Familiar Friends EHAG Challenge...

This week, a handful of EHAG artisans, including myself are offering our latest Challenge art pieces. The theme is "Familiar Friends". For those of you, ~unfamiliar~ with this term, keep reading for a little background history. My collectible piece features a grinning black cat that sits within a delicately painted egg cup. He's available on eBay this week, so visit his Auction Page for lots more pictures and additional info.



Why "Familiar Friends" you ask? Well, according to European folklore from the Medieval and Early Modern periods, "familiar spirits," sometimes referred to as "familiars," were supernatural entities that were believed to assist witches in their magical practice. According to transcripts from that era in time, these familiars would appear in various guises, often as animals and most frequently seen as black cats. Hence, the classic "witch and her black cat" image was born which we now see as an iconic symbol of Halloween.



This week, many of the artists of EHAG will be posting their renditions of this fun challenge theme on various sites, including eBay, Etsy and more... And with my passion for black cats, this was a theme not to pass up! For my challenge piece, I blended my signature black cat character with an egg cup featuring a detailed silhouette of a gentle witch cradling her black cat familiar.



This is a unique collectible, as the painted egg cup can be twisted to reveal a variety of scenes. With his hand-painted details, vintage paper collar, wire arms and a wee touch of black glass glitter high on his hat, this jovial character is certainly a keeper!

Thanks for looking and taking an interest in my creations! I truly appreciate it.

© 2011 Johanna Parker Design, LLC ~ Photos may not used without permission