NEWELL - On the prairie ranch of John and Barb Uhrig, there's a Christmas Eve surprise waiting for Santa, and it's not cookies and a glass of milk. It's much more astounding than that - likely to elicit a deep belly laugh from Old St. Nick, or perhaps bring a tear to his eye.

For through the magical artistry of Barb Uhrig, a congenial and familiar bunch is ready to make Santa feel right at home. That's because Uhrig is a dollmaker, and for the past 10 years, she has been creating one-of-a-kind Christmas collectibles - the majority of them unique renditions of Santa Claus.

Uhrig's Santas are singular characters - old Western codgers, wrinkled and gnarled and deeply etched. That's because their expressive faces are created as Uhrig's fingers knead and smooth the polymer clay that she uses for their heads and hands.

Heads and hands have fascinated Uhrig most of her life. "When I was little, my folks used to laugh at me," she said. "I used to sit and watch the family eat. I still watch people eat and their different expressions. But then when I do my Santa Clauses, I know how a mouth will look or a certain expression."

While they are "kind of tedious" to make compared to heads, Uhrig has an equal attraction to hands. "I look at people, the arthritic knobs on their hands. Some people have fat tips, chunky hands or, like mine, have big knuckles. Some people have a lot of wrinkles or lines. Some people have real brown hands and some have real pale. When I do Santa Claus, I always figure he has worked with his hands or with tools, so he has to have strong hands with a lot of character."

After Uhrig finishes shaping the heads and hands of her Santas, she bakes them in a regular oven for about 12-15 minutes.

"When I get done baking, I can hold those hands and kind of tell. Something comes out of it - a feeling," she said. "Those hands are good hands - like you shook hands."

For Uhrig, there's a deeply felt connection between real people and her art - and it's a wellspring for her creativity.

"The faces seem to take on characteristics depending on my mood," she said, explaining how she begins with a tinfoil ball and layers the clay to create each feature. With only her hands and two small tools, she works the clay, allowing her fingers to tell the tale as each face takes on a life of its own.

Sometimes, the resulting creation isn't immediately pleasing and Uhrig might let an unfinished head sit around for a while. "I've had some sit for probably a year," she said. "There was something about it I didn't like."

But over time, the head seems to get mellower. "It isn't as ugly as I think," Uhrig said, and the forsaken Santa is completed with a beard and hair so he can take his place in Santa society.

Of course, Santa society isn't complete without the civilizing influence of Mrs. Claus, as one of Uhrig's most touching creations illustrates. The piece, which is not for sale, consists of Santa and Mrs. Claus dancing in each other's arms.

"By the time I got done with them, I could almost picture my husband and me at that age just dancing. Because we love to dance," Uhrig said. "They are growing old together, and they simply adore each other. That sculpture almost came alive; you could almost hear the music."

All of Uhrig's sculptures and dolls end up being special to someone. Uhrig takes her Santas, along with other Christmas creations, to a number of regional shows each year, including the Country Fair Thanksgiving show in Rapid City and the Ladies Craft Bazaar at CAM-PLEX in Gillette, Wyo. During her 10 years of making Santas, she has gained many repeat customers and stays busy through the winter filling special orders for some of them.

"People often take a long time to choose their Santa," Uhrig said. "Some see a likeness to a relative and pick that one. It is really interesting because I try to make different ones for every show. Some are more Western, some are more woodland or more Victorian. Sometimes what I think is an ugly Santa, everybody wants. Everyone has their own opinion."

Whatever her customers' preference, Uhrig feels blessed to bring them pleasure with her creations. "God gave me my talent as a gift," she said, "and I feel that what I do with it is my gift to God."

Those thoughts carry over to the more secular symbol of Christmas: "Santa Claus likes to give. That's his main purpose," she said. "I love seeing how people react to my Santa Clauses and how they react to my art, no matter what it is. It's just neat seeing somebody light up."

And there's a little bit more to Uhrig's love for her Santa creations. "I've believed in him ever since I was little," she said, "and I haven't quit believing."

Contact Laura Tonkyn at 394-8405 or laura.tonkyn@rapidcityjournal.com.