Home for the Holidays

The wreath on the front door of El Dorado Ranch beckons recipients of the university’s 2011 holiday greeting card to look inside, thanks to the artistry of Cal State Fullerton art major Kaylin Warren.

Caption: Kaylin Warren created the art that graces the cover of this year’s university greeting card.

Her digital painting recreates in soft, muted tones the entrance to the official home of Cal State Fullerton’s president since 1989, when the property was donated to the California State University system by the children of the late Stanley and Alice Chapman. 

The inside front cover of the card notes that Warren's illustration “depicts the front entryway to El Dorado Ranch, which serves as the presidential residence for California State University, Fullerton. El Dorado Ranch has been home to Dr. Milton A. Gordon and his wife, Dr. Margaret Faulwell Gordon, for the past 21 years during his transformational tenure as president. This past September, Dr. Gordon announced his upcoming retirement upon the appointment of a successor.”

The university is sending out the card during the holiday season to individuals with special ties to the campus, along with a message explaining that “During this special season, as we offer our gratitude for your role in the success of the university, we also fondly reflect on President Gordon’s leadership over the past two decades and look ahead to a promising future for the institution.”

“Working on this project was a lot of fun,” said Warren. “I was actually recommended by my art professor Cliff Cramp, who was familiar with my work in his classes.”

She created the cover design digitally and worked with Mishu Vu, senior director of design and web services in University Advancement, to refine the finished product. “We wanted a very warm and welcoming painting of the college president’s house that felt like the holiday season,” she said.

Warren started drawing as a child, but “it was only when I entered college that I realized my love for drawing could be more than just a hobby.”

The soon-to-graduate senior just finished her last round of finals for her bachelor of fine arts degree, with a goal of becoming a children’s book illustrator. More of Warren’s artwork can be seen online at kaylinwarren.com.

Dec. 21, 2011