Like A Quiet Corner of London, above, John Piper's Interior of Coventry Cathedral was painted in the immediate aftermath of a bombing raid.

BBC: Your Paintings: The secret artworks ordinary people own

"I think this is a first for the parade, " says Macy's lead designer, John Piper, standing in a roomful of brightly colored clay prototypes at Macy's 75, 000-square-foot parade studio in New Jersey.

WSJ: Up in the Air | Making It