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Oh, Christmas Tree!
AY Magazine
December 01, 2009
http://www.aymag.com/view/283

Afforded me the greatest glee!

Ellen Hobgood’s Santas have been bringing Christmas cheer for seven years.

Hobgood began her "career" in high school. "I designed homeroom door decorations and bulletin boards for teachers who didn’t want to or who didn’t have time. One year, I decorated six doors," Hobgood said. However, she didn’t pursue a professional career for a number of years. "I painted the first Santa while working at Salon Art [in Heber Springs]. We were trying to come up with a design for Christmas cards. I completed the painting and it sold in less than an hour."

The cards never materialized; however, Hobgood had a chance meeting with John Bel, president of the Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH) Foundation. She submitted a Santa for the ACH Christmas card … and the rest, as they say, is history. Hobgood soon began painting her own Santas, which coincidentally share the same nose and eyes as another iconic figure she was painting — clowns. Hobgood often commissions Santa paintings; customers request the ironic figures be modeled after fathers, brothers, husbands and other men. She historically has sold as many as 80 of the paintings annually. Since opening the Ellen Hobgood Gallery and Studio, she’s expanded to include the Santas on sweatshirts, greeting cards and smaller paintings. Hobgood began painting ornaments a few years back. They began as gifts for student athletes and soon requests came flooding in. When, AY spoke with her at the beginning of November, she’d painted and sold about 60. The ornaments are available in two sizes and start at just $12 each.

Ellen Hobgood Galley and Studio, 101 S. Third, Heber Springs, AR, (501) 362-1672; iasgallery.com.

Kriss Kringle’s Artiste
AY Magazine
December 2007
by Angela E. Thomas

If a picture is worth a thousand words, artist Ellen Hobgood became very articulate at an early age.

"I started drawing at 5. My mother would ask what I had learned in Sunday School, and I would become frustrated trying to explain what I’d learned, so I’d draw it," Hobgood said.

She continued drawing and sold her first painting at 11 years of age. She used the money to pay for art instruction. She "became a professional at 15"; in fact, as a teen Hobgood sold artwork to her classmates. She modestly sold the construction paper drawings for 50 cents or $1 each.

"Whatever they could afford," Hobgood said. She laughed and added, "Do you know that at our 20-year high school reunion some of my classmates said they still had them? They kept them because they’d said, "Who knows? One day, she may be famous."

"I created my first holiday art – Santa Claus, snow scenes – while I was in high school. Six years ago, when I stopped painting the murals, I worked for Salon Art 411, I asked the owner, "What do you want me to paint?"

After a bit of discussion, Hobgood decided to paint Santa Claus. She used a Barry Thomas Santa Claus as her inspiration. "I began to paint my own Santas, in different poses and styles. In four weeks, we sold 13 paintings of Santa Claus," Hobgood said.

Today, she sells about 80 paintings annually ... 50 to 75 percent of which are Santas. Hobgood commissions Santas, modeling them after customers' husbands, fathers, brothers and other men.

"Some requests are a bit unusual. I’m about to start a Santa picture with a toy bag with a live chicken, a license plate with the word ‘chicken’ on it and with a doll under his arm," Hobgood said.

Other requests include painting a banner with an alma mater on it or placing a University of Arkansas at Fayetteville Razorback Hog ornament on a tree in the background. "Art is a very personal thing."

Hobgood has also created Mrs. Claus paintings. One took four attempts – three from photos and the fourth, which was successful, was a live sitting. Hobgood said she prefers painting this way. "When a person sits for you, you capture their personalities."

While Hobgood’s Santa Clauses are often likenesses of actual people and are portrayed in various settings, true Hobgood fans will notice similarities.

"My Santas wear fake fur, eyeglasses and purple gloves. The eyeglasses are a result of customer demand. Everyone always says ‘Santa must have glasses.’ I use the fake fur because I think it gives the Santa an ‘Old World feel,’ which most people seem to prefer. And the purple gloves are my signature," Hobgood said.

She chose purple because the color stands out, and because she said they seem majestic. "I also sign my paintings with the copyright year and a ladybug. I started using the ladybug years ago. When I painted murals, I hid them in the paintings."

Her oldest son Jeston requested the insect signature, because "he likes them because they are a good luck charm." She and husband Ricky have three sons, Evan, Skyler and Jeston.

