A Tree for Sharing

Name: Ragnar Digital, LLC
Price range: $

Lloyd Sumner

1969

Plotter Drawing

Signed Christmas card with plotter work on front

Description

At a time when computers were seen as sterile and even threatening, Lloyd Sumner saw their creative potential. He served as president of Computer Creations, which in the 1960s sold computer-generated work by several artists. The company's offerings included Sumner’s 1969 holiday card A Tree for Sharing. The income from these sales helped fund his round-the-world bicycle tour.

Printed in red and green ink, A Tree for Sharing reimagines the Christmas tree in code, its form built from plotted lines that overlap and shift in color to create a geometric structure. Sumner paired his art with a short poem about generosity and connection. The words echo the structure of the plotted tree.

The card bears Sumner’s signature, and on the back he notes that he uses “the computer as his paint brush,” reflecting his belief that the machine extends the artist’s intent.