Lebanon artist creates ‘The Other Side of Christmas’
It was the act of dropping a piece of paper on the floor more than two decades ago that led Lebanon resident Beth Gully to recent international acclaim as a children’s book author.
Now featured in 57 locations across the country and in Canada, her award-winning book, “The Other Side of Christmas,” is an upside-down story that tells the tale of Santa Claus on one side and when flipped upside-down, the same images tell of the birth of Jesus. Both stories are blended into one book through a unique talent that Gully discovered she had quite by accident.
The artist and owner of BT Graphics had been working on her Christmas card design featuring the words “Happy Holidays.” She took a lunch break and when she returned, found her drawing had fallen to the floor, yet she could still read the upside down image.
She had drawn an ambigram without realizing there was such a thing. With ambigram art, a word or words, or image is created so that it can be read in more than one direction. When flipped upside down, it can create the same image, or may form a new image entirely. A very basic ambigram is the word “mom” which can be flipped to say “wow.”
Gully began dabbling in the art and in 1994 created her second ambigram, again for her yearly Christmas card. Viewed one way, it was a drawing of Santa Claus. Viewed upside-down, the same image was that of Jesus Christ.
“The concept came to mind and I thought it would never work,” Gully said. “As I started sketching, I realized, ‘Oh my gosh,’ it is going to work.”
It wasn’t until years later, while at lunch that friend Jane Kors suggested she create a children’s book with the Santa-Jesus image. Within minutes, Gully had a couple more ambigram drawings for the book.
“I’ve always loved the image of the card of Santa and Jesus and it just seemed like there could be more to it,” said Kors, who also edited the book.
It wouldn’t be until 2014, almost ten years after that lunch, that the book would be published. Gully continued to work on the project while juggling her business and credits Kors and Jamie Sherron, who wrote the text, for helping her complete it.
“They encouraged me weekly with their professional touch, tremendous insights and faithful prayers,” Gully said.
It was worth the wait.
“It helps parents blend the stories for their children,” Gully said. “I think one of the hardest things this time of the year is how to blend the Santa story and the Jesus story so that both things are going on and that both stories are good but to still talk about the birth of Jesus.”
Gully said she’s one of about 100 published ambigram artists worldwide and she only knows of three children’s book ambigram creators, including herself. The other two have passed away.
“I’m sure there are more but we just don’t know about them, or they haven’t come forward, or they haven’t created something that’s been seen on a national or global level,” Gully said.
In addition to book signings and other engagements, Gully visits schoolchildren to help spread awareness about ambigram art.
“I want to inspire children to create ambigrams and teach them how to do it,” Gully said. “I think it’s good for the brain. It’s like a puzzle.”
Gully is planning on releasing her second children’s ambigram book “The Other Side of Easter” in 2017. The book will tell the stories of traditional Easter activities and the Easter bunny and the resurrection of Jesus.
Source: cincinnati.com