Join Me at Spirits in Sanford Halloween Art Show Oct. 6 & 7, 2017

Halloween Hitchhiker Fun

Spun Cotton Halloween Hitchhiker

What fun to hitch a ride on a black cat for Halloween! This is my latest offering for the EHAG Emporium blog sale, that happens every last day of the month. You can read more about my spun cotton and paper mache candy box offering in my etsy shop, where you'll find more photos and pricing. Perfect for tucking in some sweet treats or your favorite Halloween jewelry. Meow!!

The Halloween Tree Original Painting

"The Halloween Tree"

An original gouache watercolor

Price: $150 • free shipping

It's the last night of October when mischief abounds! Two trick or treaters happen upon the Halloween tree. Is it alive? Who put the jack-o-lanterns out? And why is the scarecrow smiling so? Something spooky is in store for it's Halloween!!

Using high quality watercolors and gouache, I've painted the scene on 140lb watercolor paper. It measures 7"x7", and comes unframed and unmatted. It is sealed for protection and comes in an acid free sleeve.

It is listed also on the EHAG Emporium, where you'll find other wonderfully creative Halloween art from my fellow artisans in the Electic Halloween Artist Guild. Thanks for taking a peek!

Work in Progress for Fall Art Shows

When the hair on the back of your neck stands up, beware. Someone, or some thing, is watching you! I'm working on more pen and ink pieces for my upcoming Halloween art show schedule this fall. I hope to see many of my collectors and friends during the following events:

Halloween and Vine

Saturday, Sept. 28, 2013

10 am - 3 pm

Petaluma, CA

HalloweenandVine.com

Spirits in Sanford

Saturday, Oct. 4 & 5, 2013

10 am - 3 pm

Sanford, FL

SpiritsinSanford.com

"It's Halloween!"

I've been working on several large pen and ink and watercolor pieces for fall shows, and I managed to squeeze in this little art card for eBay. (ACEO's measure 2-1/2" by 3-1/2") I love making jack-o-lanterns glow! I had fun with this piece and just played a bit with the word "Halloween." You can find it on eBay, and the auction ends Sunday evening, March 31.

A New Year with New Paintings

"Celebrate Pumpkin Carving on Halloween!"

It's a new year and the first of my 2013 paintings will be available on the EHAG Emporium, Thursday, January 31, at 9 pm Pacific. As a member of the Eclectic Halloween Artist Guild, my talented fellow artists and I hold a blog art sale the last day of every month. I am going to try my hardest to participate in every one this year! (Hmmm.... a 2013 resolution, perhaps?) 

You don't have to wait until the last day to see the new piece. YOU get a sneak peek at this 12x16 acrylic on artist canvas piece right here on my blog!

I love the idea of an old fashioned Halloween where kids rule the night and are free to enjoy the innocent and naive spirit of October 31. What could be more fun than an old barn filled with pumpkins  lit by cafe lights, bobbing for apples and your friends and siblings all dressed in costumes and gathered round. Well, I can think of one...getting candy! So after the carving, everyone sets off to trick or treat!

Happy Halloween! See you at the EHAG Emporium!

A Haunted Night!

"A Haunted Night!"

I am dreaming of Halloween and just listed an original Halloween watercolor postcard on eBay. You see, I'm preparing for three folk art shows this fall, two of which are Halloween shows!

First, I'll kick off the show season with Tinsel and Treasures Folk Art Show, Sept. 15 in Danville, CA. I can't wait to see all my friends and collectors at the show! I'll be in California for a week visiting friends and shopping, of course! Then off to see my parents in Reno. The trip will culminate with the wonderful Halloween art show Halloween and Vine, Sept. 29, in Petaluma, CA. It's always an awesome event with some of the best Halloween artists around! I love that I am returning again this year to this show!

And finally, I'll be participating in a Halloween folk art show closer to my home in Florida. Spirits in Sanford, Oct. 13, is in Sanford, FL, a quaint, historic town a little more than an hour from me. I will be celebrating Halloween so many times before the 31st!

