Scott Tallon Walker’s Christmas Card Tradition
20.12.2024

Each year, for almost 50 years, Scott Tallon Walker Architects have worked with an Irish artist to create a unique Christmas card which reflects our legacy and our commitment to the arts.

The STW Christmas card tradition started in 1975 when we asked Patrick Scott, one of the first exponents of pure abstraction in Irish art and who, at the time, was an STW architect, to create a unique card that could be sent out to friends of the firm. Thereafter, Patrick Scott created a Christmas card each year for the next thirty-nine years up until 2012.

Following his sad passing in 2014, we decided to commission a new Irish artist to create a new Christmas card as a tribute to Patrick Scott's legacy, reflecting the significant contribution to the development of modernist design in Ireland. Since then, the cards portrayed the remarkable works of Sarah Walker, an established Cork contemporary artist, and Richard Gorman, an internationally recognised abstract artist. 2022 marked the final card in Richard Gorman’s series, which featured a series of six cards that reflected his abstract designs that he is internationally renowned for. In 2023, STW took the decision to make a donation to Dublin Simon Community in lieu of issuing our Christmas card, while we chose a new artist for 2024.

This year, we are proud to work with our former colleague Stephen Woulfe Flanagan.

Stephen worked on early project design and visualisations at STW for his entire career. His skilful hand drawn perspectives brought our projects to life and are regarded as the finest work in the field of perspective drawing in Irish Architecture. They conveyed a character and quality of the craft of architecture that cannot be replaced by the computer-generated imagery of today. Also highly regarded as an artist, Stephen enjoys working with abstract composition which offers further creativity to our Christmas card tradition.

We believe that our Christmas cards are truly unique and, as a leading Irish-based design practice, we are very proud of them. This truly unique card is a screen print limited to 180 editions, signed by the artist.

“When asked by STW to design their Christmas card for this year, I was delighted to take up the challenge. This card is the first of a group of four which, when complete (2027), will complement each other and form a visual series.” - Stephen Woulfe Flanagan.

Born in 1939, Stephen Woulfe Flanagan developed a love of drawing early in his youth, encouraged by Father Sebastian Braun, an architect, and Brother Benedict Tully, a sculptor, during his time at Glenstal Abbey School. This influence inspired his career path. In 1958, he enrolled at the School of Architecture, Bolton Street, where he studied under notable figures like Robin Walker, Wilfrid Cantwell, Kevin Fox, and Arthur Gibney.

After graduating in 1963, he worked with Wilfrid Cantwell for three years before joining Michael Scott and Partners – later Scott Tallon Walker (STW) Architects – in 1966. He collaborated with Ronnie Tallon on design development and perspective visualisations. After Ronnie’s retirement, he worked closely with Michael Tallon, then Managing Director and currently Chairman of the practice, before retiring in 2022.

Throughout his architectural career, Stephen maintained his passion for the visual arts, creating graphic design works such as a poster for the RIAI, ‘Irish Architecture’; a print for the King’s Inn (Johnson Courtyard); and a stamp for An Post, celebrating the bicentenary of Maynooth Seminary (Pugin Gate).

He has also contributed artwork to architectural projects by STW, including a mural in Lemon Street (now demolished), Stations of the Cross at St. Vincent’s Private Hospital, and an acoustic mural at the National Forensic Mental Health Service in Portrane.

Outside of his career as an Architect, Stephen’s artistic pursuits have been applied to multiple different media including painting in both watercolour and oil, life drawing, woodcarving, sculpting and bronze casting and to a lesser extent dry point etching. His work has led to him exhibiting his work at the request of the Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts (RHA) for their Banquet Exhibition on occasion.

Since retirement he has involved himself in Graphic work, often using collage as a medium, which gives flexibility and choice in the process. He also loves exploring geometry and its mathematical relationships.

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