WHAT INSPIRED THE CREATION OF THE THE CALENDARS 25 YEARS AGO . . .
It has been a short 25-year tradition of sharing settings I've loved enough to paint and feature in these date keepers. I began designing them at Christmastime in 1994 when my sister Marilee shared, "We have no more wall space! Instead of giving us prints, why don't you design a calendar with lots of pictures that we can enjoy all year long?"
The first issue featured the Codd House, a Dutch-colonial beauty built in 1925 ~ and my favorite home growing up in Spokane, WA. I've painted it five times. The cover pictured my family (just five out of six siblings at the time) decorating the house with Christmas lights for the Holidays. All of our family helped with this traditional task. I pictured my dad Joe on the ladder while my mother Sally kept the lights from tangling ~ always a challenge. We kids (Patti, Marilee, Peggy, John and Bill) were largely there for moral support. My dad passed away six years before I finished this art, so this image brought tears to my mom's eyes when I finished this artwork. Memories . . .
In 1994, Kinkos (absorbed by Fed Ex) Store Manager Scott Woodward printed a dozen at his Seattle Northgate Mall Store. These days, Rita McIntyre at Berreth-Thomas in the Spokane Valley runs hundreds of them in multiple editions. Both local Spokanites and folks who grew up here and then moved away order these from all over the U.S. and beyond. The 2019 "Home Sweet Home" edition features the Codd House as artwork for the month of November.
ENTIRE LIST OF CALENDARS BELOW ~ As you can see by the 2019 images and information shared below, the calendars have come a long way in this short quarter of a century. Scroll to the bottom of this page for the entire list of past titles and a handful of past memorable covers.
5TH EDITION JOURNALS (IN THE DESIGN PROCESS) ~ Further down on this page, you'll learn about these NEW 5th editions I'm creating for both Spokane and Washington State.
"25 Years of Home Sweet Home in Spokane"and "25 Years of Special Spokane Settings" highlight paintings completed in the last 25 years. You'll find the largest number (nine!) of NEW works in the third special MAC edition, "Bicycles, Trucks, Trailers & Woodies." The MAC Calendar features NEW settings like the Historic Flour Mill, Manito's Rose Garden, the First Presbyterian Church, the MAC'S Campbell Family Coach House and more. These fun settings will make you SMILE!
CALENDAR IMAGES ~ Click on the cover images or bold red titles below to see all the artwork featured for each edition.
WEB SITES ~ Visit the websites listed with the titles to learn more about each setting. Many are on Facebook as well, but not all settings have an on-line presence.
Click on the bold red title above or on the calendar image to the right to see the collection. Websites are listed below with settings when available.
Click on the bold red title here or the calendar image to the right to see the collection. I've shared website with settings below when available.
NEW! "Romantic Rose Hill (Manito Park)"
Spokane Setting that Make Us SMILE!
Click on the bold red title here or the calendar image to the right to see the collection. NOTE ~ As many of these are private residences, the only websites included are four settings which have been renovated (in some cases restored) and converted into successful businesses.
Many of the settings have been featured on the MAC's (NorthwestMuseum.org) Mother's Day Tour of Historic Homes and SPA's (SpokanePreservation.org) Autumn Tour of Historic Homes.
NEW! "'28 Charmer (Coffman House))"
NEW 5th Edition Perpetual Life Fine Art Journals are currently being created as the 4th editions are completely sold out in both versions.
NEW FEATURE ~ Beginning with the 4th editions for the first time, historical photos and background stories accompanied each journal image. The histories will continue with the 5th editions, currently in the design process. With a perpetual shelf life as they are not year-specific, these are perfect for folks who want more than just 12 calendar images as each jounal features 44 paintings. Below is an overview included in the 4th Edition. A handful of these will remain, but there will be many NEW paintings featured in the 5th editions.
WASHINGTON STATE ~ Each month celebrates a different community or special theme. Images are from all over Washington State including Spokane and the Inland Northwest, Seattle, Snohomish, Port Townsend, Islands in the Puget Sound and many other destinations with a choice of two different covers.
SPOKANE, WA~ Each month offers a special regional theme. Images include settings like Mount Spokane and Riverside State Park, Riverfront Park, Cannon Hill, vintage Natatorium and Manito. You'll see landmarks like the Spokane Steam Plant, the Review Building, Davenport Hotel and Monroe Street Bridge plus beautiful homes, schools, churches and more from Browne's Addition, the South Hill, North Side (including Gonzaga Prep and Gonzaga University), the Spokane Valley and beyond with a choice of two different covers.
NOTE ~ The calendar titles are listed from 2019 to the first one initially created in 1994. The word MAC in Red text identifies Special Editions created for Spokane's Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture. Calendars with asterisks (*) are pictured to the right.