Halloween Production in Full Swing!

It is BACK to Halloweenin' round the clock here at my studio! I have new deadlines fast approaching and orders to complete too. The National Halloween Convention is just around the corner and I am slopping mache all over my deck again! Spring is here, the weather is just right for working outside, and the sun helps to dry my pieces! I can't wait to get in the full swing of mass production and have several exciting new ideas! Here are a few pieces I have made already...this one ends tonight on eBay in an hour and a half,..I love the color scheme,...

And this one STARTS as an auction on eBay tonight, at 11:00pm EST, runs for seven days making it end next Thursday at same time.

He is a 12" in diameter wall hanging moon,...relpete with crags and craters,..and a gleeful Halloween grin! He could be hung from your front door or porch, or over your Halloween mantle! He was sculpted on the back of a vintage wooden bowl.

I even sculpted his eyeballs in the round,...heh heh,...the better to see you with,..

And to show the scale here he is with some shakers and a small warty jack,...recently sold on eBay. I really plan on having something fresh from my studio on eBay every week as it is my favorite way to sell online. So please keep checking back and I will keep you up to date on new pieces as they are created!

Thanks for stopping by! Hope I have got you in the Halloween mood!

Bunnies on my brain!

It is officially spring! Flowers are blooming and redbuds are unfurling into green leaves! The air is delightful, and last Sunday was the Spring Equinox. I spent the day painting. I wanted to capture Easter and spring,..and here is what I did.... this wooden painted piece below is a large size,..26 inches across, and was so delightful to paint!

To bid on this piece, click here

I had so much fun with the baby chicks,..because, well, what IS cuter than a baby chick? Except a baby duck, maybe?

I just love to paint because all it is is arranging color!

The bunny has a bridle of sorts. I got his image from an old postcard. I just love the old cards! I added the chicks and bright background. It is early morning, and the Easter Bunny just has a few more eggs in his basket to deliver and hide! The little chicks look on in worshipful awe.

This one I made up right out of my head,..having recently camped out on the boulders of a mountain river under a waxing crescent moon,...with the river shining below,..I painted a night time bunny by a creek under a crescent moon! The scalloped edged tin wall hanging I painted him on could serve as a mail holder or you could stick in some decorative branches,..the kind with buds that are about to sprout! I like this one, because rabbits do get about at night,..and the Easter bunny himself, much like Santa, has to make his rounds in the night!

I didn't get very many good shots as I was in a hurry to workout but I will get better ones tomorrow, when I plan to put him on eBay....

Here is a small sign I am working on. All my tiny liner brushes were shot so I wasn't happy with the lettering,..time to stock up on new brushes and do a better job,..but you get the gist,...

I love Easter! Bring on the jelly beans and the white chocolate rabbits and cream eggs! I can't wait to dye eggs with my kids! And they are begging for real chicks and ducklings this year. We used to have chickens,...may just be time to get another flock!

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you are enjoying spring wherever you are, too.

Road Trippin' For Art! (It's a Family Thing!)

My sister and I (Seen below) have been traveling to Atlanta to Scott's Market every second weekend of the month for our business Harlan McKenna Designs. We sell lighting, art, and art mirrors (trumeaus) of our creation,..and also other interesting object de art,...silver, our painted tables and antiques to add ambiance to the space. We also do onsite painting, finishes, and repairs for the other vendors! We have so much fun, although we work very hard, it is a pleasure each time.

We pass out our business cards and also bring our own baked treats,..brownies, fudge, and such, and send a handful out with each purchase!
Here is our space,... most of the large pieces are already sold, and we have only been four times so far.

We also represent two painters in our family, our father, Dennis Pearson, who has retired from his graphic design business, and his girlfriend of 20+ years, a retired art teacher who hails from Atlanta, Connie Snipes. They paint everyday and often together plein air, and also in studio from photographs when they can't be in the field. Their paintings are a huge draw, and make for a beautiful display. Their paintings are the small ones, seen below, the larger ones are done by me and the larger frames made by my sister. The ones that also have mirrors are called "trumeaus".

Dusti and I have plans to create a beautiful draped canvas back drop to hide the pegboard,..with a mere one month between trips, we have to stay on productive task and we write down our new ideas in list form to help us improve each time. We have so many ideas, we feel as though we have barely begun. We will continue to grow in both our vision and our production! We plan to hire help soon in the production end of things. It is hard to design and create and build everything we have in mind between just the two of us. As we meet our neighbors,..other art and antique loving gypsies, we continue to learn the ropes of this niche market and refine our own vision and direction. Here is a close up of our space below,..

Here is one of our new chandeliers,...and we plan to do a lot more in this style. My sister is brilliant at oxidizing metal,..and hangs dripping chains from them. We plan on doing many more steam punk and industrial styled lighting.

This piece was sold to a woman who invited us to participate at a Florida Horse show/event where she believes we would do quite well. We plan to attend that one with our horse related art next year.
Here are Dad and Connie,..painting plein air. They are the real Mccoy!

In between trips to Atlanta for that business I am still creating for my business. I have The Halloween Convention with SpookyTime Jingles May 5th-8th in King Of Prussia, PA,..and another submission/sample deadline for ESC at the same time. Time to turn my Halloween brain back on and get to crackin'!! Here is a recent moon below, he was 16" deep my absolute largest size.
I made a spring rabbit for STJ this month, too,...

And a fun moon lamp that I believe would be perfect for a fun nursery or Child's room....

See Connie's beautiful pondscape framed behind,...

Her haybale paintings are quite popular,..

We made this small trumeau and it sold right away, perfect for a powder room...

Here is Dusti with our bountiful array of treats!

All the porters hustle and compete to help us as word gets around that we are generous withour home made treats!

Another shot of my moon lamp,..

To end each trip, we spend a night and a day or so on our way back to N.C in the mountains to replenish our souls! We slept by this powerful river on the boulders on the way home!

We also spent the day exploring state parks and this gorge in Georgia,..I ran in and out of it up and down timing my ascent with my cell's stopwatch! It was the best day I had in forever! I only stopped to photograph,...you can't tell how truly massive and deep this gorge is by the photo.

At the base,...these boulders are gigantic. I can't describe the soul charging beauty of this place.

And many, many miles upstream on the same river, our last stop on our way out,..I waded in to clean off the day's sweat and we sun bathed on the rocks watching the kayakers. Now, I have to have a kayak!! Being very early spring,..the temperature and air quality were delicious. The breeze washed over us and was warm and cool, with tastes of each. Dusti said "The air is like a temperature salad!"

On one of our hikes, I found this ground dwelling runner plant,..it's like nature's garland!!

above, my favorite river,.. below, a bright green and very large moth,..

From the suspension bridge over the gorge,

the bridge itself,..

I love living near such beauty!

At the end of the day we drove on back,....my next road trip will be to The National Halloween Convention! Hope to see you there!!

Ya'll come back, now!!