If I’ve been a little quiet in December, it’s because I’ve been working on some top-secret projects on behalf of Santa. I still can’t reveal all of them, but I can start with this “Reindeer Call” I made for Grandma Selden (she doesn’t read this blog, or any web site, for that matter).
It’s a whistle, carved to look like Santa Claus. I’m not sure it will summon reindeer, but the 45th paralell isn’t exactly close to Santa’s Stable (it’s midway between the equator and the North Pole, and it runs through Oregon).
The Santa carving tradition is much older than I am, but I have been making Santa’s for my grandmother for a number of years. It’s a fun exercise each year for me to flex my folk art muscle, so different stylistically from what I normally do. Last year, I went all out and created this 11″ tall standalone Santa. In it, Santa is doing some chainsaw carving on a tree whose branches resemble a certain antlered mammal native to the Arctic Circle.
In this photo you can see Santa’s face, as well as a little detail on the back of the tree.
Wishing you and yours a very happy holiday, and may you get all the tools you asked for this year.
j yost Says:
December 30th, 2006 at 2:52 pmVisit j yost
i wish these were mine dave. jon thinks it is terrible i said this. he said it sounds like a kid. sorry. i do. they are way neat. love, mom