Bewitching Arts for the Season

Ahhhh....the "witching" season. For some it is that one month out of the year that artists can openly express their inner dark side, creating ghostly spirits, gothic witches and folksy pumpkins. For others, it's just another day in the life of someone who sees beauty in darkness everyday.

When I picked my four featured artists this month I began to look at "Halloween" differently. It is not a stereotype and certainly not just another holiday. Each artist expresses their love for the entire season and not just the day.Through talent and artistic expression, they show us how to look at the season in different ways. A jack-o-lantern created from felt and found-objects can be beautiful and full of mystique, there is humor in the devilish mayhems of a man in black, and there can be love and respect in even the seemingly frightening Spirit-World.

Hopefully you'll enjoy these wonderful ladies as much as I have.
~Jes

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CORTNEY RECTOR & KIRSTEN ARNDT
Maine

We are Indigotwin, identical twin sisters from small town Maine who have always enjoyed creating art together. From crayon rubbings as small children, to works of art as adults, we have always given each other inspiration. We have been making art for as long as we can remember. We were the kind of kids that always had glue, paper and scissors and would sit for hours at a time "creating." Our mother started us out on this love for clay by making us batches and batches of home made play dough. Pinching and rolling it to make creatures and figures....always trying to make something better than the other. Unfortunately, we are now separated by distance with Kirsten in southern Maine and Cortney in the northern part. We still get together for crafting weekends but often get interrupted by our young children. We both find the best time to create is when our little ones are sleeping.

Together we have four small children under 6 and limited time to create. We have always dreamed of making a living from art and spending our days together, crafting, with our children underfoot. For right now, being able to have messy hands on a daily basis, paint on our clothes and sales at our shop has been an ultimate dream for us! We are inspired by each changing season and the ideas that come with the weather and the holidays. We both have so many ideas and sketches for our sculptures that we could work 24 hours during the day! Halloween and some of the spooky imagery has been one of our favorite subjects. Scary pumpkins, creepy ghouls and spooky skeletons have been so much fun for us to sculpt and design.


Find them at:
IndigoTwins at Etsy http://www.indigotwin.etsy.com
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RAMONA SZCZERBA
California

I have been creating and appreciating art for as long as I can remember, and I’ve always considered myself an artist. I used to draw and paint in watercolors, primarily (some of that work can be seen on the Red Bubble site and on my Winona Cookie website), but in the last couple of years, collage has taken over my life. It started with greeting cards and has morphed into these canvasses that create a visual narrative that I flesh out with actual accompanying narratives (stories). It’s almost like reverse-illustration. Some of the images have been with me a long time and manifest themselves in vintage photos and ephemera; others seem to be borne out of a bizarre mind-meld between me and a hypothetical potential viewer – it’s a very strange process. Vintage photos are my primary inspiration – I look at these amazing people from so long ago and stories just happen. I see it as a strong parallel to the work I do as a psychotherapist. But really nice ephemera – charms, ribbon, illustrations, passementerie – can add a lot of inspiration as well.

I have always had a dark side, so it’s not surprising that my art does, too. Even as a kid, I was a big fan of Ed Gorey, and that aesthetic really appeals to me, and I loved the Addams Family, too. I see such beauty and intrigue in the darker and more eccentric aspects of life. As far as future goals go, I’d love to see my images and stories published in book form – having that happen would definitely be a dream come true.


Find Ramona at:
Winona Cookie at Etsy http://winonacookie.etsy.com
At Red Bubble http://www.redbubble.com/people/winonacookie
At Zazzle http://www.zazzle.com/WinonaCookie
Website http://winonacookieillustration.com
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PAM MCFARLAND
Maine

My first memory of discovering the artist within me was Christmas morning at the age of eleven. As I unwrapped a box filled with art pads, charcoals, pastels, paints, and brushes, my imagination suddenly overtook the moment and I was delightedly and deliriously lost within my creative self. I am addicted to that creative place, an art supply junkie, always needing the next creative fix….I hunger for it, yearn for it. I need it to live…

Having grown up with a father who was a serious history buff, I am frequently inspired by relics from the past. I have filled my studio space with old baskets, worn wooden boxes filled with vintage buttons, old laces and trims, and ancient furniture I have salvaged over the years. I enjoy their warm patinas; the chips, the dents, the worn paint. They impart a calmness and steadfastness to me as I work and encourage my creativity.

As I rummage through my vintage stashes, I find parts that seem to need each other. The pieces begin to connect in my imagination and I begin the creative process, working and reworking until the assemblage pleases me as a whole. I resolve the details either on paper or experimentally, making design decisions as I work. I am not concerned about what others think about my work as I know one day the right person comes along and connects with it. Instead, I strive to achieve harmony among oddball parts, creating a cohesive new piece from old and random things. Once a piece is completed and finally feels right to me, I am deeply gratified that I have celebrated a forgotten piece of history and made it important again. I like to think I bring honor to the most mundane items.

