COMBINING COMPASSION AND ART
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Santa is our culture's only mythic figure truly believed in by a large percentage of the population. It's a fact that most of the true believers are under eight years old, and that's a pity.
Chris Van Allsburg
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LYNN HANEY COLLECTION
Each character starts with an overall design concept, followed by Lynn sculpting the original head (and for some pieces, the hands) in clay. A mold is made of the original sculpture and faithfully reproduced in a wood resin composition by the in-house casting craftsmen under the artist's supervision. This ensures an exact replica of the original sculpture
Lynn created his first Santa as a gift in 1985. Heartened by the positive response, in 1987 he designed more; incorporating sculpted heads, fancy trims and accessories. Before he knew it, Lynn was waving goodbye to his "day job" as a junior high school art teacher and opening the door to exciting new ventures. "I guess I had always secretly wished I could make things for a living instead of having to go to work every day," Lynn laughs.
That first sculptural design has now blossomed into a collection of 150 styles and a staff of 30, all housed in a Lubbock, Texas studio. Perhaps best described as "character Santas", they all have their own unique setting and accessories. Lynn begins by sketching a design concept then sculpts the head and, for some pieces, the hands. A mold is created from the original sculpture to accurately reproduce the facial features in a wood resin composition.
A Lynn Haney Santa is well known for its unique clothing and lavish accessories. Hungarian seamstresses, hand loomed Vermont knits and embroidered costumes from India all help create these wonderful costumes.
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"There are three stages of a man's life: He believes in Santa Claus, he doesn't believe in Santa Claus, he is Santa Claus."
- Author Unknown
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"In reviewing my life I saw that I often repeated the same mistakes over and over until finally I learned the lesson. But I also saw that the more I learned, the more doors of opportunity were opened to me. And they were literally opened. Many things I thought I had done by myself were shown to have been extended by divine help."
Embraced By The Light, p. 115
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"Forgiveness of self is where all forgiveness starts. If I am unable to forgive myself, it is impossible for me to truly forgive others. And I must forgive others. What I give out is what I receive. If I want forgiveness, I have to give forgiveness."
Embraced By The Light, p. 116
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