In 2003, Hobgood’s youngest son, Evan, was treated at Arkansas Children’s Hospital. Hobgood was so moved by the staff’s professionalism and care, she wanted to donate a painting. She submitted several paintings and was selected as the feature artist for 2003’s Holiday Cards.

While many of her paintings are holiday-related, Hobgood does paint other subjects. In fact, one of her paintings sits just outside of North Little Rock’s Dickey-Stephens Park, home of the Arkansas Travelers baseball team. It’s painted on an electrical switch box and is part of a project sponsored by Main Street Argenta. Her private collection includes a painting titled "Hope." It’s a painting Hobgood was commissioned to create; it was later bequeathed to her by the subject.

"Last September, I painted a woman in her 60s. She was terminally ill and requested to be painted in the nude. Years before she had undergone a mastectomy, and the cancer had returned. The painting was her way of baring her sould, and, I think, of accepting her fate. Her face is so full of expression. You can see the pain in her eyes. Two women – breast cancer survivors – came into the gallery this spring. They had just been in the Ozark Race for the Cure, and they said the painting truly captured [the essence of] breast cancer," Hobgood said.

That is Hobgood’s intent ... to portray the emotion and personality of those she paints. "I hope people will get happiness, warmth and blessings from the paintings."

Hobgood’s work is available at the Ellen Hobgood Gallery, 103 S. Third St., Heber Springs, Ark., (501) 362-1672; Red Door Gallery, 3715 John F. Kennedy Blvd., North Little Rock, Ark., (501) 753-5227; and at BuyOutsidetheBox.com. AY

Featured Artist: Ellen Hobgood
Inviting Arkansas
December 2005

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus…

Nestled in a storefront in downtown Heber Springs is a quaint and cozy art gallery and studio named Common Ground. As you walk through the door, you are swept away into the magic of Christmas. The works of Ellen Hobgood, proprietor and artist at Common Ground, cover the walls; especially striking are her signature pieces of jolly Old Saint Nick.

Hobgood’s passion for painting Santa Claus began at age 11, when she was asked to decorate her classroom door for the holiday season. After she transformed the ordinary door into a winter wonderland, she was asked not only to decorate other classroom doors, but had many requests to paint Santa on everything from canvas to sweatshirts.

A self taught artist, Hobgood began drawing at age five, and found painting by numbers a tad boring. "I always painted outside the lines and felt too confined," says Hobgood. By age 11, she was spreading the magic of Christmas; at 15 she began selling her work for money to replenish her art supplies.

Hobgood paints Santa Claus year-round. When it’s warm enough outdoors, she takes her canvas to the sidewalk outside of the gallery barefooted and begins to create. She says that by shedding her shoes, she becomes grounded with the earth and she tracks less paint around. On cooler days, Hobgood paints in the store front window for the natural lights and the connection she feels with the passersby. Depending on size and detail, Hobgood’s art can take anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks. Her consignment work has grown substantially, and art lovers can bring a photo of their favorite "Santa" to her, whether he is a father, grandfather, uncle or friend. Hobgood can then merge the likeness of these individuals into a Santa Claus.

With the holiday season lasting 6 weeks at the most, Hobgood stresses that many people like having Santa around all year long. "Having Santa around brings good fortune into your home," she says. And how does she paint Santa Claus year round? She must be in a good place mentally and very focused. "There is nothing like a scowl aced Santa" she says with a laugh. Painting Santa Claus brings much happiness to Hobgood. "It brings joy to me and to those who purchase one of my Santa Claus paintings."

Hobgood spreads her happiness by donating her art pieces to several charities in our community. She was chosen by Arkansas Children’s Hospital as the 2003 Christmas Card Artist. She also gives her time and art to the American Heart Association, Center for Youth and Families, Soaring Wings Christian Ranch, Camp Aldersgate and many others.

Hobgood, along with her husband Ricky and sons Jeston, Skyler and Evan, reside in Heber Springs. Her children have embraced her work and have begun to display their own talents. Son Skyler has several pieces in Common Ground and has become hooked. Hobgood’s art is not limited to Santa Claus only. Beautiful landscapes and children have become prevalent in her work and grace the walls of the gallery.

In departing this cozy little nook on Main Street in Heber Springs, I leave one of Santa’s elves who has a sparkle in her eye and magic in her paintbrush.

Common Ground Art Studio Now Open
The Sun-Times
June 18, 2004

The Heber Springs Chamber of Commerce helped kickoff the grand opening of Common Ground Art Studios with a ribbon cutting ceremony June 4. Previously, Common Ground Art Studios was a collection of private studios, but Ellen Hobgood and Jacque Martin realized that there was a great need in the community for a retail art supply business to service the many painting and stain glass hobbyist in the area as well as a working studio.

