Virtual Christmas art gallery: 2021
Welcome to Christmas with the toad… online edition! This post features some fresh new holiday artwork from artists in or from Joplin Missouri. We hope you enjoy and follow these folks and their work (contributor info at the bottom).
Nathaniel Toines Thomas
SANTATOAD (original illustration)
HOPE SCHOOLS
Romance at Wilders- story & digital illustration
My name is Hope Schools. I was born in Joplin, moved to Indy, and then came back to my Joplin roots to attend college at Ozark Christian on Main Street. I lived there for my few college years, in my dorm, and then moved on to N Jackson near Historic Murphysburg where my dad and I would take walks, but now I have moved to out Phoenix, AZ for a new adventure.
My heart misses Joplin Christmas and the way lit up Main Street feels similar to driving through an old christmas movie. I miss driving down to Joplin Avenue early in the morning and as I pull onto Main Street seeing the stretch of stoplights, making me think of the line from Silver Bells, “strings of streetlights, even stoplights, blink a bright red and green.” There’s something magical about Christmastime on Main Street.
I had a date with a guy around Christmastime, and he took me to Wilder’s Restaurant there on Main. The waitress sat us at a booth and said “the last couple to sit here just got engaged!” *wink wink* We, newly dating, looked at each other and laughed nervously.
Now we’re married!
I am doing a drawing challenge for myself this year to learn how to use procreate, and one of my prompts was “Christmas lights.” Instead of doing a traditional “lights on house” scene, I decided to try and capture a quiet Christmas evening on Main Street outside of Wilder’s where a new snow is settling in.
I thought the folk at the toad would either like to add this to their Christmas art stockpile, or if not, simply enjoy the celebration of Christmas in Joplin through a simple illustration.
Many thanks and the best of luck in the Toad’s endeavors! This magazine is a declaration of truth, wonder, magic, and humor in a world that very much needs all of those things. Keep it up.
- Hope Schools
BreNna Hartnett
Uriah Gonzalez
ELA HOSP- Sufjan sketch set
SERGIO GONZALEZ
Tom Jones
Nathaniel Toines Thomas
Hello, my name is Nathaniel Toines. I'm 28 years old and I live in Neosho with my wife and our animals. I have always enjoyed drawing and creating in general from a young age; but no dimention of art excites me like that of sequential art. Comic books! My latest body of work will be a comic book coming out late this year. You can follow me and my art journey on Instagram!
@toines_art
contributors
Hope Schools
My name is Hope Schools, daughter, sibling, friend, and wife. I’m a sketcher, an embroidery stitcher, a book reader, a movie goer, a small business owner, a baker, and a homemaker. I think cats are not truly evil, just misunderstood. I believe any type of creativity, such as listed above (or whatever floats your boat) is a small but mighty act that says “the world is not completely hopeless, and life is very much worth living.”
@schoolsstudio
Brenna Hartnett
Brenna Hartnett is a local artist that loves creating custom video game themed works, as well as Celtic knotwork her main passion. She takes inspiration from many sources including mythology and folk tales. Her Celtic work is mixed media incorporating illustrations inks, watercolor, acrylic, pen and ink, with some digital effects.
Ela Hosp
Ela Hosp is an artist and student in Joplin, Missouri. She is currently attending Missouri Southern State University as a senior BFA student with an emphasis in sculpture. When she’s not melting recycled metal in the foundry, she is also a full time illustrator. Her drawings consist mostly of animals on roller skates, little gnomes, and non-dairy milks.
@elahosp
Sergio Gonzalez
I'm a recent Graphic Design Graduate from Missouri Southern University. I spend my free time working with 3D animation, 3D modeling and working using these skills to create short films. My biggest motivation for creating art is inspiring people the same way I am inspired by those that I look up to.
@watcher_graphics
tom Jones
Tom has been a teacher/ counselor for more than 30 years and has been creating art since 1979. Watercolor has been his favorite medium for those years and painting snowmen is a must.