and Shops. I spend a lot of time working pop culture or fandom ornaments, which I love, but these original Keepsake Ornament series give me an opportunity to try new things and come up with brand-new ideas. It’s fun to research and ask, ‘Where can this series go next? How can I put my own twist on it?’”

Orville: “I’m so happy I inherited this series with so much history. Toymaker Santa was originally created by Ken Crow in 1999. Ken passed it down to Robert Hurlburt when he retired, and when Robert retired he passed it to me—and now, I get to put my own spin on it and incorporate new toys that kids are playing with today. For the 2025 ornament, I was inspired by the idea that Santa travels all around the world delivering gifts. In some parts of the world, kids can still swim at Christmastime, so Santa is bringing them gifts for the pool. It was really fun to give him colorful goggles, flippers and floaties. One of my favorite details is the fluffy tail on the back of the reindeer floatie! Another Easter egg for our fans is that the toy boat is the same one I designed for a Keepsake Studio collaboration ornament a few years back.’”

Toymaker Santa
26th in the series.

December 13th, 2024|1 Comment
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