Ellen Hobgood is well known in Cleburne County for her inspiring murals, but has recently transitioned into acrylic canvas painting with eye-catching uses of color that often feature brilliant landscapes and Santa Claus himself. One of her Santa paintings was featured by Arkansas Children's Hospital for the 2003 Christmas card.

Jacque Martin is a new resident to Heber Springs from Houston, Texas, but is well known to the community for her annual visits with her grandparents, Cecil and Bernice Patchell and Stanley and Ruby Stair. Martin has traded in her 25-year career as a human resources manager and systems analyst to specialize in custom stained and beveled glass creations for windows, doors, transoms, sidelights and cabinet insets, as well as original works of art.

Hobgood and Martin are dedicated to helping others and often donate their original works to charity. Most recently, they are two of only 14 artists statewide who have been invited by the Heartland Affiliate of the American Heart Association in Little Rock to submit their works for the 2004 Celebration of the Heart fundraiser.

Common Ground also features the studio of Jamie Cooper, a clay artist, known for her hand thrown pottery. Cooper is a homegrown artist and a 2000 graduate of Hendrix College where she earned a degree in art. Cooper's art has been on display at the Rivermarket Artspace and is currently available at The Jitterbug Coffeehouse as well as Common Ground Art Studios.

Art and stained glass classes are beginning the month of June. Be sure to drop by to find out more about the classes and browse the art and glass supplies that Common Ground Art Studios has to offer. They are located at 113 W. Main Street between The Jitterbug Coffeehouse and The Gem Theatre.

Christmas Card Santa Comes To Town
December 10, 2003
By Lorie Thompson
Sun-Times Staff

When local artist Ellen Hobgood decided to donate one of her well-known Santa paintings to Arkansas Children's Hospital, she had no idea she would be chosen as this year's featured artist and that her painting would become on of their Christmas cards.

"Children's Hospital gave me a nice plaque commemorating the event and the cards became available about mid-November," Hobgood said. The cards are currently available in Heber Springs at Jitterbug Coffeehouse, Heber Springs Glass and Salon Art/411.

Hobgood's Christmas cards are also listed in the holiday gift guide of At Home In Arkansas magazine.

"They were also featured on Channel 11's newscast and in a Sissy's Log Cabin ad," Hobgood said.

Hobgood's cards were also ordered by Bailey, Banks and Bittle on the Plaza in Little Rock.

"They ordered the cards embossed so they could send them to their clients," she said. She even had one customer send a card to Germany. "That's the farthest any of my paintings have gone," she said.

Hobgood has been busy since July when she and six other artists moved into their own studio on Main Street, Common Ground.

"It's still a work in progress," she said, "but it's getting there. It is definitely like walking into an artist's studio."

Hobgood's Santas, landscapes, and portraits bring customers from all over.

"My work is in the Red Door Art Gallery in North Little Rock; Third Mountain Gallery in Mountain View," she said. "And Toby Fairly with T Lamarr Interiors Inc. in Benton is looking to use some of my paintings in her room designs.

Having her Santa painting so well received at Arkansas Children's Hospital has made Hobgood want to donate more. "I am looking into donating my paintings to American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association in Memphis," she said.

With all her good fortune, Hobgood is still amazed. "God has truly blessed me," she said. "When I was painting a year ago, I was painting in my living room with my three boys, 10, 4 and 2, around me. Now, in my own studio, I have more focus."

A Santa For All Seasons
July 18, 2003
By Lorie Thompson
Sun-Times Staff

"It was such an honor to be chosen to have my art represented on the Arkansas Children's Hospital Christmas card," local artist Ellen Hobgood said. She started painting santas last year for Christmas and because of the overwhelming response, is still painting them now.

"My son had to have a biopsy done on his leg, so we took him to Children's Hospital," Hobgood said. "While there, my agent told me to go to the second floor to see a santa painting donated to the hospital and that I should do one of my own. I got lost and ran into a man and a woman. I saw his name tag said chairman and took the opportunity to ask where I could go to donate a painting to the hospital."

