BIG NEWS! Halloween and Vine 2010...I'm in!
It's an absolute dream come true, and I am still pinching myself, but I got accepted into THE premier juried Halloween art show, Halloween and Vine. It is held in Petaluma, California September 25th. I'll be among so much long established talent... there will be other artists' there whose work I have long admired. I will be like a cat in the cream! I'll get to meet with some good friends who will also be in the show, and hopefully meet some new friends as well!

Before Halloween and Vine, I will also once again be traveling to Philadelphia, PA April 28th-May 2nd for The National Halloween Convention! SpookyTime Jingles will have a booth there selling out of the most unique Halloween art display you will ever lay eyes on, AND our booth space is about 4 times bigger this year! I will be bringing some LARGE pieces, moon topped floor lamps and lamps and witch trumeaus, things I love to make and would love to sell, but due to their size, just don't want to have to ship/ sell online. Driving there allows me to go all OUT...and if you are in within a reasonable driving distance, PLEASE make the trip to see the incredible display we are going to have! You will not be sorry! Say you are an STJ fan and you get a door prize too!

So besides planning for shows and doing jump squats and feeding children and animals and taking out the trash and writing lists and being in mache most all day long, I did in fact finish something that was not already spoken for or headed somewhere this week! Here below is an eBay offering of the week, a star moon ornie pair...with MUCH more in the works. So many shows and events this year, commissions to keep up with (Thank you people!) AND Spooky Time Jingles monthly offerings...AND eBay, plus my recent two hour a day (some days) crazed new work out "shedule".. I am not left with much time for anything else! This is why the blog has been so barren. But I love blogging and I love reading other's blogs...it really makes the world go round...so I am going to write much more frequently here again. I may even expose the moonery no holds barred, I'll just give the droid to Danny, he has already mastered videography and photography. Then I'll just post what he sees from the four year old perspective of this place ! Now that is scary!!


Thanks for stopping by!!!

Dani's visit and a trip to Robert's!

Dani Nelson, owner/founder of SpookyTime Jingles and incredible artist in her own right visited me last week and we had an amazing time! Dani was an easy guest, she is an absolute riot to hang out with! She and I hit some thrift stores, shared some art techniques, planned for some upcoming shows, and generally laughed a LOT! Here below are some examples of her crazy talent...

I just LOVE this freaky pumpkin...
she is a master with paper clay!
We had fun collaborating on this little ornie...we took a small unfinished sculpted moon from my studio and Dani sanded, painted, and made the hat...so it is my moon in HER style! I love it and have it sitting on my studio shelf as a fun reminder of our week together. I cannot wait to see her again at the National Halloween Convention the first weekend of May or possibly sooner! It was uplifting having another creative and artistic spirit around. I felt like my eyes were opened to new possibilities...so many ideas came into my head while she was here, and it was just plain FUN to work even briefly with another artist. I have to say Miss Dani is cooler than a fan and our meeting last year and ensuing friendship has been an true gift!

Here are some more of her pieces...

Speaking of "Halloween Fanatics" we got an invite from THE Halloween Fanatic himself!
It turns out Mr. Robert Brawley lives about 40 minutes away, North of here near Statesville, N.C. Dani and I were thrilled to make the short trip to visit Robert and his family. Robert's collection was sooooo fun to pour through...
Here he is with Dani...

and with me, holding a little moon ornament I brought him...


I was first blown away by these two large paintings, first thing you see right when you walk through his front door. They were done by Robert in college, but I believe he has real talent as a painter and should keep it up! Go Robert, GO!!


And here is one of Robert's cupid sculptures, we really like these too...

Robert is both an AVID holiday art collector and a holiday artists himself! Here is a piece by Flora of Bonehead Studios he had out on the table that I was so in love with...


Here he holds a commissioned piece of his dog, twinkle, by David of Chickenlips!

It was such a treat to see his vast collection and his own works of art.
Thanks Robert for a great time!!

First Large Halloween lantern of 2010!!
Despite the snowy weather its always Halloween here!! Here was the view off my deck where 75% of the year I can be found in a sculpting and slopping in mache like a mad woman...this time of year for a short time it has to be done indoors, though. This was our second snowfall of the year and it was a beautiful treat.
However, I am feeling spring fever start and cannot wait for warmer weather, bike rides, mache on the deck, flowers, birds, creeks, and SUN!!!


I am offering my first large Moon lantern in a Halloween color for the year. He is single sided, but a beauty.
I couldn't resist propping him with a few other Halloween items for display. I have so many things to make for two large upcoming shows this year I do not know how many will be available as I get cranking on show pieces. So please, if you like, bid while you can!

Speaking of which, Miss Dani Nelson friend and owner of SpookyTime Jingles is visiting me right now so that we can go over some of the details together of upcoming shows and events! We are having a riot of a time and I hope to post some pics of our adventures soon. Think lots of creating, thrifting, and laughter. I only wish she lived closer as I truly enjoy the company of another creative and ambitious spirit!


Till next post...Happy Halloween Dreams!!

SpookyTime Jingles Update Tonight at Midnight!
Head on over to www.spookytimejingles.com to see all the greatest in Halloween and christmas folk art plus the Holiday Hootenanny which this month is for Spring/Easter.
I didn't offer the Hootenanny this month, but below is a rabbit on stick, my first finished rabbit piece this year. He is still somewhat strange and spooky, but I like him that way. I love rabbits, when I was small, around 3, and 4, I would coax the little brown ones out of the woods to eat lettuce and carrots out of my hand. I guess they knew they had nothing to fear from such s small child. Its always so fun to see them froic about. I love the domestic varieties, too, especially the flop ears. And then there is the book, Watership Down...by Richard Adams...such an incredible read at any age. I believe I will name this rabbit Inle....

