October Eves

Fall is my favorite season of the year! Largely in part because it includes Halloween. I’ve often wondered why I look so forward to Halloween each year, and I’ve decided it’s because Halloween allows for everyone to be as creative and playful as they want. Understand that I don’t enjoy the scary and gory costumes or even the 10lbs of sugar that my children gather and try to consume over the course of one weekend, I enjoy the lighthearted, imaginative merry-making of the evening.

In light of one of my favorite holidays, I’ve rounded up some art that is both alluring and mysterious. These pieces were not created specifically for Halloween, making them a perfect addition to your walls year round.

There is a beautiful haunting quality to all of the pieces at Little Red Fox. The sketches are well balanced between intentional simplicity and complex emotions. I’ve been a fan of this art for years because of the consistency in the quality of work. You will find originals and prints as well as stickers, dolls, and cards.

Junker Jane is a shop of that keep you coming back again and again. The paintings are done in colors that are rich and thoughtfully chosen. There is something sweet about these jumbled pirates, skeletons, and one eyed girls, but don’t discount this as artwork just for children. There is a back layer of good ol’ creepy fun that will have you doing a double take!

Perhaps the most curious art in the bunch, the work at Betsy Walton reminds me of I Spy books. The more you search the more you find. I would love to learn more about the process and inspiration behind the art at Betsy Walton but for now will settle with being impressed by her delicate layers and thought provoking subjects. Originals and prints are available!

Restless Things is the perfect name for the artwork you will find there. The artist writes about her process, “My creative process is continually influenced by my fascination for used paper. I enthuses about working on a surface that has already been given a sense of purpose in a previous incarnation that has become visibly worn over time.”

The subject matter combined with using new and old materials accomplishes wistful, nostalgic works of art in both originals and prints.

The hand printed, limited editions of artwork from Plate Ink Paper are magnificently eerie. It seems like you might drown in the depths of the ink. Hand printing in all forms is an elegant and mysterious process which produces hidden treasures that sometimes even the artist can not foresee. You will be fascinated by the original, hand-pulled etchings, relief prints, and monotypes you will find.

The birth of fall and the upcoming Halloween holiday have me packing away the things of summer and preparing for a new season. As mums line the walkway and pumpkins start appearing on the porch, I hope you will find the perfect addition of artwork that will set the stage for a bewitching Halloween and a lovely fall season for your own home.