Holiday Buttons by Graig Anderson

Sasquatch pulling a sleigh. Skiing snowman. Bubblefish playing the cello.

These are a just few of the fantastical scenes depicted over the years on Graig Anderson’s Pike Place Market holiday buttons. He’s been creating them since 1999, each year with a new holiday-themed design. Ask any craftsperson in the Market and they’ll tell you: Graig’s buttons are a cherished holiday tradition.

“It’s fun for me,” says Graig. “I’ve been drawing since I was a kid, and used to paint Christmas stuff on storefront windows. Each year I look back through my sketchbooks and have a big bank of images to choose from as a starting point.”

From there, he discusses concepts with Pike Place Market PDA daystall staff and hones his design. “It goes from a drawing to an acrylic painting that I photograph and make final touches on the computer,” explains Graig.

Although he cites artistic influences like Edward Gorey, Dr. Seuss, Francisco Goya, and classic Warner Bros. Cartoons as inspiration, it’s clear browsing Graig’s crafts table that he’s created a unique magical world of his own.

Shop the Crafts Market from now through the end of the year to receive your own 2021 limited edition Pike Place Market holiday button (while supplies last)!