He has a black and white jester collar and ribbon and bells hang from underneath him.


A slight bit of feathering at his collar...

his splotches are so satisfying.
He is sweet and spooky all the way!

Below is my moon shaker offered on STJ this month...I love how his hat turned out. I painted very carefully this vintage looking party hat ...a wonderful hissing black cat rears its head and a witch flies high overhead...hat is finished off with crepe black fringe. I love the old timey look.
This one is BIGGER than last months, the moon is 7 inches high. I think its a great size for display. He is mounted on an old tinker toy reddish orange stick...



Here is a large grey moon,,, I am fooling around with making him a hat, too. Not sure what all to do yet. I have SO many little things. ornaments and such,laying around to finish painting.


That's all for now!
Thanks for coming by!

February Moon
Here is a LARGE moon ornament I finished..I like to think of him as a snow or ice moon...with his icicle shaped ornament lower half...he has snowy opaque glitter and is cold wintry colors. Just put him on eBay tonight. He's not really any "holiday" per se, I just thought he would rock as an any time of year ornament. He would look dazzling on a tree, though. He is 15" high not including tinsel string hanger.





Thanks for looking!

New Pieces! Halloween with a Valentine's Twist!

Here are some pieces finished here this weekend. Offered on eBay this week, the one on the left shown below is a Jack o Lantern sitting on a heart shaped red velvet cake. Whilst painting his chocolatey, fudgey frosting, I wished for a real cake. It's my birthday soon, so maybe I'll make one!
Untill then, I can feast my eyes upon this one, salivate, and keep working out...thus avoiding the whole calorie bomb of a REAL cake.

Here he is lit up....
The little guy on the right is a candy container, the "frosting" and the jack are one piece, the lid of the little heart shaped cake-box.
Here is some Fancy Finery for your Valentiney...
A Moon with hearts on his cheeks...I must say my first ever PINK moon. He has marble glitter highlights and A RED metallic tinsel hanger. Frosty, Wintry, and Sweet!


That's all, Ya'll!!!

Valentine's Day Jack O Lantern WIPs!
I finished a few things today, but not as much as I had hoped, because we had snow! My kids were out in it till 9:30 tonight and it only started right before dark. A few inches already on the ground, and may do it all night tonight and through the day tomorrow too. When I was growing up in this area, it snowed 12 inches at least once, sometimes even twice, a winter. A nice snow lasting a few days that we could sled in and saucer down hills on was something you could count on happening. We even had a nice sled, untill my mother ran it over in the driveway one year. Ha ha. We probably left it out way after the snow came and went and she decided to take out that piece of un-attractive yard art. I remember the best things about playing in the snow...my dad would come out in it with us...and we made a REAL igloo, it probably rivals the Eskimos' as my dad does NOTHING half ass. He and my mom were married in Alaska and lived there for seasons at a time when he was a smokejumper. Maybe he got some pointers from his friends there, however, it was the summer there...who knows how he learned how to do EVERYTHING he knows? There were Eskimos at the small un-formal ceremony in a log cabin and they got a wolf skin as a present. I used to cover myself with it and run around on all fours pretending to be a wolf! Of course he also showed us how to make all kinds of snow sculptures.
We lived in town, in Charlotte, NC, in my elementary school days next to a main busy road in town that was on a steep hill. I remember for fun, we would all go help push cars that were stuck up the hill. I remember this happening at night a lot too. Lots of laughing and fun. I love the snow. I know, I know, you yankees will laugh. But its special down here when it occurs, and it doesn't occur often enough to be a pain! I love a good snowfall as much as I love Halloween!!!
Speaking of wolf skins...its a Wolf Moon! Every moon has a name...December's was the Blue moon because there were TWO full ones that month. Makes me want to sculpt a wolf. A wolf has got to be my favorite animal besides a horse. I guess that's why I love my dog. I love any animal I can GO in nature and run with. Or on. What a tangent I'm on!
Back to the art...
I am doing some Halloween Valentine's Day crossover pieces. I think that these Jack O Lantern's on heart cakes with fudge chocolate frosting are so cool! I've had it in my head for a while now to make some faux cakes...because I love making real ones, and although I am a good baker, I am not the best decorator with real frosting. It seems I can never get it stiff enough or cold enoigh to come out of the bag out of those frosting decorator's tips...or the whole mess explodes out past the bag and I have an ugly cake that tastes REAL good. My favorites to make are red velvet, coconut, carrot, and chocolate. I use sifted Gold Medal Brand unbleached flour and REAL vanilla and fresh ingredients all around! Making these little heart shaped cakes made me want a chocolate cake!
The bigger Jack o Lantern below will have painted paper eye inserts and teeth and I will have a real little night light bulb wired into the bottom of the cake and piece so that it lights up and is a Valentines Day Lantern! The smallest one is just an ornament. I am trying to decide on whether they get hats or not. Then the black cat will be a shaker on a stick but for Valentine's day. There is also a cup of hot choclate in the works that will have little grumpy faced marshmallows floating in it! The cup is grumpy looking, too.

Here are my Valentine's ornaments..they will come with wire hangers too. I put them on eBay tonight.



I also love making the crescent moons now....
and you can't see them in this pic, but three HUGE moon forms are drying and awaiting face sculpting.

I'll be in that snow tomorrow with my three kids, so check back soon for more tale telling!
Thanks for dropping by!!