With dreams of Halloween, I hope you enjoy the later half of your summer!

Imagine Halloween Night

"Halloween Night"

Original 9"x12" Acrylic Painting on Canvas Panel

As you know, I love painting with watercolors. But I got the itch to pick up my acrylic paints and create a Halloween scene similar to one I painted some years ago.
     This is how I imagine Halloween out in the country during a more innocent time. (Although, the headless horseman and a couple of wolves are heading this way, so maybe not so innocent!) Anyway, I'm going to continue to paint some of these off and on in between my watercolors. Let me know what you think! 
     "Halloween Night" is an original painting on a 9"x12" canvas panel and signed by me. It comes unframed, so you can easily pop it into a frame of your choice purchased at your local craft store. It's being featured on the EHAG Emporium tonight, May 31, at 9 pm eastern. Use the secure paypal button below to add it to your collection. First come, first served! And don't forget to check out all the other talented EHAG artists featured on the Emporium!

 ~ SOLD ~

Happy Halloween!

Scaring the Boys and Girls on Halloween

Original ACEO watercolor, now available on eBay here.

"We're the farmer's scarecrows

We scare away the birds

We keep the farmer's corn safe
Without any words.

But when Halloween comes

We jump out of the ground

And we scare the boys and girls

When they come walking 'round."

- anonymous

Howling with Delight

I hope you enjoyed that large glowing orb on Saturday night! We were out and howled with delight as it rose to its closest point to earth this year. I was so inspired by the perigee moon, I created my first Halloween ACEO of 2012. "Harvest Moon" is up for bid on eBay, just click here to head to my auction. Happy Haunting!

Halloween Art Giveaway!!

Up for grabs are some amazing pieces of Halloween art from the talented artisans of the Eclectic Halloween Artists Guild (EHAG). Just post a verse and your contact info on their blog by April 29, 9 pm EST, and you get a chance to win one of three original pieces of Halloween art! Hurry! You don't have much more time before the witching hour strikes!

EHAGemporium.blogspot.com

Celebrate Halloween!

Time to celebrate Halloween!!

A sneak peek at my offering to be unveiled on the EHAG Emporium, October 31, 9 pm eastern. So when you're done ghosting and ghouling, grab a cup of brew and sit a spell as you see the online show! 

Happy Halloween all!!

Who lives in Black Cat Cottage?

A lonely cottage in the woods is home to three black cats and who? It's Halloween and the moon is full, as a witch flies across the October sky followed so many bats. This is an original 5x8" watercolor mounted on black matboard now available on eBay.  

More watercolors are to come as I prepare for Tinsel and Treasures, Saturday, Sept. 10, and my newest show Halloween and Vine, Saturday, Sept. 24! I'm so elated to be part of this all Halloween folk art show in Petaluma. Head to the website to see all the other fabulous Halloween artists I will be joining! 

Also, don't miss the EHAG Emporium debut tonight! Lots of fabulous Halloween art up for grabs by my fellow artisans. Hurry to get the best selection!

Ain't No Bones About It

Summer is in full swing, although you wouldn't know it by our daytime temperatures. With a high of 75 to 80 degrees just outside San Francisco, I'm enjoying the cool summer breezes while I dream of fall. My Halloween watercolors are in full swing, while I list a few on eBay. The one pictured is more illustrative and whimsical than my usual, but I was in a JOL-ly mood when I painted it! ;0) It's listed on eBay now, and you can click here to head on over.

I've also started on some large paper mache pumpkins, witches and ghosts. Getting back to the medium is so enjoyable, especially when I can work outdoors. I hope you are enjoying the weather where you are and the creative spirit is with you!

Cat-ching Up

I seem to be spending  my days more and more on Facebook, releasing images of new paintings and the latest works in progress. Thus, so much time as elapsed since my last post, and my need to cat-ch up!  ;)  I do apologize. But, if you'd like to stay in touch more often, please head to my Facebook Iva's Creations art page and hit the "like" button. I do still plan on maintaining my blog, so never fear if you're not a Facebook devotee! Now on to my art! 

