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News Article  
Vaillancourt Folk Art Santa Clauses
By Larry LeMasters

Folk art collectibles are difficult since some folk art is considered collectible as soon as it is created while some vintage folk art is simply “old.” A beautiful example of instantly collectible folk art is Vaillancourt Folk Art, since it has been collected since its inception in 1984.

Judi and Gary Vaillancourt founded Vaillancourt Folk Art & Friends when Gary gave Judi three antique chocolate molds as a Christmas gift. Judi, a true lover of antiques, works as an illustrator and is always looking for creative things to do, so she experimented with using the vintage molds to mold chocolates for friends and family. Soon, thereafter, she was pouring beeswax figurines using the old chocolate molds.

Following the success of chocolate and beeswax casting, Judi Vaillancourt experimented with solid chalk ware casting (chalk ware, in the 1930s, was considered the “poor man’s Staffordshire, and Vaillancourt’s work is considered the first chalk ware castings in the modern era) and developed her own, unique process to cast chalk ware figurines using old confectionery molds.

Judi sold her first hand-painted chalk ware Santa Claus figurine at Marks’ Folk Art Show in Chicago. Judi took only one chalk ware Santa to the show and it sold for $25, but she was commissioned to make 30 more chalk ware Santa Clauses, and her folk art hobby suddenly became big business.

In 1985 Judi and Gary quit their day jobs and formed Vaillancourt Folk Art & Friends. They immediately converted their Sutton, Massachusetts, home’s basement into a production studio and warehouse and hired 15 employees.

In 2007, the Vaillancourts shortened their company name to Vaillancourt Folk Art when they relocated their business and changed the company’s focus to original chalk ware ornaments and figurines.

Vaillancourt Folk Art continues today as a family owned business, creating and selling hand-painted chalk ware collectibles, including their now famous line of Santa Claus chalk ware figurines. Judi casts her Santa Clauses using a plaster-like (chalk ware) substance and part of her personal 3,000+ collection of antique confectionery (candy, ice cream, and chocolate) molds.

Each Santa, after casting, is air dried, hand-painted using oil paints, and then given several coats of finish, producing a high quality antique patina. Novice collectors should be aware that such a finish causes variations in pieces, making every Vaillancourt Santa unique.

Department stores and novelty shops throughout the United States, especially Christmas stores, commercially carry Vaillancourt Folk Art. Lynn Haney and Byers’ Choice are two of the specialty Christmas stores that have partnered with Vaillancourt.

Much of Vaillancourt’s success is attributed to the fact that it is one of America’s last craft factories still designing by hand. Also, Americans, since 9/11, have eagerly sought crafts and other objects that are proudly stamped, Made in America.

Judi Vaillancourt helps keep the company’s “Made in America” image alive by designing and creating more than 100 chalk ware Santa Clauses every year, giving collectors a wide range to choose from. Along with her Christmas Santas, she creates whimsical Santas too, such as Nantucket Santa and Easter Santa.

An explanation of America’s love affair with Vaillancourt chalk ware Santas is found in the company’s “Gold Santa with Bells” figurine. Standing more than 10-inches tall, this figurine depicts Father Christmas with a gold leaf coat and Nordic gray cap and bag. His bag is full of metal bells since “every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings.”

Collectors particularly search for Vaillancourt “Starlight” Santas that are produced in cooperation with the Starlight Foundation. Starlight Santas, began in 1990, are produced annually in limited runs. After Dec. 31st, the Starlight mold for that year is retired and never used again. Some collectors limit their Vaillancourt collection to Starlight Santas since the collection is very limited.

Luke Vaillancourt, Judi’s son, summed up Vaillancourt’s business philosophy when he said, “We live in a disposable world where it is not uncommon for people to buy and discard [nearly everything]. With that in mind, our goal isn’t just to create a beautiful fine art product, but to begin a tradition that can be passed down to the next generation.” Americans have embraced that concept and Vaillancourt Santa Clauses have passed from the realm of mere collectible to the magical realm of heirloom in just 30 short years. One look at a Judi Vaillancourt Santa will tell you why this has happened.

It is unlikely that celebrating Christmas will ever end, so hand-made chalk ware Santas will always be in vogue too. It is this heirloom quality that collectors seek, making Vaillancourt chalk ware Santa Clauses nostalgic collectibles for modern collectors.

12/13/2018