Utah bell in White House

A little bit of Utah is hanging from the nation's Christmas tree in the White House this year thanks to a Holladay woman's painting an 8-inch jingle bell.

Kristen Birkeland, who is nationally renowned for her decorative painting, was asked by the White House tree decorator to submit a painted ornament for this year's tree. It has a musical theme, with miniature musical instruments attached to the tree.

"I was given a jingle bell 8 inches in diameter to paint. We had specific instructions on what to paint. For instance, the background had to be a dark, rich color and the artwork had to be gold stroke work," Birkeland said. She was accompanied to the unveiling of the decorated tree by her sister, Randy Malmstrom.

Birkeland, with a Norwegian background, has painted many Norwegian folk scenes and said the type of work she painted on the bell is called "rosemaling," which translated from the Norwegian means flower painting. "It's typical folk art done all over Norway," she said.

Her painted bell was sent to the White House in September along with 500 others to be judged. Of them, 300 were selected for the White House tree.

During a reception for the artists this past week, first lady Laura Bush threw a luncheon for them, and they had their pictures taken with her and the tree. At first, Birkeland said she wasn't planning to make the trip to Washington, but her family and students convinced her she should go and enjoy the moment.

"It was a wonderful experience, and I met quite a few artist friends from around the country," she said. As far as she knows, she was the only Utahn to submit an ornament.

Birkeland, who is a certified decorative painter, has painted and taught for 30 years. She has written three books on decorative painting and teaches classes twice a week at Zim's craft store in Murray.

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E-mail: lweist@desnews.com