Meet "Blushing Pumpkina"...

It's the last day of the month which means that the EHAG Emporium is again open with a fresh offering of Halloween folk art from a sampling our artist guild members. This time around, I was able to play along and created a fun and rather different piece for your consideration. "Blushing Pumpkina" is a one of a kind, "mini bust" pumpkin character. She is painted in rich undertones of magenta rouge which naturally made me think that she was a bit blushed! With recessed features, carved for Halloween and protruding cheeks, she is quite the cutie! A gnarling stem rises with a twist and adds height and interest to her look. Blushing Pumpkina (Pump-keen-a) has a pair of wiry vine-like arms painted soft green to match her towering stem. With her left arm raised, you have the option to attach your favorite photo or small card within the prongs of her fingers. And, she comes with the sweet EHAG Emporium tag that I designed as well. Keep scrolling down for a few photos, and thank you for your interest!


* A pair of orange and black strands of wispy whimsy threads trim her neckline and add softness. A jack-o-lantern painted pendant smiles back at Blushing Pumpkina and marks her sweet heart.

Blushing Pumpkina ~ 5.75" tall by 4.5" wide
 $275 plus shipping SOLD

To reserve this piece, please email me at: johanna@johannaparkerdesign.com
I may not be available to take your request at the start of the sale, so I thank you for your patience and will return your email as soon as possible.




* She's such a little flirt as she offers a wave to you!


* A simple floral-like pattern of circles and dots repeats itself across the back and decorates this little beauty! She ships with the EHAG Emporium card, signed on the back.


Images & Design, © Johanna Parker Design, LLC 2011. Photos may not be used without permission.

A True Halloween Artist Spectacular!...

With August just around the corner, visions of fall and Halloween are haunting our minds! This year's dazzling ad for the 5th Annual Ghoultide Gathering is now being revealed as it hits the stands soon in the fall issue of Art Doll Quarterly Magazine. Perhaps a peek may just entice you to join us on the last day of September and the first day of October in Northville, Michigan for this spooktacular event! I promise that you will be mesmerized by the whimsical displays and works of collectible Halloween art that will be offered by 30 nationally known artisans. There's nothing quite like it, so please join us!


And can you spot my winged contribution to page one of this lovely ad spread?....

 
Page 2 reveals a fun array of one of a kind jack-o'-lanterns, witches, a skelly & rabbit, an ogre, a devil and a spooky frog! Halloween has no limits, and continues to tease our imaginations. The intriguing subject matter, hand-crafted spirit and attention to detail truly make this an event all of its own.



Please visit The Ghoultide Gathering online for a peek at ALL of the participating artisans who will be sharing their wares with you!


Here's hoping these fanciful images of Halloween will haunt you into joining us!

See you there!
~ Johanna

30+ Years Ago....

With just 4 short years under my belt, Sesame Street was the center of my world. That with a budding imagination, drawing paper, crayons and markers gifted from my parents, I was already expressing my love for drawing and art. The year was 1981, and mom obviously was aware of my artistic expression. She subscribed to Sesame Street Magazine for me, and spotted a children's drawing contest. A child's interpretation of a classroom setting was requested to all those blooming artists, and mom must have asked me to fill in the blanks. My recollection of this assignment is quite blurry, but clearly mom had a vision. Not long after, we were celebrating my first published art work! Ever since, I have been on an artistic spree, sharing my work on a public level. A few years later, I would see my childhood illustrations on the Disney Channel, and I also won a drawing contest with Pentel where my hot air balloon art traveled all the way around the world. My youth was dappled in art, art projects and entries into contests and the like. I remember seeing my Strawberry Shortcake caricatures hanging in an art exhibit at my favorite shopping mall, and it seems I was the Go-To artist whenever a class project required a graphic. So, it's not surprising that I have stayed on course along a path in the arts. This fall, I have some exciting features coming out in a handful of magazines that I look forward to sharing with you soon! So, I keep rolling along, and fortunately my creativity continues to flow with many blessings to follow.

I thought you might enjoy a peek at where it all began......  ENJOY!
(Thanks mom for your encouragement and keen vision! You were on to something!!)

~ Johanna



* Wow, 1981!...... Feels so long ago...
(Oh, Bigbird..I loved you so much!!!...........)



* I was only 4 when I drew this and had not started any form of school yet. Somewhere in my few short years of life, I must have observed that teachers stood at the head of the class, and students sat at desks that had 4 legs. I find it funny that the kids are facing the wrong direction! hehe.... Mom tells me that I was drawing stick figures with 5 fingers at the age of 3. Even then I was paying attention to detail....

Garden Curiosities...

A splash of vibrant hues and variegated textures are displaying their glory in our perennial garden this month. The rains have been heavy, heavier than what I am used to it seems, and this has created an overflowing effect where plants span and sprawl beyond the borders I had only hoped to set for them, spilling over onto each other and beyond. With intense rain comes life of all sorts including weeds as well. But even those ambitious pests have their own beauty and charm behind the lens of a camera. Before yet another boomer hit our garden, I ran out back to snap a few macro shots as the ominous clouds swirled overhead. The overcast skies often create the ideal lighting scenario for nature photography. And so I hurried from plant to plant until the rain drops were too large to bear. So, enjoy this photo diary of garden curiosities that capture my imagination and fill me with wonder and often awe and delight......

