Nancy Carol Willis
1322 Bayview Road, Middletown, DE 19709
P (302) 378-7274 F (302) 378-0339
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEDecember 16, 2002
Contact: Nancy Carol Willis(302) 378-7274
Middletown Artist Creates Ornament for White House Christmas Tree
Middletown artist and writer, Nancy Carol Willis, was one of three artists selected to represent Delaware by creating an original ornament for the White House Christmas Tree. The other two artists were E. Jean Lanyon of Wilmington and Joseph Santangelo of Lewes.
First Lady Laura Bush selected "All Creatures Great and Small" for this year's White House holiday theme. Artists in each state were selected to design and create ornaments for the Blue Room tree depicting birds native to their home state. Nearly 400 ornaments adorn the 18-foot Noble fir from Washington state.
Willis chose to depict a great blue heron rising from the marshland, because she frequently sees the birds fishing in the shallow waters near her home in the Augustine Wildlife Area. The bird is rendered on both sides in colored pencil and superimposed over a gold foil cutout of the State of Delaware. The ornaments will become part of the White House collection.
Participating artists and their guests were invited to attend a reception hosted by Mrs. Bush at the White House on December 4 at noon. Mrs. Bush thanked the artists for their beautiful creations and stayed for a photograph with each artist.
Willis says, "The reception was everything you'd hope a party at the White House would be. We were treated to an hors d'oeuvres buffet and a dessert buffet held in the two State Dining Rooms flanking the Green Room, Blue Room and Red Room." Willis adds, "The visual beauty of these famous rooms combined with the historical furnishings and Presidential portraits made the experience a real treat for me."
In addition to the Blue Room Christmas tree, the White House is decorated with papier mache first family pets over the years, an 80-pound gingerbread White House and a 130-pound chocolate eagle.
Nancy Carol Willis is a writer and illustrator of natural Science books, magazine articles and educational materials. She is president of Birdsong Books, an independent publisher of nonfiction nature books for children. Her published works include The Robins In Your Backyard, winner of the Parent Council Seal, and Raccoon Moon, recently selected for the Delaware Diamonds Book List.
###