Santa of the Forest......L&L 21

A closer look...jpeg image

When I first did this santa, I gave him an armful of toys. The toys and ribbons were beautiful, but sort of meaningless. When removing fur on his cape, I thought of replacing the toys with animals. The first animal I thought of was a dove of peace. Then I added a little bear, symbolizing Russia. The wolf represents countries that have violent governments and use this violence to survive. The gentle brown rabbit is caught in the middle but looking towards peace. The wise spotted owl sits near the head of man in hopes that he will find wisdom before it is too late.

Santa's staff represents history, a guide for moving forward. The fabric of his robe became the forest and trees and stars. His colorful mittens represent the children of the world, extensions of the wise person.

This design represents a gathering of nations towards world peace as well as respecting the environment.