Extraordinary Stories From An Ordinary Guy: The "Art In A Sphere" Story

It was an ordinary day. Standing in front of our Christmas tree one last time before preparing to take it down and store it for next year. One last look at the many beautiful ornaments that Carol and I have accumulated over our 50 years of marriage. I have many favorites which I have shared with you before, but the ornaments that amaze me the most are the inside-painted glass ornaments that are usually come from the northeast of China. The ornaments have pictures and often calligraphy painted on the inside surface of the glass. These delightful scenes are only a few inches high and painted while manipulating the smallest brush imaginable through the neck of the ornament which in some instances is less than a half-inch across. The process of painting the ornaments can take from days to weeks to paint depending on the amount of detail and the amount of lettering involved.

Painting from the inside of the ornament.

All of our ornaments came in a silk-covered box that were padded to cushion the ornament while inside. Most ornaments we have are approximately three inches in diameter, but we do have a few larger and one that is cone-shaped. No two are going to be alike since they are individually hand-painted. For me it would be a real chore to paint an ornament scene on the outside of the sphere, but it boggles my mind how anyone can paint in reverse and have to think of what colors go on first as the progressive colors aren't seen from the outside except where there isn't already paint. The artists who paint these masterpieces must be very proud of their work, but my guess is they are paid next to nothing for their skills they possess. To be able to buy one of these ornaments for under $25 is amazing and at times I feel guilty paying that small amount, but if I don't buy it, the artist would more than likely not earn even the small amount they do get. Following are a sampling of the ornaments we have accumulated in the past and a brief description of the artwork on each one. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.