Hairwork is the art of making jewelry and other sentimental objects out of hair. If you like Halloween or history, you’ll start noticing it at oddities shows, incorporated into Halloween art, and at historical museums. In this episode, we meet hairworker Gina Iacovelli, who helps us experience the sentimentality of this artform. Gina taught herself hairwork from Victorian journals and then created her business of making sentimental and memorial jewelry. She loves expressing the past in modern wa...
Sep 30, 2019•36 min•Season 1Ep. 10
Meet Zan Asha, an artist who is blending fairytales, nature, folklore, and Halloween into her art. Zan is friendly, fun, and has one of the most interesting family and career stories I’ve ever heard. Zan has done time in corporate life, been a vet tech, directed a dance troupe, written, traveled, illustrated, and kept bees. Zan’s family is a blend of Hungarian (Slavic), Romany, and Middle Eastern roots. Her childhood was full of fairytales and folk songs from her parents. In addition to fairytal...
Aug 31, 2019•45 min•Ep. 9
Listen to this episode to peek behind the vines of gourd life with award-winning gourd artist, Cara Bevan. I saw Cara’s work for the first time at the 2018 North Carolina Gourd Society Arts and Crafts Festival. I was floored to find such a passionate group of gourd enthusiasts. I knew people made crafts out of gourds – but I didn’t know the extent of it…the creativity includes everything from kids crafts to fine art. Cara brought several amazing Halloween-type pieces of work to the show, includi...
Jul 17, 2019•25 min•Ep. 8
Artist Stacey Walsh is a lover of old cemeteries, handmade goods, imperfection, and history – just some of the things that have led her down the path of Halloween artistry. Stacey creates sewing patterns under her Raven’s Haven brand and art dolls as the Goode Wife of Washington County. Stacey’s father was instrumental in helping her develop as an artist. He taught her techniques and how to evaluate, critique, and grow. As her family moved around during his military career, they were constantly ...
Jun 12, 2019•36 min•Ep. 7
Curious about the destinations of Halloween art pieces? The story doesn’t end with the artists finishing the pieces of art…their stories continue in the hands of collectors. I’m pleased to introduce you to Amy Schneider, one of the most Halloween obsessed people I’ve ever met. Amy has collected Halloween art for over two decades. She is a passionate advocate for original Halloween art and artists. Amy loves collecting Halloween treasures and oddities and using them to build magazine-cover worthy...
Apr 30, 2019•36 min•Ep. 6
Avery Applegate is a jewelry artist who loves hunting for forgotten treasures with a dark twist. She mixes these findings into assemblage art jewelry. Avery explores nature, sidewalks, and thrift/antique shops to collect treasures such as photographs, vintage jewelry, bones, and typewriter keys. Her original jewelry line, Just My Type Jewelry, features vintage typewriter keys. After attending the Ghoultide Gathering Halloween art show, she was inspired to add a darker, more serious line. She nam...
Apr 12, 2019•31 min•Ep. 5
My guest for episode 4 was artist Tanya Casteel, painter of Cosmic Animals. Tanya helped us explore what we can learn from animals that are associated with Halloween. I first met Tanya when she was creating beautiful sea-creature pottery through her business, Cephalopod Ink. She wrote and illustrated her first children’s book “Waiting Just for You Lullaby,” after having her daughter. Tanya now works in watercolors and paints animals in a cosmic, galaxy style. She lives in Asheville, NC. Tanya ha...
Feb 27, 2019•39 min•Ep. 4
Episode 3 is a special 20th anniversary celebration. My guest is artist Joyce Stahl, of Enchanted Productions. Joyce’s whimsical dolls are the stitching together of her experiences in theater costuming, 80s hair, teaching, painting, illustration, and a love for Halloween. Joyce will share with us a retrospective of her art journey so far, including two of her mentors who are invaluable to what Enchanted Productions is today. Joyce’s work has been exhibited at Roger’s Gardens, Ghoultide Gathering...
Nov 29, 2018•33 min•Ep. 3
Let’s meet artist Laurie Hardin of Monkey-Cats Studio. For over 14 years, Laurie has been creating playful Halloween papier mache figures and paintings. Her work spans from traditional characters like jack o’lanterns, to non-traditional ones like foxes. She has been featured in Art Doll Quarterly magazine and quoted in the book "Halloween Nation" (by Lesley Bannatyne). Laurie has exhibited at several national level Halloween Shows - Halloween and Vine, Ghoultide Gathering, and Bewitching Peddler...
Sep 27, 2018•49 min•Ep. 2
My guest is artist Jennie Hepler-Takens of Prim Pumpkin. Jennie creates dolls using vintage fabrics and found objects. Jennie's work is beloved by collectors and has been featured in magazines – including the cover of Art Doll Quarterly in Autumn 2016. In 2017, Jennie and her husband, Joe, produced their first Bewitching Peddlers of Halloween show - their take on the magic passed to them after Scott Smith and Bill Gilmore retired the Ghoultide Gathering show. Jennie creates from a place of child...
Aug 30, 2018•34 min•Ep. 1
