For the past twenty years, artist Gail Challender has been creating her wonderful Christmas characters.  They have evolved from Santas with mass produced porclain heads to the current Santas and elves with hand sculpted original heads and hands made from polymer clay.  No molds are used, so each is original and one of a kind.  German hand blown glass eyes are sculpted into the clay making for a very realistic life like appearance.  The heads are then cured and hand painted bringing them further to life.  Gail also hand makes each armature (body) and all of their elegant costumes using new and vintage fabrics, furs and trims.  She searches tirelessly for antique toys, sleighs and accessories that will accent and individualize each and every one of her pieces.  If she is not able to find the treasures she needs, she designs and fabricates them completely by hand.  Her finished pieces range in size from twenty four inches to a life size six feet two inches and in price from $375 to $6000 and up.

While living in Oklahoma, Gail was commissioned by the Guthrie Territorial Christmas committee to design and fabricate an elf that was used as the signature theme for their Territorial Christmas Ball.  Also during her time in the US, Gail started showing her work in a gallery in Guthrie, Oklahoma where it continues to be shown to this day.  From this exposure, Gail has sold many of her pieces to art collectors all over the United States.  During this time, Gail was commissioned to do a life size golfing Santa which she based on the “Father of golf”, Old Tom Morris.  The couple who purchased this amazing one of a kind piece lives on a golf course, giving him the home he well deserves.

Gail learned to sew at a very early age and much of her talent is natural and self taught.  After receiving one on one training with American artist Judith Klawitter, a master sculptor in the art doll world, Gail has been able to take her already amazing artistic talent to a completely new level.  With each piece Gail designs and creates, she strives to produce characters that are whimsical yet elegant, providing owners of her artwork with an heirloom masterpiece they will treasure and be proud to pass on to future generations.