Vaillancourt Folk Art (VFA) is pleased to introduce the Brant Point Nantucket Santa at the 2013 “Event Under The Tent” benefiting the Small Friends on Nantucket Thursday, July 19th. Adding to the tradition and folklore of the Nantucket Santa, Judi Vaillancourt has taken to literary sources to create this symbol of the island’s nautical traditions. For the 6th annual Nantucket Santa, Judi found inspiration within John Warner Barber’s engraving featured in the book Historical Collections, History and Antiquities of EVERY Town in Massachusetts (Dorr, Howland & Co, 1839). In the engraving, the famous 1746 lighthouse, Brant Point, stands proud in the background while two men sit on the shore of the inner harbor. True to its time period, the engraving is a historical snapshot of coastal living illustrated with distinct outlines of the town, its steeples and windmills. In addition to the painting of the découpaged replica of the engraving, the Brant Point Nantucket Santa is holding the famous Nantucket Basket and has a “Nantucket” redware plate by his feet—both iconic symbols of the island. The final detail to this Santa is the single blue hydrangea resting peacefully in the fur of his hood. In tradition, the premier numbers of this piece will be available exclusively on the island of Nantucket during The Nantucket Folk Art & Artisan Show at Barlett’s Farm July 19th – July 21st. Orders will be taken online and over the phone at Vaillancourt’s retail store in Sutton, MA. Pieces will be shipped with a mid-August delivery. Looking for the past collection? See the complete Nantucket Summer Series here. Judi and Gary introducing the 2012 Nantucket Santa in Nantucket.
