March on Halloween!...

Well, the 31st of the month has rolled around once again, and EHAG's Emporium has officially opened with another wonderful collection of Halloween delights available for adoption. Please hop on over to visit our Emporium and marvel at the latest one of a kind creations by me and my fellow Halloween artist friends. Tonight, I am offering two original ball characters, one in the Emporium and an additional one here! You may take a peek below at BOTH of their photos, and email me with the name of the particular piece that you may be interested in. Thank you for looking and for supporting myself and EHAG!

~ Johanna



" Showtime Tia" ~ SOLD
7" tall x 3.25" wide
A hand-sculpted & painted original papier mache cat, dressed and ready for the Halloween sideshow! Details of interest include her hand-formed collar, tall party hat and illustrative imagery. Signed & dated, 1/1.
$295 plus shipping



....... and . . . . . . . .



" Petrified Punkin" ~ SOLD
6.25" tall x 3.25" wide
A hand-sculpted & painted original papier mache jack-o'-lantern, dressed and ready for the Halloween season! Details of interest include her carved-like stem and leafy collar, recessed facial features and illustrative imagery. Signed & dated, 1/1.
$265 plus shipping




* © 2010 Johanna Parker Design *Photos & Designs are the property of Johanna Parker and may not be used without permission.

Halloween Tease...

It's that time of year where I often spend countless hours designing holiday products for the following year. This weekend, I am finishing up my Halloween 2011 submission for Bethany Lowe Designs. Below is just a quick peek, so you'll have to use your imagination a little bit to see the whole piece! Fingers are crossed that the buying public will like these! The second two images are a tease at a series of Halloween graphics that I just finished designing for Primitives by Kathy. And luckily, if all are accepted, those will be debuting this Fall!....
~ Johanna


* This sweet guy will be a candy container... I can't wait to see him hollowed out and ready to be filled with treats!


* Here are two paper mock-ups for potential Halloween tin horns. I really hope they will be able to produce these!... HONK HONK!


* A howling cat image I painted for Primitives by Kathy, to be applied to light boxes and perhaps other products.... We'll see what they come up with!


* One of four mock-up treat bag designs for Primitives by Kathy. These will be great for your kids on trick-or-treat night, and a separate mini set of these will offer a sweet party favor idea for this fall!...

And let's not forget that the 31st of this month is fast approaching. That means that EHAG's Emporium will soon be offering a spooky-fun variety of Halloween one of a kind collectibles from the talented artists of EHAG! Please visit the EHAG Emporium on Wednesday, March 31st at 9pm EST to see all the latest goodies. I will have an original Halloween piece up for adoption and if time permits, I would like to offer an additional piece here on my blog. So, stay tuned!



* © 2010 Johanna Parker Design *Photos & Designs are the property of Johanna Parker and may not be used without permission.

CATCH this Jack if you can!

Surprise!... I just finished this fun one of a kind jack-o'-lantern character! And now, "Jack-a-Jillian" is ready for adoption! GO to my WEBSITE to see details and be sure to click on the image for more views and descriptions once you're there. Please send me an email if you'd like to adopt this one of a kind jack wearing one of my whimsically illustrated Halloween party hats! Later, I will update the page to reveal who caught this collectible piece!....For now, it's late, and I'm growing rather sleepy....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz . . . . .

Thanks for looking!
~ Johanna
CONTACT: johanna@johannaparkerdesign.com

UPDATE: I thought I was the only one staying up late last night, but looks like my friend Celeste was too! I think she wins the prize for catching the most Collector's Catch pieces! How many is that now?..... Maybe 3 or 4? I'll have to check my records :) Thank you!

Meet Crowster Buttonbird...

I have fun news to share! There is a beautiful, new magazine debuting right now from the talented folks at Stampington & Company! It's called Prims, and features art inspired by a bygone era. Last fall, their managing editor contacted me and asked if I would like to submit a piece that encompassed the look of primitive elegance. Thrilled at the challenge, I said yes! What resulted was a fun character that I named Crowster Buttonbird. After he came to life, I wrote a whimsical poem depicting his personification and they published that too! I am very grateful to have my folk art and poetry included within this premier issue! . . . . . . .


Prims ~ The Art of Primitive Dolls ~ 2010

Here's a peek at my feature which can be found on the Last Page of Prims! (It's easy to find for me as I oddly flip from back to front with every magazine I pick up... Anyone else do this? ) I must say, this is a beautiful publication. There are many wonderful works of art by fellow folk artists, and each creation is lovingly presented in a way that spotlights each creator's masterwork. It reminds me of an inspirational walk through a gallery. See for yourself, and order your copy today!



