Christmas Window 2 in Lancaster, Dec 2021
In November 2021, I was selected to decorate windows in Lancaster city centre. I was delighted to be asked to decorate two windows not just one. I created the first window at Arteria and a second at DF Studio situated on historic Dalton Square.
The creative brief I answered centred on ‘ A Christmas Carol’ by Charles Dickens and the theme of Christmas Past, Present and Future.
If you want to know more about the design and inspiration, scroll further down the page to see my drawings and process.
DF Studio sits on Dalton Square. This beautiful, historic square has an imposing statue of Queen Victoria in the centre. At Christmas, the Square is transformed by the addition of an ice rink, market and big wheel. It sparkles with lights and comes alive with the sounds of people enjoying themselves on the ice. Since the Square celebrates the Victorian era, and the Queen Victoria monument even features Charles Dickens, the setting marries well with some of the themes featured in Dickens’ novella, ‘A Christmas Carol’.
Photo credit: Lancaster on Ice
Of the three spirits to visit Scrooge in the novella ‘A Christmas Carol’, it is the ‘Ghost of Christmas Present’ who shows Scrooge what his relatives and downtrodden employee, Bob Cratchit, are doing at Christmas - they are gathering with friends and family, sharing in games and fun, enjoying socialising and showing gratitude for what they have. Given DF Studio’s position opposite the ice rink, I wanted to underline continuity; we share the same human values and desires highlighted by Dickens’ Ghost of Christmas Present - we all crave social connection, fun and a chance to gather together at Christmas. This seemed particularly pertinent as the pandemic continued and Christmas 2021 allowed a little more social contact and gatherings than Christmas 2020.
Photo credit : Lancaster on Ice
In ‘A Christmas Carol’, the benevolent Ghost of Christmas Present shows Scrooge that Christmas is about joy, generosity, conviviality, fun, social connection, gratitude and good will. In the Victorian period, ice skating was a popular, fun pastime shared with friends and family. It was a chance to let off some steam and gather with others on the ice.
Victorian women and a gent on the ice
Groups of children on the ice
Couples on the ice and a much quicker teenage boy!
Detail - young male skater in a baker boy hat
To plan the design, I looked at images of skaters made in the Victorian period. Paintings, cards and illustrations gave me useful information on dress, skates and hats. They also gave me an insight into behaviour and posture. I love the painted scene of crowds on the ice (below) - most of the adults are upright while the younger skaters are leaning in for speed or falling over. It paints a picture of fun across different ages and social groups.
To create the window design, I rehearsed drawing figures over and over again so that once on site I could work quickly and freehand skating figures and trees. For the larger motifs in the foreground, with more detail, I created stencils at home which allowed me to work accurately with cold, numb hands on site. I really enjoyed making this window. It took me a day to draw but for the entire time I enjoyed listening to lots of people skating and having fun on the ice rink!
Christmas window art across the city was made possible by Lancaster BID (Business Improvement District) and featured the work of several artists located in and around Lancaster.