Months before the holiday season, when most of us were busy with Independence Day barbecues and cooling off by the pool, LisaBeth Weber, a New Hope-based artist and musician, was commissioned to create a Christmas tree ornament.
But it wasn’t just anyone asking her to employ her talents for the holiday season.
“I got a call from Patrick Murphy’s (D-PA) office, asking whether I’d be interested in creating an ornament for the White House Christmas tree,” Weber says. “Of course I said yes!”
Selected artists from across the country were invited to create their own ornaments representing their home districts. They were all presented with identical, blank ornaments, and given few restrictions on what they could or couldn’t do with them. Weber created her ornament by sanding it down and painting it with acrylics. The theme she chose was green energy.
“I immediately thought of green energy,” she says, “because of all the green energy efforts happening right here in Bucks County. I wanted to tie it into something that would have visual appeal, and would also tie into the incoming administration.”
Weber was then invited, along with the other participating artists, to a December 2 reception at the White House held in honor of those who helped decorate the tree. Though hundreds of artists participated—and the tree featured hundreds of ornaments—Weber was lucky enough to spot hers.
This isn’t the first time Weber’s work has been featured in a political setting. Hillary Clinton, Madeline Albright and Ed Rendell have all worn her hand-made pins.
“In 2004, I received a photo of Hillary wearing one of my pins from one of her assistants,” Weber says. “It was so exciting.”
Weber’s pins, along with other her other jewelry and art work, are available on her Web site. They’re the perfect gift for the political junkie on your Christmas list.