I seem to be drawn to black cats these days, as I prepare for Halloween. Yes, the summer solstice is not even a week old and I'm dreaming of fall. But as you know, I'm in the mood for Halloween all year long!

I am starting my Halloween, watercolor auctions on eBay again. The above original painting, "October Eyes," will be listed on eBay tonight, so watch my eBay auctions.

I recently sold this ACEO, "Night Flight." I am using graphite more in my work and love the dreamy affect it casts. I will be listing more of these tiny works of art, so I hope you pop in to my eBay auctions weekly, or simply add me to your favorite sellers list. Halloween is not too far off! 

Wheeeee!

Getting "Familiar"

My fellow members of the Eclectic Halloween Artists Group and I participate in art challenges every month or so. The theme for this month is Familiar Friends. So what better familiar than a black cat! I painted this one as a 5"x7" watercolor, now on eBay. But check out the other offerings from EHAG members, on eBay and on etsy. You'll find links to all of them on the EHAG blog, EHAGart.blogspot.com.

Here's a little history about familiars. In European folklore familiar spirits, sometimes referred to simply as familiars, were supernatural entities that were believed to assist witches and cunning folk in their practice of magic. According to the records of the time, they would appear in numerous guises, often as an animal, but also at times as a human or humanoid figure, and were described as "clearly defined, three-dimensional… forms, vivid with colour and animated with movement and sound" by those alleging to have come into contact with them, unlike later descriptions of ghosts with their "smoky, undefined form[s]".

When they served witches, they were often thought to be malevolent, while when working for cunning-folk they were often thought of as benevolent, although there was some ambiguity in both cases. The former were often categorised as being demons, while the latter were more commonly thought of and described as being fairies. The main purpose of familiars is to serve the witch/young witch. The service the familiar would provide would be to protect the new witch coming into his/her new powers.
Hope you're better familiar with familiars! ;)

A Visit from The Ghost Bride

As I continue to learn about different mediums, I try to incorporate them into my work. Graphite is a wonderful mark making tool, and I don't mean just a graphite pencil. The powder variety is excellent for making images and illustrations. The Ghost Bride is an original illustration primarily created with such powder and pencils. I added a touch of pastel and colored pencil here and there and like the effect. This is now available on eBay, if you'd like to read more about it. Try something new and you never know what kind of magic may happen!

Flying in the Moonlight

Two friends are taking a moonlight ride while several friendly bats flutter about. What could be better than to be surrounded by friends, a full moon and Halloween night? This is an original ACEO watercolor now available on eBay. Happy Haunting!

Vintage-Style Witching Hour Doll Appearing on EHAG Emporium

 

 "Witching Hour"

It's the end of the month which means it's time for Halloween mischief on the EHAG Emporium blog! On the last day of the month, the Emporium unveils new Halloween art offered for sale by EHAG members. (In case you didn't know, EHAG is an acronym for the Eclectic Halloween Artists Group comprised of some of the most talented Halloween artists around!)

My submission for the February EHAG Emporium is the "Witching Hour," a vintage-style witch tucked neatly inside a paper mache witch's shoe. She has a China doll head and is wearing a shimmery dark bronze dress with millinery netting over her skirt. She is firmly secured inside a paper mache shoe, which I hand pressed from my vintage chocolate mold. The whimsical piece is embellished with Dresden, black glass glitter, gold bullion, vintage crepe paper and the image of an old clock face. Measures about 8" tall.

One of a kind!

 SOLD

 

A Glowing Halloween

I'm working on adding texture to my watercolors, or at least the image of texture. "A Glowing Halloween," was born from this experimentation. The 5"x7" watercolor will be listed on eBay tonight. The image was one of many photographs I took last Halloween and I can't wait to paint my way through them! I'm always in the mood for a glowing jack-o-lantern! How about you?