Jim Butcher (American, B. 1944) "Building a Snowman" Signed lower right. Original Mixed Media painting on Illustration Board. Provenance: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation. This painting was originally published on the Fleetwood First Day Cover for the U.S. 29c Snowman ATM stamp issued October 28, 1993. "On the front lawn rises that art form surely older than the Parthenon -- the snow man, complete with pipe and lumps of coal for eyes." The words of author Donald Culross Peattie vividly bring to mind an image familiar even to those who have never faced the challenge of creating such a wonderful character. Those fortunate enough to have experienced the thrill of building a snowman will recall the fun of rolling that first small ball of glistening crystals into a boulder much too big to handle. When that base was completed, construction moved along rather quickly, for the next two sections decreased in size. Once the body was complete, the young artist was then left with the task of bringing his creation to life! With a few well-placed pieces of coal, a bright orange carrot and an old top hat, the snowman took on a character of its own. And what a sense of achievement to see how all this hard labor had turned into such a fine lawn ornament! Sadly, this feeling of accomplishment -- and the snowman itself -- was often short-lived. For when the temperatures rose and the sunlight shone down upon it, the fragile snowman would quickly dissolve into a lonely, damp pile of coal, hat and carrot. Yet all was not lost. For the tale of Frosty the Snowman promises, he'll be back again some day. Image Size: 16.5 x 14 in. Overall Size: 20 x 18 in. Unframed. (B07757)