Santa Clause
@PainsOnSlate (21852)
Canada
December 17, 2018 8:38am CST
When we moved to Canada we were not landed (a legal term), John had a job that brought us to Canada but I could not work. We lived on the shore of Lake Ontario and I often walked the beach to see what I could find.
One day I found Santa, I picked up the driftwood, went back to the house and found my woodwork tools and started my artistic life in Canada. I made hundred of Santa's. My new girl-friends here in Canada had a few craft show and I joined and sold a lot of Santa's. A couple of small store asked if i would sell Santa on consignment and I said yes.
I also sent myself to the hospital a few times with sharp tools stuck in my hands. The second time I showed up in emergency, the nurse told me that the high school has a night class on Woodworking, I joined and never cut myself again playing with knives.
The photo is of a few of my Santa's that I loved and kept for myself. The rest were sold. I moved on to other creativity art work and now all I do is paint on slate.
Hope you all have a good Christmas and a happy winter...
15 people like this
16 responses
Those Santa are really nice.
@LadyDuck (472087)
• Switzerland
19 Dec 18
@PainsOnSlate We tend to keep things in our hands while working, but when we use sharp instruments it is extremely dangerous.
2 people like this
@PainsOnSlate (21852)
• Canada
18 Dec 18
Thanks, they are primitive but they make me happy. The first thing learning wood working is you never use your gouges while holding the wood, the first thing in that class was to build a flat wood brace to put your wood next to and your hands don't get close to it while working on it... worked very well...
2 people like this
@PainsOnSlate (21852)
• Canada
19 Dec 18
@LadyDuck I managed to put two very sharp tools stuck between my fingers (two different fingers, two different time but the nurses were not impressed and I was delighted I got my feeling back in those fingers eventually. The education was a big help.
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21852)
• Canada
27 Dec 18
@JudyEv I didn't lose the feeling in the whole hand, just the area that the knife did its thing. It wasn't so awful, but I'm so glad I took the course or it might have been worse. What I was doing wrong was holding the wood in my hand and carving that way...the first thing I was told was to build a simple tool that sort of looks like the lid of a box... but by using this "box" you lean the wood to a corner and you are not holding the wood where you might hurt yourself.. I'll have to look and see if I still have it, I probably do and will take a photo of it. It's not big but it did what it was suppose to do and that would mean I didn't hurt myself again...
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21852)
• Canada
23 Dec 18
I lost the feelings in my left hand for a long time, i don't want that to happen ever again. Thankfully the healing did bring back my feeling.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (342179)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 Dec 18
@PainsOnSlate Oh gosh, that was a bit too close for comfort.
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21852)
• Canada
21 Dec 18
Thank you, they were fun to make but like all things, my art morphed into other things.
1 person likes this
@amadeo (111938)
• United States
23 Dec 18
@PainsOnSlate I don very well with my collection at that time
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21852)
• Canada
28 Dec 18
@amadeo when i was making them I sold hundreds, I didn't have big prices on them but I made a lot of money too...
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21852)
• Canada
23 Dec 18
I will have my collection until I die, then my kids will share them. I never thought of selling them but that is a good idea. I do know my kids will love them some day...
@Morleyhunt (21744)
• Canada
17 Dec 18
Nice work. It's always interesting to see how our creativity can morph over time I to very different directions.
2 people like this
@PainsOnSlate (21852)
• Canada
25 Dec 18
I love the fact that we can change our creativity and move on when ever we want too...
@PainsOnSlate (21852)
• Canada
17 Dec 18
Thank you, I haven't seen you here lately, but then i'm not here often either.
@cyberrat (204)
• Portsmouth, Ohio
17 Dec 18
@PainsOnSlate followed this over from face book...Im just not much into writing anymore but I like to see what everyone it up to from time to time..
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21852)
• Canada
18 Dec 18
@cyberrat I don't write as much as I used to, but I find I enjoy interacting with the old friends and new so I keep it going... it usually takes at least 3 months to make 5, so you know I'm not here much.
@GardenGerty (160978)
• United States
17 Dec 18
Very nifty and inspiring Santa. Nice to learn more about you.
2 people like this
@PainsOnSlate (21852)
• Canada
23 Dec 18
i don't make them anymore, I put my tools away and now I just paint. I do love my Santas and know many who I have shared them with and when I walk in their houses I see dozens of mine...
