This Year's Offerings

 

Many of you who have been following my blog for a while (did I really start this in 2008?!) will remember that I started studying ceramics not long after. Through the years, I've developed a Hallowe'en style, one definitely influenced by my Japanese-American teacher, Yoshio Taylor. 

I've tried to maintain a mix of whimsy and creepiness, probably a leftover of my memories of those Hallowe'ens of the 1970's, largely thought to be the "golden age" of Hallowe'en. We had had the Universal Monsters for years and years, we had those horrors of the 1950's and the Addams Family and the Munsters from the 1960's. In the 1970's and 1980's, we got our horror hosts, and waited eagerly for Zacherle or Elvira to stalk (or slink, in Elvira's case!) across the screen and show us our movie of the week.

Mixed in there was the artistic aesthetic of the 1920's and 30's Hallowe'en retailers who released The Bogie Book and other catalogues like it. Beistle was releasing wonderful die-cuts, which some people were smart enough to keep so future collectors could enjoy them.

I've been doing this for a while now, and while my intent was never to get rich, I've enjoyed a small measure of success. More so now that I'm officially back from an unwanted and forced five-year hiatus from the Hallowe'en folk art circuit.

While the location of what's come to be known as, "The Annual Mugshot" has changed, my love for making these critters has not! Someone suggested I'd get tired of carving jack-o'-lanterns at some point and move on to other things, but that hasn't happened, yet. I still love them, and the joy people have in the jacks they purchase from me keeps me making them. 

After all, jack-o'-lanterns are meant to ward off evil spirits, and we definitely want that protection when the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest!

Meanwhile, I've added functional ceramics into the mix, changing up the style a little here and there as new glazes get added to my palette and new ideas surface.

Some are pop-culture inspired, some are things I'd imagine in some witch's apothecary, holding spell components.

This jar is a little Zen. Curses on one side, Blessings on the other. They're always a mixed bag, aren't they?

And then there are those other parts of the spell's recipe...

Some things are just a fun way to get that all-important spell component - caffeine - into your system with a little style...

My annual Artist Open House is this Sunday, and the remainder of this year's Hallowe'en offerings will be available towards the end of next week in the ShellHawk's Creations Etsy store. (No, I haven't gotten my other shop up, yet. I have yet to find someone to do the work of figuring out the platform!) I'll do an announcement as to when the shop update will be so you all will have a crack at getting a piece of handmade, Hallowe'en bliss before it's too late!

ShellHawk's Bookshelf: Mexican Gothic

 

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There's nothing like settling down on a crisp, autumn afternoon with a good, creepy book, is there? Since the Earth, herself, is doing her yearly slowdown in preparation for the long nap which is winter, it encourages us to slow down, too, and enjoy a little peace in our overly-busy lives.

I'll tell you this: Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia  should be at the top of your list for creepy reading this October. 

It's a story which takes us back a quite few years, back to the days when debutante balls and dowries were the way of things, and marrying off your daughters to settle debts wasn't anything out of the ordinary.

Noemí Taboada is the very picture of a wealthy, glamorous debutante, but she's no airheaded socialite. After receiving an alarming letter from her newly-wedded cousin, she decides to arrange for a visit to that cousin's new home, High Place, to investigate her disturbing claims of being slowly poisoned.

Upon arrival, Noemí hears rumors of the Doyles, her cousin's new family, and their long and sordid history. She begins to feel that the house, itself, is invading her sleep and haunting her with dreams of a woman trapped in the walls. Walls which she feels, in her waking world, are slowly closing in on her.

If you've followed my blog for any amount of time, you know my history with horror stretches back to my childhood. I'm somewhat immune to the usual tropes of horror stories because I've read so very much of it, so when I tell you this book creeped me out in the way a great horror story should, you know it's going to be good!

There are rumors of Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos turning Mexican Gothic into a new series for Hulu, and I certainly hope that project moves forward and sees the light of day!

Skull and Vine

Fiestaware has done it again!

Introducing their Skull and Vine dishes! What a beautiful pattern.

And in case you were wondering, they have continued to make their Halloween line, as well!

I've always loved Fiestaware's quality and bright colors, and these new patterns are just so fun and filled with whimsy! They're perfect for your Hallowe'en entertaining!

Sleepy Hollow

This post has links to Amazon which may provide me with a commission for qualifying purchases, although it's about as likely as my suddenly becoming a newt.

Most of you know I have a soft spot in my heart for that ol' Hessian, named the "commander-in-chief of all the powers of the air." I still religiously watch Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow every Halloween season. (Oh, who am I kidding? I watch it all year!)

I particularly love the above scene because it illustrates how very, very, useless muzzle-loaders were in a desperate, imminent, emergency. The Horseman appears to threaten Katrina's man, Brom Bones, who is overly gifted in bravery, though not in brains, and Brom, seeing the Horseman stalking forward, kneels down to load his rifle...

If you've never had the opportunity to read The Legend of Sleepy Hollow in its original form, I highly recommend you pick up a copy of this delightful short story with its original watercolors. It tells a much different story than Burton's adaptation, but is no less entertaining for it.  

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

This post has links to Amazon which may provide me with a commission for qualifying purchases, although it's about as likely as my suddenly becoming a newt.

Most of you know the creepy tween book series, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, probably from your childhood years. Maybe you came to the books later in life, as I did. My niece mentioned she had loved them as a kid, so I looked them up.