"A Whimsical Rhyme of a Crowster Buttonbird" ~ a peek at the poem I wrote to describe my creative process in bringing this fun crow character to life. I was asked to write an essay that personified my standing crow, and quickly that essay began to rhyme...



Here, a photo of Crowster Buttonbird that I took before his big journey to meet the editors of Prims. I know he would look great right here at home, but I'm also considering putting him up for adoption on eBay once he returns in April. If you're interested in taking part in that auction, please email me to join my e-mailing list. I'll keep you posted on my decision! ENJOY, and go get your copy today....

~ Johanna

Magazine images, Copyright 2010 by Stampington & Company, LLC

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Well, did ya think I'd forget this one? HaHa, not a chance! I had a spurt of St. Patrick's day inspiration over the weekend and set to work on a mini leprechaun hat for Mr. Jack. This was serious business indeed! Of course, Jack knew I was up to trouble and sat at my feet while I wrapped various shades of green chenille, round and round my handmade hat. He always seems to know when I'm making him a new seasonal accessory! Luckily, and I mean LUCKily, he was a good sport when it came time to take his photo. He simply would have no part of the ribbon-under-the-chin combo, so I just set my silly hat on his head and he proudly posed. Cheers to all and ENJOY Jack's latest holiday fashion! Don't forget to wear your GREEN, and to leave a jolly comment here for GOOD LUCK!
~ Johanna






* © 2010 Johanna Parker Design *Photos & Designs are the property of Johanna Parker and may not be used without permission.

Feelin' Lucky?!

Since I love the color green, and I love Halloween, I thought it would be fun to make a holiday crossover piece that incorporates St. Patrick's Day and Halloween! So, I set out a to make a black cat kettle cup, and "Lucky" here was the result.... You can click HERE for his auction link on eBay, and thank you for your kind bids!
Best of Luck! ~ Johanna



* © 2010 Johanna Parker Design *Photos & Designs are the property of Johanna Parker and may not be used without permission.

See you at the Ghoultide Gathering!

So, the news has been out for a month, but I realized that I had not made it official here... I am truly honored to be a part of this year's 4th Annual Halloween Artist Spectacular Ghoultide Gathering! What a treat it will be to exhibit my original Halloween creations at this acclaimed event. You can visit Ghoultides's Website for a peek at the participating artists!



This very special event takes place in Northville, Michigan on October 2nd. Ghoultide Gathering is a juried show that strives to offer collectors the highest quality Halloween art in an unexpected variety of styles and mediums. I hear it's magical, the setting is charming and historic, the artists are amazing and the collectors are passionate.

I suggest you take a peek for yourself! Scott Smith, co-founder of the Ghoultide Gathering composed this short clip which offers a glimpse into last year's event. So, enjoy, mark you calendars and please join us this fall! I look forward to meeting you there :) Expect to be enchanted...........



And with this news, some of you may be wondering about my event schedule. Well, we decided to go east this year instead of west, meaning that I will not be participating in the Halloween & Vine for the first time in 6 years! It was a difficult decision to make as I love seeing Petaluma and reconnecting with my west coast collector and artist friends, but sometimes it's good to mix things up a bit, see new sites, meet new people and try something different. Perhaps some of my cherished collectors will get the itch to check out Ghoultide too! I hope so, as I would love to see your smiling faces once again.....

~ Johanna

Something to Bark About...

I thought you may like a peek at this special order piece, finished last week. It's not often that I sculpt dogs, but I do love a whimsical black Halloween bulldog! As you can imagine, they do take hours of tedious sculpting with all of those characteristic folds, but in the end, they certainly can come to life! I only wish my fingers were able to work more quickly as I have a long list of requests from collectors, some of whom have been patient for years! However, I do hope to chip away at that list this spring, so wish me luck! (As my imagination often wanders, I am easily distracted....but I promise to try my best ! :)

Meet, "Dignified Dora, the Halloween Bulldog"...


She was adopted sight-unseen by a devoted collector, and they met today!
.... Below is a sweet quote from the email of Dora's new owner:
"SHE'S HEREEEEEEEEEEEEEE, AND I AM IN LOVE! . . . . . . . . . . .
THANK YOU SO MUCH. YOU WILL NEVER KNOW HOW MUCH I APPRECIATE YOUR KINDNESS AS WELL AS YOUR SUPERB GIFT." ~ Charlotte

( I just love receiving notes like that :) It's always a joy!


* Dora stands 14 inches tall, and is an original from my series of Base Chamber Vases. Her head, which serves as a lid, twists off to reveal a candy compartment, but turn the vase upside down to find yet another secret place to stash what you wish! What fun!

* © 2010 Johanna Parker Design *Photos & Designs are the property of Johanna Parker and may not be used without permission.