That love has never wavered for the Storrings' New York City pieces and no other company has quite captured the feeling of the city. At least not for me.
Landmark Ornaments
Although the New York ornaments were the beginning and are the largest part of the collection, the line has expanded the number of cities to include Chicago, San Francisco, New Orleans, Miami, Washington, D.C., Boston and American Road Trip. Storrings and Landmark Creations have also done special commissions, such as ornaments for store signings and the 2007 Oklahoma Centennial ball.
Recently I had a chance to visit with Michael at his New York City apartment and was delighted to find out more about the man behind these exciting pieces of art. I also met (up close and personal) Posey and Spencer, the two Pugs that inspired the City Dogs ornaments.
Michael's Background
Born in Syracuse New York, Michael always knew he wanted to be an artist -- but it was not easy task convincing others that it was a smart field to go into. After all, artists can't make a living from their art or so he was told.
It was an encouraging art teacher in high school that convinced him he could do it. While in high school he attended a summer art program at Fredonia College,
the program opened doors for Michael and later he was offered a scholarship
at the Parsons School of Design. Michael graduated in 1986 and since
that time has been working in the art field. And yes, he's made a living at it!
After school there were stints at both Harper Collins and Berkley Publishing, and for the past fifteen years Michael has been with St. Martin's Press. As Executive Art Director he oversees the cover designs of approximately 400 books a year, he personally designs about 100 of them. Michael has won numerous awards, including the very first Edgar Award for cover design.
Creating Glass Ornaments
In 2004 the Landmark Creations and Storrings collaboration began with four New York City ornaments. Today Storrings
has designed dozens of ornaments, with many of those same designs on dinnerware, place mats, coasters and soon-to-be
greeting cards.
Michael always travels with a journal that he uses to do little watercolor sketches of everything from the landscape to the interesting meals, as well as anecdotes and a dairy of the trip. He often uses those watercolor sketches and ideas when working on a new design.
Michael explained and showed how the entire design is sketched and colored. As pictures show, the main focus of the ornament as the center of the drawing. This is sent to the ornament manufacturers in Poland, with instructions on the color and concepts. After emails back and forth, it's only two months later when that initial sketch is a prototype ball. Michael mentioned that the molded designs are much more time consuming, but one look at the City Dog designs and the extra time is worth it.
What's Up Next?
When asked what's coming up next, he said there will be branching out to more cities, as well as
a few international cities. A second book is also in the works, scheduled for release in 2011. His first book A Very New York Christmas will be available at his signings and online.
December Signings
During the holiday season Storrings does a number of signings at locations around the country, several are usually affiliated national charities. To find out where and when he will be appearing, check out the news section of his website for the latest, most up-to-date information.