My hunger to create constantly propels me to try new mediums, ideas and processes. It is a joy to learn, expanding my creative world even wider and enabling me to incorporate several mediums into one piece. There are moments that define you as an artist, when your creativity is expressed exactly the way you want it. I have come a long way in defining my creative voice, but I think my best days of creating are still ahead of me.

Find Pam at:
Pam's Etsy http://www.folkarttree.etsy.com
Pam's altered jewelry at Etsy http://www.folkarttreefandangle.etsy.com
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CHARLENE MURRAY ZATLOUKAL
Nebraska

"Creating art is what I do...it is how I live... how I connect with the world that exists outside of my studio...how I connect with my own feelings.
It is my hope that each work of art that I create, invoke a reaction, of some kind, in the viewer....and a special connection with it's owner."

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~ How long have you been making art? Do you remember that first "ah-ha" moment when you realized that you were an artist?
I attended a very small school growing up and the school did not offer art classes beyond the sixth grade. Whenever my class had a project that required the 'services of an artist'...I found myself "volunteered". It's been an on-going "love affair" with art ever since.

~ Some of you have a darker, deeper side to your art. Was this always so? Or was this something you discovered in yourself over the years? Is your art an expression of your own feeling towards the world and your surroundings?
I wanted to do some "Fairy Tale" pieces when I was selling my art on eBay. The 'darker' side of my art came about after reading the Brothers Grimm, I think perhaps the brothers were more than a little 'disturbed'.
Inspired by the Grimm Fairy Tales, I started doing some 'darker' pieces. About the same time, my husband was diagnosed with cancer. My paintings then took on a reflection of the darkness of his illness and of my loss.

~ Tell us about your surroundings - studio/home/neighborhood.
My home is my studio, therefore my studio is my home. If someone, who didn't know me, came to visit...I'm sure they would think I am a very messy housekeeper. I have art and craft supplies, projects and paintings all over the place. It seems I'm always on some deadline or other, so my surroundings are usually is some state of disarray and for this very reason, I don't see much of my neighborhood or my community. I'm trying to 'fix' this though. This year I've juried into several area art/craft shows. I think it important to find out, first hand, how others receive my creations.

~ As you create, do you think of how others will perceive your pieces?
Yes and no. I live in a pretty 'conservative' part of the country. Many of the pieces I've created in recent past wouldn't be "well-received" locally, i.e. my painting of the Brothers Grimm "Girl Without Hands".
Since this is how I make my living, I do consider my "audience" when I create. If I'm doing a local show, I try to create pieces that are a little "lighter" in nature, saving my darker creations for the worldwide audience.

~ Do you use your art to tell a story?
With the exception of the fairy tales and other similarly inspired storylines, my art has mostly revealed my own story. I will be painting some new pieces very soon, that tell the stories of some new characters I am creating.

~ Where do you find your inspiration?
My inspiration comes from my own feelings or commission requests. A recent request is based on a well-known favorite fairy tale gone wrong. That request sent my imagination reeling with all kinds of whimsical darkness. Some of my favorite pieces have come about by this kind of inspiration.

~ What are your hopes and dreams in terms of your art? Where would you like to take it in the future? Or are you happy with where you are now?
I think most artists strive to achieve a recognizable style that is unique to themselves. I have created art for many, many years and I am still working towards achieving a personal style that is unique to myself. I would, of course, like this to translate into sales and the ability to make a livable income with my art.

Find Charlene at:
RusticGoth at Etsy http://www.RusticGoth.etsy.com
Her blog http://www.anotherpaintingblog.blogspot.com
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SHE DREAMS OF ART is a new monthly column by Jessica Moreau-Berry, published right here at Indie Public. Look for new articles on the first Sunday of every month!
If you would like to be featured in future month's articles, then you can convo me here at Indie Public, or send an email to berryandco87@hotmail.com. I am looking for one to two paragraphs, a flickr link to a photo you'd like to show, and your website info.
November's article will be a tribute to those who still celebrates their child from within....they are the creators of "stuffies'!
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Jessica Moreau-Berry is a self-taught mixed-media artist who has been creating with vintage throwbacks since her teens. She started making jewelry in 2004 and to this day still delights in the numerous ways jewelry can be constructed from flea-market treasures. She finds her muse quite often at home and in the natural surroundings Maine has to offer. When it comes to art and being creative, she follows her own natural rhythms, needs and desires and simply creates what makes her happy at that moment.
Find Jessica at:
Junque Revival
Junque Revival at Etsy
Junque Revival's Blog
Belle Amoire Jewelry: Winter 2009 - Summer 2009 - Fall 2009
"A Charming Exchange" by Ruth Rae and Kelly Snelling
"Exhibition 36" by Susan Tuttle