~ Johanna



A ladybug perches on the bud of a dandelion and seems to be enjoying a meal of clustered woolly aphids....



The iridescent cool purples and blues of the Native Larkspur are just magical....



I always enjoy these sweet little blooms, but have long lost the name of this delicate plant. If you can recall what this 1 inch blooming gem is called, I would love to know....



Another view of this mystery bloomer. I love how my lens creates a soft, painterly bursting effect with the surrounding background plants...



A bumble bee burrows its head into the delicate blooms of a Lamb's Ear plant...



A Bachelor Button bloom peers out of a sea of soft green....



Rose Campion blooms on silvery green foliage certainly pop and add bits of vibrant color to the garden landscape....



In the distance, a towering burst of magenta clematis has made its majestic ascent atop a column of rusty remesh for quite a delightful show-stopper....



I spotted this chartreuse grasshopper clinging to the leaf of a Coneflower plant and just swaying in the breeze....



Spent poppy seed heads still attract my eye with their unique shapes, colors and patterns...



Looking down upon the tippy-top of a Red Hot Poker for a different perspective...



The teardrop-shaped buds of a climbing Clematis are close to unfurling....



Again,  I am attracted to the painterly effect that this lens captures...



One Purple Coneflower proudly stands amongst a slew of buds soon to follow...



Even the bane of my gardening trials expresses its own delicate beauty as it coils and chokes a neighboring plant. Morning Glory "Bindweed" is ever-present and ever-persistent in my Colorado garden....



Photography © Johanna Parker Design, LLC. Images may not be used without permission.

Door Prize Winners x's 3!...

I just wanted to thank ALL of you who expressed an interest in my new Zazzle Shop during these first 3 weeks of my Grand Opening! Your sweet comments regarding my new line of goods have been a joy to read.  So, my Door Prize Giveaway has now closed, and we just drew the winners. It always makes me nervous as I want EVERYONE to win. Alas, only 3 were plucked from a bowl full of orange slips of paper. Then, it was the majority plucked out of 3 tries for first place, and so on and so on. So, let's not wait any longer.....

1st Prize ("Boozazzle" Ghost bust original )goes to:   
Lory in San Carlos, CA

2nd Prize ( Limited edition Nut Cups ) goes to:
Jody in Brea, CA

3rd Prize ( Pair of Halloween cones ) goes to:  
Julie in Maple Grove, MN

Congrats to this trio of winners & thanks for playing along :)

Since Zazzle only shares with me your first name and location info, I do not have a way to contact you. If you could each please forward your order confirmation from Zazzle to me, that will be a perfect form of verification. Or hey, better yet, I'd love to see a photo of you and your JPD Zazzle goods! Whatever works :)  Thank you and congrats once again! 

Again, many THANKS to ALL of you who stopped in and collected something special from my Zazzle Shop! I so appreciate it, and I hope you are enjoying the goods. May they bring you many smiles for years to come!


* Quick photo add! After we drew the 3 winners we tossed all the slips of paper entries over Jack, and realized that we needed to snap a quick pic :)

xoxoxo,
~ Johanna

Mouse Tales...

Well, I did it! I stepped outside of my black cat, owl and bat box to try my hand at a mouse! After several nudges and a number of suggestions from my collector friends, I thought it was time to give mouse-making a try. I must admit, my first attempt at a pointy-nosed whimsical rodent occurred last winter, and I failed miserably. I was trying to make a teeny weeny mouse ornament, and it ended up as a pile of papier mache mush in my anxious hands! Luckily, I had more patience this time around, and I think "Jerry Juggler," my first official mouse, turned out quite swell. See for yourself by visiting his eBay Auction page. I will include a few teaser pics below, but there are lots more images along with descriptions once you visit Jerry's listing. He's up for bids for 7 Days this time, so keep that in mind. His auction ends on Sunday, July 10th at 10pm EST, so save the date. Good luck and many thanks to any and all of you who offer us a bid :)

Thank you,
~ Johanna



* I think this photo really captures Jerry's flirtatious side!



* Another sweet little frolicking mouse is painted on his spherical base and depicts a whimsical juggling scene..... Cute as a mouse!



* The stage curtains are pulled to reveal this jovial scene, and they wrap all the way around this unique piece....



* A peek at the underside reveals that Jerry Juggler is indeed my first mouse! I'm hoping to create a few more mice in various forms before Halloween ~ mouse tails are crossed!

OH ~ and check out The Haunted World of Bumble Bindlegrim! Looks like my mouse has inspired him, and I'm in good company.... Take a peek at all the Halloween eye candy....

Design & photography, © 2011 Johanna Parker Design, LLC ~ Images may not be used without permission.