@shaggin (72263)
• United States
24 Dec 18
wow so you were able to do all that and sell them so well even without having had a class. That is natural talent. I am pretty clumsy but I always loved whittling things like my grandpa taught me when I was young. I never cut myself doing it thankfully but I also had no talent lol
1 person likes this
@shaggin (72263)
• United States
26 Dec 18
@PainsOnSlate I took art class all through high school but I did get kicked out of art and yearbook that year by the teacher who ran them! I was a bad student.
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21852)
• Canada
25 Dec 18
Art was something I studied all through high school and collage but i never really carved anything until Santa showed on the beach. I did know how to use the tools but because i really never used the tools I was a novice. When I went to the class, I learned how to carve and not cut my hands...
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21852)
• Canada
28 Dec 18
@shaggin Yikes, you must have been really bad.... who cares now, Life is good and lots of things going on in it...
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21852)
• Canada
19 Dec 18
I agree about the nurse and glad you like my Santas.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121731)
• Gainesville, Florida
23 Dec 18
Those are some very beautiful Santas! You definitely have an artistic talent. I'm glad you found something that occupied your time, you enjoyed, and that you could make a little money off of. Too bad you're not making them currently, I'm sure you could sell lots and lots of them on Etsy.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121731)
• Gainesville, Florida
26 Dec 18
@PainsOnSlate One of my best friends is a woodcarver, and he went through a period many years ago where he would find pieces of driftwood and carve them into beautiful animal shapes. I saw firsthand the painstaking work that went into his carvings, especially with the intricate details, so I can empathize with the hard work you put into your Santas. It's interesting that you mentioned artists changing over the years, because about five years ago he really got into chainsaw carvings on stumps of logs. That seems to be his passion at this time in his life.
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21852)
• Canada
25 Dec 18
Right now my art is all about roofing slate, I know a lot of artists that change over the years. I'm tempted to do more Santa's but really its a lot harder than you would think...
1 person likes this
@MissNikki (5237)
• Maple Ridge, British Columbia
6 Jan 19
Wow, that is so cool! Do you just make money from your art now? I bet people would still buy those Santa's if you made them 
I'm glad you decided to come to Canada and stay 
I'm glad you decided to come to Canada and stay 1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21852)
• Canada
6 Jan 19
I do make money with my art, but now I just paint on slate. My best friend here in Ontario grew up in BC. I flew with her to visit her family, I loved BC.
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21852)
• Canada
7 Jan 19
@MissNikki I am happy living in Ontario....
1 person likes this
@MissNikki (5237)
• Maple Ridge, British Columbia
7 Jan 19
@PainsOnSlate My mom grew up in Ontario, and most of her family is still there - I haven't been back in awhile but remember I enjoyed myself there as a kid.
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21852)
• Canada
29 Dec 18
Thank You, glad you liked my Santa's. Happy New Year to you too and a happy successful and fun 2019
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21852)
• Canada
19 Dec 18
Thank you, I enjoy them all every Christmas.
1 person likes this
@leny34 (8506)
• Sidoarjo, Indonesia
19 Dec 18
@PainsOnSlate yes that's good if you always enjoy it
1 person likes this
@KOLAMsegaran1 (4137)
• Bekasi, Indonesia
17 Dec 18
You look very, very happy, with Christmas
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21852)
• Canada
21 Dec 18
Winter is not my favorite season but I do enjoy The Christmas times with all the kids coming home for a visit.
1 person likes this
@KOLAMsegaran1 (4137)
• Bekasi, Indonesia
21 Dec 18
@PainsOnSlate then what is your favorite season....
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21852)
• Canada
18 Dec 18
I would leave to tool stuck in my hand, just wrapped it with a towel and drive to the hospital. It was of course emerge that saw me and I don't think the two who took care of me ( two different times) bought my art but you never know especially because the art was in two stores on consignment. I let the nurses pull the tool out of my hand because I had no idea how badly it would bleed. It didn't take long to heal and the education was really good, I learned a lot about not cutting yourself.
2 people like this
@responsiveme (22926)
• India
18 Dec 18
Those are marvellous.There is a Superman Santa too.
1 person likes this
