FSNHS goes to Washington

FORT SCOTT, Kan. -- The Fort Scott National Historic Site has been invited to spend Christmas at the White House this holiday season.

When President and Mrs. George W. Bush chose the National Park Service as the theme for this year's holiday decorations, the Fort Scott National Historic Site contacted Gary Hawk, an artist from Iola. Hawk was asked to design and paint an ornament, which would represent FSNHS.

An NPS press release said that Hawk's ornament, which depicts two scenes from FSNHS, is hanging in the White House in addition to other Christmas decorations that are of the same theme.

"The tree located in the Blue Room is adorned with handmade ornaments representing the country's 391 National Park Service sites," the press release said.

According to NPS director Mary A. Bomar, the artists who designed the many ornaments were hand picked by the different historic parks.

"Each ornament on the magnificent 18-foot Fraser fir was designed by an artist selected by the park. The ornaments tell the stories of our parks, just as our parks tell the stories of our nation," Bomar said.

Hawk's ornament depicts the fort's most prominent buildings cloaked in snow set against a dark winter sky, a press release from NPS said. According to Hawk, he painted two different scenes from FSNHS. He said he wanted to make the ornament's scenery continuous. For this reason, he painted a scene at the fort that a person might see if they were approaching the fort from the south. On the other side of the bulb, he painted a scene that could be seen by standing directly in front of the fort. Although it was a challenge to create intricate details on the ornament because of the size of the ball, Hawk said he was pleased with the outcome of his ornamental artwork.

According to Hawk, painting the two ornaments posed quite a challenge at times. Since the ornaments are made out of plastic balls, which are only eight inches across, Hawk said that the plastic made his job difficult. Hawk explained that he uses watercolors to paint with, and that the watercolors did not want to adhere to the plastic surface. Hawk searched a hobby store until he found a substance that would act as a coating to ensure that the watercolor would cling to the ornament. Though this was a difficult process, Hawk said, the most difficult part of creating the ornaments was adding the FSNHS name to the bottom of the ornament. He said that since the space he had to write the name in was only one fourth of an inch high, placing FSNHS on the bulb was a bit of a challenge.

The other obstacle that Hawk encountered with the name placement, he said, was that since the ball is round, it was a challenge to place the name symmetrically on the ornaments.

Hawk said that being asked to create the Christmas ornament was an honor. Hawk and his family were entertained at a reception at the White House, which was hosted by First Lady Laura Bush. The Hawks were also able to witness his bulb being hung upon the tree, according to the NPS statement. Hawk added that he and his family also received a VIP tour of the Capitol building.

According to information provided by Hawk, he studied art at Kansas State University in addition to the Kansas City Art Institute. In 1959, Hawk began a career with Hallmark Cards as a special projects designer. Printed information said that he also worked for American Greeting Cards Company and was a designer for IMP boats until 1976 when he decided that he would become a full-time artist. Hawk said that since that time, he has made 100 percent of his income with his art work.

Hawk's artwork has been purchased by many prominent people in the United States, including several politicians, actor Robert Redford and the Rev. Dr. Norman Vincent Peale. In addition, President Ronald Reagan purchased a piece of Hawks' artwork. After Reagan discovered that Hawk had painted a picture of his friend, Milburn Stone, an actor who portrayed Doc Adams on the television show, "Gunsmoke," he invited Hawk and his wife, along with their daughter Lora, into the Oval Office for a visit. Hawk presented the painting to Reagan upon their visit to the president's office.

According to Hawk, some of his art work has even been taken to London, England, and put up for re-sale in a well-known department store.

Hawk said he would not be able to attain such high accomplishments if he did not have the support of his wife, Beverly. He said she is not only supportive of his endeavors, but she also handles the business end of his career.