It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in downtown Union, thanks to the work of two local artists. Eileen Wade and Donna Huellinghoff are the duo behind the festive paintings that grace the windows of various businesses as well as Union City Hall during the holiday season.
What started a few years ago at one business, has quickly grown to a fun and jolly way for downtown businesses to get into the holiday spirit.
On a chilly Tuesday morning, I sat down with Eileen and Donna at White Rose Cafe in Union, and over a delicious cup of hot chocolate, the artists shared the story of how they started painting windows in downtown.
Both artists have been creating art in one way or another for most of their adult lives, but started creating together in 2016 at a studio Eileen had at that time. Donna taught various art techniques at the studio, like creating barn quilt designs.
Although Eileen ended up closing her studio due to personal reasons, a few years later in 2022, the artists decorated their first set of windows on a business in Union, at the White Rose Cafe. After that first holiday season, it grew from there.
“It’s all word of mouth,” Donna says of the process. “We’d be out there painting and someone at another business would come up to us and ask us to paint their windows.”
In addition to the Christmas season designs, Eileen and Donna also paint windows in the downtown area for other holidays, like Valentine’s Day, Easter, Halloween, and for the Union Homecoming celebration.
“It’s fun to share our art and challenge ourselves and think, ‘what could we fit in this window’s space?'” Eileen shares.
The process takes anywhere from two to six hours, depending on the number of windows and the design, among other factors.
“It depends on how many people stop and chat with us,” Eileen says with a laugh. “But that’s what’s fun and that’s why I laugh about it.”
Along with the painted windows, there’s also some permanent art installations that Eileen and Donna have created in Union. Together, they’ve painted eight murals that can be found throughout town, including the scene that runs along the wall inside Hansen Park, a mural along the wall at the MU Extension Center near the Pasta House, and several others.
See more photos of the holiday window paintings on Facebook. And be sure to take a stroll through downtown Union to look at the designs first-hand, they’re sure to make you smile and put you in the holiday spirit!
Small Town Socialite 