The man she found happened to be the chairman over charities and the two exchanged cards. It wasn't until after their meeting that Hobgood learned who the man was. "My husband's commander at the Air Force told me I met the man over all income that comes into the hospital and he said to keep pushing," Hobgood said. "I called back and was allowed to submit my work. In the later part of March I received notice that the hospital auxiliary was looking over my work. In the later part of April I received a notice from them that my work was chosen for their Christmas cards. I cried when I was accepted. They were thanking me for my submission and I was thanking them."

This one santa picture has produced a chain of events for Hobgood. She also donated a painting to the Arkansas Children's Hospital (ACH) Auxiliary's South of the Board auction and has received interest from others on her paintings. "I feel that if it's meant to happen, then it's going to happen," Hobgood said. "Every experience is just that much more wonderful. An art collector in Little Rock bought one of my santa paintings sight unseen then bought another one so he could have one for his office and one for home. And I was told the Arkansas Museum is looking into buying his collection one day. Also, a couple of designers have bought my paintings. They are already asking for this year's santa."

After receiving news that her painting will be turned into a Christmas card for ACH, she painted a 36 x 48 santa which she gave to her agent, Becky Rounsavall, owner of Salon/Art 411. "The joy of Children's Hospital calling and saying they would use my painting brought out the joy in me and it poured into the painting I gave to Becky," she said.

Hobgood first received inspiration for her santas from old Christmas cards, but now she is moving into live models. "I am looking for anyone who has that magic, that look in their face," she said. "I have already picked a flagger from Rose Bud as a model. I have taken many pictures of him from many angles."

Though each Santa has glasses and the eyes have to have that special sparkle and endearment, each are painted differently. "Sometimes I paint them with animal fur instead of white fur," Hobgood said. Also, from the tilt of their head to the color of their robes, each santa is different from the next.

"Each time I do a painting, it is an original," she said. "I may use a similar background or even parts of the santas but they are never the same, I believe that that particular painting belongs to the person who buys it and that's what makes it their painting. I try to do them all differently because a person is paying for an original piece of artwork and they don't want one someone else has."

Even if she tried to make two paintings alike, it would be next to impossible. "I never work from the same palette." she said. "I don't want to be predictable, then it gets boring. I don't want to work with repetition. That is the one thing I like about santa, there are so many different ways to paint him, he never gets old."

Another favorite subject of Hobgood's is Sugarloaf. "I enjoy painting Sugarloaf as well," she said. "You can paint it during different seasons and in different lights."

Another added feature found in most of Hobgood's paintings is a ladybug. "A lot of my paintings have a ladybug hidden in them as well as some of my murals," she said. "I've gotten to where they aren't just red anymore, some are just the ouline painted in."

Whatever the subject, her paintings are finding a following. "I have had paintings in there (Salon/Art 411) five minutes before selling and some have lasted five months before selling," she said. "I do tell people that if you see one you like, get it because it may not be there the next time you come back."

Though her santas are popular, Hobgood still works on other projects. "For awhile, I had so many orders for santas that I didn't have time for my murals," she said. "But now I am working on them again. I just completed a mural at Cutting Edge."

Hobgood is also teaching oil painting to two students. "Everyone possesses an artistic side," she said. "It just branches out in different ways. I have two students that are doing wonderful and I am going to have a third shortly." Though her students just started in February, they are already showing a talent for it. "I am teaching them how to paint objects on hand and items in photographs as well," she said. "I am also teaching them that it is okay to change up the idea, it doesn't have to be just like the picture."

Since she started the santas in October, Hobgood has sold over 70 pieces.

Her paintings take varying amounts of time. "I can't say how long a painting will take," she said.

"It can take anywhere from a couple of weeks to a couple of days to even just a couple of hours. It just depends on the painting and the inspiration. We live in a day where you get paid by the hour.

Some people just don't understand that you're paying for more than those hours, you are getting 20 years experience in that painting. You're paying for expression of thought or emotion."

When younger, Hobgood could spend many hours a day painting, but not anymore. "Now that I have a family, painting is taking time away from them," she said.

"So where I used to paint 16 hours, now I'm doing good to get in three or four hours a day and I am real lucky if I can squeeze in six."

At this tme, Hobgood is not sure how anyone can order Arkansas Children't Hospital Christmas cards with her santa print on it, but you can contact the Arkansas Children's Hospital.

"We are going to see if we can sell them at Salon/Art 411, or if we can at least get brochures for people to order them," she said.

Hobgood's work can be seen at Salon/Art 411 located at 411 West Main St. in Heber Springs. Salon hours are 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. Wednesday - Friday. For more information, call 501-362-5595.