We don't want to be the ones telling you what to do with your gift giving life this season, but if you are on this website, there is a chance (slight, we know) that you like art. And if you like art, you may have a loved one who likes art. And if that loved one likes art, there is a great chance (almost with 100% certainty do we say this) that he/she would love Chris Ware's new stunner, Building Stories, for a holiday gift.

Behold: Chris Ware’s beautiful poster art for the 2012 Small Press Expo. The Small Press Expo is North America's premiere independent cartooning and comic arts festival. SPX brings together more than 3,000 cartoonists and comic arts enthusiasts every fall in Bethesda, Maryland. It is scheduled to take place this Sept. 15-16 so mark your calenders for a trip to Bethesda!

There’s no question Chris Ware’s work appeals heavily to a desire for buy-able products of today that hearken back to a vintage period in American advertising. He is one of the top artists able to do something with those nostalgic aesthetics. His first forays into animation–for National Public Radio’s televised This American Life– work perfectly within the show’s context.

There’s no question Chris Ware’s work appeals heavily to a desire for buy-able products of today that hearken back to a vintage period in American advertising. He is one of the top artists able to do something with those nostalgic aesthetics. His first forays into animation–for National Public Radio’s televised This American Life– work perfectly within the show’s context. Ware has a talent for observation done in his certain small, sad mode by bringing a certain aesthetic touch to a small story.

Chris Ware is an American comic book artist. He writes and draws stories using text and pictures. He is best know for his graphic novel, Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth, and the comic book series where it began, Acme Novelty Library. His works explore themes of social isolation, emotional torment and depression...