Photo | Vaillaincourt Folk Art
Luke Vaillancourt, new president of Vallaincourt Folk Art
December 22, 2020
Q&A: Hand-painting Santas in Sutton
Photo | Edd Cote
Gary and Judith Vaillancourt with their son Luke, who took over as president of the family business in September.
Vaillancourt Folk Art in Sutton, founded by Gary and Judi Vaillancourt, produces chalkware and decorative ornaments featured in higher-end retailers like Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus. In September, the Vaillancourts announced their son, Luke, would step in as the company’s new president, with Gary stepping into an advisory position. Luke, who grew up in the company, has been with the business formally since 2007. He spoke with WBJ about what it’s like carrying on a family legacy, doing business in the United States and explained what, exactly, chalkware is.
How did your family come to start Vaillancourt Folk Art?
The abridged version is my mother, a formally trained artist, is also a Christmas and antiques enthusiast. My father, one Christmas, gave her three antique chocolate moulds, and my mother was amazed at the detail that went into a consumable. She first used beeswax to create figures but that was often messy, so she turned to the Victorian art medium of chalkware and adapted a new technique to create a three dimensional canvas. She would take these painted Santas to craft shows along with folk art she created and was quick to sell out. Seeing the opportunity, my dad quit his high-tech job, and they decided to give it a go.
What was it like growing up alongside the Vaillancourt Folk Art legacy?
There are pictures of me as a child sleeping on my mom’s lap as she painted. Growing up, it was fun to always have people at my house. Both sets of grandparents worked at the house. During the early years, the business was in our basement.
I was always part of the business. I’d travel to wholesale and retail shows with them, and when I was older I’d work all summer in various departments of the business. It’s amazing to see how the company has grown, and I am always amazed we can provide jobs for nearly 20 Americans by painting Santas!
What is -- and why -- chalkware?
During the 19th century, chalkware was sculpted gypsum, painted effortlessly with watercolors. Because most chalkware was sold by carnival vendors, it was considered the “poor man’s porcelain.”
Judi Vaillancourt was the first artist to apply her oil painting talent, her love of history and Christmas, and ingenuity to create contemporary chalkware using chocolate moulds.
Her method of creating the modern chalkware with this technique was first recognized in 1988 by Early American Life, 1989 by Colonial Homes, 1991 by Collector Editions and has been recognized in countless national and local publications since, including a feature story in Yankee Magazine in 2005 and throughout both the Colonial Williamsburg foundation and catalogs.
With one of the largest personal collections of vintage confectionery moulds in the world, Judi continues to find inspiration from historical contexts and hand-paints each piece that is produced in her Sutton studios.
How does being based in the U.S. impact your production?
From a quality standpoint, we’re able to produce true fine art products, and we would never consider sacrificing quality for any reason. From a business standpoint, there are inherent challenges, but consumers both in retail and wholesale are proud to have an American-made product.
Why do you maintain operations in Sutton?
Sutton is one of the most picturesque New England towns, and it’s where we live. It’s a true community: Residents, local administration and politicians, businesses large and small all work together and support each other. You could never find that type of community anywhere else.
What does growth and innovation look like for a company after it's been in business for as long as Vaillancourt?
We’re very fortunate that we’re small enough to be able to be nimble and innovative both with our own brand extensions (we introduced a Vaillancourt Christmas wine three years ago), events (like our Christkindlesmrkt), and operations (we’ve expanded our retail footprint significantly — both digitally and in-store, as well as maintain a strong wholesale presence in some of the most reputable stores like Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Gumps, etc). But, at the end of the day, we’re known for the time honored tradition of hand painting fine art chalkware, the only thing that is changing with that is making improvements in the process and raw goods to ensure we have the finest quality Christmas product.
Are there any changes or developments coming down the pipeline?
Judi continues to design every piece. She does anywhere between 50 - 100 styles each year. It’s her imagination, love of history, and talent that continues to create new designs to inspire future generations to start a tradition. How we can deliver that tradition is always changing as we continually improve both our online and in-store experience. We also have a few things coming for 2021 and beyond, but it’s never good to peek at presents.
This interview was conducted and edited for length and clarity by WBJ Staff Writer Monica Busch.
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