Local woman paints 50 years of Santas
Lorraine Coyner is an artist of many mediums, but her greatest accomplishments are the handpainted Santa figures made for her family members over a period of 50 years.
Coyner, 87, recently displayed her ceramic, handpainted Santas at an art exhibit at Lutheran SeniorLife Passavant Community in Zelienople.
No two figures are the same, and each carries special meaning to her four children and many grandchildren.
Denise Garrity, Coyner's daughter, said each person in the family has his favorite Santa figure of the 60 different creations.
“She makes it so it has some meaning to every one of us,” Garrity said. “I love Americana — red, white and blue — so she'd paint one with flag colors. My sister-in-law adopted a baby, so mom painted a Santa holding a baby boy up in the air.”
Coyner also has made Santas for horse and dog lovers, and even a “Southwest Santa” for her daughter in Arizona.Coyner said she never sold a Santa, because her family was so quick to claim them.“I have a big family; they'd sit and watch me do them, and someone would always say, 'That's mine!'” Coyner said.Coyner said the process of making Santas for the Christmas season could begin as early as August. She can spend up to a month painting details on the ceramic models, but Coyner said she never works on multiple ones at once.“I always work on one thing at a time,” Coyner said. “I stay 'til it's done.”Coyner began painting the Santas when her ceramics teacher started pouring molds of the figures, and women would buy them to paint. She also would purchase ceramic Santa figures from a crafting company, but they closed in 2000, and thus Coyner's tradition ended.
Garrity said her mom's painting of Santas has transitioned into her creating oil paintings on wooden boxes and canvases for her family this year.“Mom's more of a decorative painter; she's painted furniture, coffeepots, slates,” Garrity said. “She's painted with acrylics, she's done ceramics, she made porcelain dolls and their clothes.”Coyner added that she's always been interested in art of all mediums. She's dabbled in sewing quilts and clothes for dolls and her children, in addition to painting.“I've been interested since high school. I painted lots of different things when I was in school,” Coyner said. “Every doll I've made, my children or grandchildren will get one.”Garrity said their entire family is appreciative of her mom's artistic pieces.“Our homes are beautiful because they're filled with my mother's art,” Garrity said. “We appreciate it, and all the grandchildren love her art.”