And wow! I became a fan, like, instantly! 

It wasn't only the stories, themselves - some of which I knew in one form or another because of my love for folklore - but the artwork which captured my imagination.

While yes, I'm an artist whose talents lie in clay more than in painting and illustration at this point (though I suppose I could get another couple of drawing/illustration classes under my belt to improve my rusty skills), I have nothing but respect and awe at the creepy images painted with such skill by illustrator Stephen Gammell. I can feel the nightmarish quality of each one of them in my soul, and indeed, they throw me back to the disturbing and disjointed nightmares of my own childhood.

I bring these to you as inspiration for your future Halloween displays. Or maybe you can read these aloud to your partner or your kids, one each night of October.

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Many moons ago, I wrote a post which complained bitterly about the on-screen version of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark being perpetually "in development." Unfortunately, at the time Guillermo Del Toro's wonderful adaptation came out, I was distracted by the implosion of my personal life and didn't write a review or even mention it, as far as I can tell! (It was good, in case you haven't seen it, yet! Definitely worth a watch, and I'm hoping for a sequel!)

Sorry, Guillermo!

By the way, there's a documentary about the stink the original books by R.L. Stine caused with parents, called, simply, "Scary Stories." Since I came to the stories as an adult, I missed the utter panic these books started in parents on behalf of their little darlings. Of course, this was during that "Satanic Cult" fever which was so ubiquitous in the 1980's, so I suppose I can see the upset. Sort of. While some doubtless still feel kids under a certain age shouldn't see the illustrations (or read the stories), I feel differently.

Of course, my grandmother read Grimm's fairy tales to me when I was a kid (they're still recommended for ages five and up, if you can believe), so maybe I'm not the best judge. 

I will never forget the image of the talking, severed, horse's head from The Goose Girl...

Has Halloween Become Over Commercialized? A ShellHawk's Nest Tradition

The Onion in all its glory! I post this video every year, and every year, I have to laugh! 

Click on the pic for some Hallowe'en fun!

The First Day of Halloween!

Happy first day of Halloween, my Darklings! It's finally here! The promise of Fall and in some areas, a break from the hellish heat we've been enduring this summer. Rich colors, the crunch of dead leaves underfoot, cooler nights, the wind sighing and whistling through the trees as the leaves spin up, up, up in a whirlwind dance.

It's all so delicious.

Click on The Mayor for a newly updated and rearranged Halloween playlist!

September 30th, 11:58 PM...

 Happy October, my Darklings!

P.S., I found the artwork here. Not sure who the artist is, but if you do, please let me know so I can give proper credit!

Short Update - Jars and More!

After Midsummer Scream, I was exhausted! Three days of long hours and lots of people was more draining than I had remembered, and I imagine at least some of that is having been isolated for so long due to the Covid-19 lockdowns. I got too used to being alone or just with my folks and suddenly - 50,000 people! Eeek!

I gave myself a week off and then got back to work, this time on some apothecary jars, big enough to be cookie jars!

Sadly, yours truly pulled a total rookie move and picked up one of the greenware (almost bone dry) jars wrong and cracked it. I did my best to repair it, but even as I put it in the kiln for the first firing, I was fairly sure it wouldn't survive. I was right.

The upside is, I know a potter who can make another one! Yay, me!

So the ones which came out of the kiln are in the process of being glazed. Three of them are a commission for my friend Emma, over at Soap Cauldron. She and her crew recently moved into a new, larger space and she wants to put them in her store! I'm very excited for her expansion, because that means I get to keep using her wonderful, handmade soap fo a long time to come!

This weekend, I was fortunate enough to be helping out at Digital Day at the DGA! Every year, the Directors Guild holds an invitation-only event to feature the latest in digital technology for film and TV. I was working with some folks who are doing some truly incredible things with AI, DGene (soon to be Artemi), and got to once again see the results of a shoot I produced just before Covid shut everything down.

It was fantastic to see the advances they've made since then, and also to check out a couple of the VFX sequences which their subsidiary, Makuta VFX, did for Netflix's RRR. (Check out the sequence at 2:19 of the trailer!)

Life has been so much fun, lately! I'm so eager to see what comes next!

Great to be Back!

After months of hard work and stressing out about having enough at the show to sell, Midsummer Scream finally arrived! 

Everything got loaded in and set up, and let me tell you, the work Dave Lowe did to make my new booth design happen really set the tone for the whole weekend! Everyone loved it! 

My pumpkin people were a hit, with five of seven finding new homes! 

The little guy at the top, above, was the first to go!

I made a few new things, too. Skeleton wind chimes, witch bells, and new designs for some nice coffee mugs!

As you know, I've been playing with new colors for my jack-o'-lanterns.

All the bowls sold, too! But one sale, in particular, made my day!

Me, Bob Gurr, and friend/booth goddess, Sherri Miranda

Original Imagineer and Doom Buggy Creator, Bob Gurr, came by my booth specifically to tell me he thought my work and my booth were the best at the convention! I swear, I could have died happy at that very moment. I gave him one of my haunted house mugs, and he came back a little later to buy one of the jack-o'-lanterns which had caught his eye earlier!

I am still just floating! (We all float around Bob!) What a great show and what a great time we had!

Now, onwards to make for my Open House!