It is with great pride and gratitude that I would like to thank all those who have made this very special Holiday Card Collection possible. For if it was not for them these beautiful cards would not be available this year.

Over the years I have been asked consistently right about this time of the year, "Are any of your Christmas images available as holiday cards?" Well now, I don't have to say anymore, "Possibly next year." I have always explained to those who have asked that if we come out with a collection of any of my Christmas pieces it must be of the quality that we pride ourselves in and that our customers have come to appreciate. Furthermore, I wanted a card that was truly a fine art piece that could be framed. We have accomplished that with this collection. Scheduled for release in 2004, the current limited production for sale this year was released as a preview of what is to come next year. The lingering pressure and the long time requests to have these works has been too great to make people wait another Christmas. While we still get requests for all my other Christmas images as holiday cards, we wanted to provide a wide enough range of works to release initially and add additional images each and every year. It is my hope that your favorite holiday card finds a place in your home and in the homes of those you love and care for.

On a more personal note, I would like to thank all of you that have contacted me over the years via mail and email across the country and around the world. The letters I receive in Arabic, Chinese, French etc. confirms what I have believed all my life, that art and art alone, is the most powerful means of communication known to mankind. No other form of communication delivers the impact, emotions and feelings than that of a work of art. Yes, the written and spoken word has its need and purpose, but lacks what our hearts can instantly confirm and relate to as being the real deal. Art and its ability to communicate to us, is only second to that which we as humans share between each other both mentally, physically and spiritually.

There are two questions I am asked at showings and through letters. The first is, "How do you capture so much emotion in your works, and how do you do it in so many ways and with so many subject matters?" The second most asked question is "How long did it take to paint that piece". I know the first one could get quite lengthy if you want to know the whole answer in detail and insteadI will give you the shorened version. I believe I was gifted from God the ability to paint and sculpt as well as a few other things. I also believe that unless I push myself to, develop, nurture and care for this precious gift and to share it with others, I will fall short of the inner sanctum an artist feels while working on a piece. Emerged in a world of silence, meaning, your focus is such that you are living your creation each and every moment. I have spent well over forty years doing this, and I believe an artist must paint from the heart. There is no other way. We hear of writer's blocks, never artist's blocks, however we have them! They can go on for years. You ask how do you capture on canvas, so much feeling and emotion? Well, it comes when an artist's heart is moved. Moved by a person, a place, a time, a smell, even a feeling about something or someone. When those are not present it shows. Inspiration will always spark the fire but understanding that inspiration, what to do with it and how to bring it out from deep within your heart to tell the world what it is that you so love with all your soul is quite a different matter. I believe the hardest thing to paint is that which can not be painted, and something that artists, writers and musicians throughout the centuries have struggled with. While the heart is willing to take you there, your ability to convey its feelings is never exactly what it feels like. I equate this to love, something that is indescribable and can not be defined in any way shape or form, only given or experienced through the unspoken words. However there is a good reason it was said that a paining is worth a thousand words, because the eyes are the entrance to our souls. An artist can not give what is not real and expect to get back the same from the person who looks upon his piece. When I paint, It never enters my mind what the viewer might think of if I were to do this or that in a painting. That is 99.9% of your mind working and not your heart. (I know it got a little deep there but, you keep asking.)

The second question, "How long did it take you to paint that piece?", can be answered with a much shorter answer, and one I have borrowed from a very famous artist who was asked the same question, and replied to the person, "A lifetime", which pretty much says it all. Anyone that has worked countless hours for years and years in the never ending pursuit to be the very best, will tell you the same thing. Some people are under the impression that a great work of art must take days and weeks to complete. When actually, the faster an artist can get a work done, the better, because life itself never stands still. Inspiration and the ability to capture it and deliver it in its most honest and purest form is the piece that conveys the most honesty and reality that will be achievable.

I know there are many other questions you would like to have answers to, however, I would like to finish this up with a Christmas wish to everyone. My wish for you, is that when you light a candle this holiday season, know that it has been lit as it has for centuries to bring light into the world so we can see all that we have to be grateful for around and before us. It is this candle that we gaze upon, that holds us to a stare as we reflect on those things in life that mean the most to us in life. May it's warmth and silence be of comfort to you as you long to be with others you love and can not hold and be with this Christmas. May it never burn out before you feel the need for its company. Like a child born in a manger so long ago, may the light from this candle continue to bring hope and fulfillment to us all, for we are one in the same and all share a need and purpose in life, to love, be loved and care for those who need us. May our prayers be like that of our children who fear the darkness but sleep like angles upon the candles glow, but most of all, may this candle you light, forever help you find your way in your search for love, peace and happiness this Christmas.

Have a wonderful Christmas,

Brad