Hive Creative Challenge - "Sweet Leaves of Autumn"

When Melissa posted this challenge, I was thrilled! A large portion of my work is inspired by autumn , so naturally I was up for the challenge.

The only problem was to create something that would stand out from my other fall inspired pieces.

When I think of autumn, I think of three main things: multicolored leaves, candy corns, and pumpkins. I decided to combine these elements to create something to sum up the season, at least in my eyes.

Spookytime Jingles April

It's STJ time again! Head over to spookytimejingles to see my new Frank piece, and a few acrylic art cards.

WIP Pics, Finally!

It's only been a couple of months since I've sculpted with polymer, but it feels like it's been ages!

You wouldn't believe how many times the design of this piece changed before I made a decision.. I started with a ball that was going to be a pumpkin head, but it soon became the body to this Frank monster. Actually, the original plan was to be a totum pole of sorts with a series of Halloween icons. Not sure how it changed to this, but I'm happy with it!

New Sculpture on Etsy

I tried my best to have this guy ready for the October STJ update, but I couldn't swing it. This will probably be the last Halloween piece for a while, but you never know!

A Great Way to Start the Day

It's almost update time again, and I've been trying my best to get everything finished. Lately I've been implementing a double dose of coffee, one of my favorite tools in art. The mug is from my favorite coffee house, a local place called "Java Jacks." I think their coffee is much better than Starbucks. The coffee in the mug, however, is just some good 'ol Folgers, "the best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup!"

When brewed properly, a good cup of coffee in your favorite mug can wake you up and massage your artistic shoulders. That's what it does for me anyway.

In the picture, you'll see a snowman WIP from an earlier post. The snowman has a bit more color in this pic, and is almost completely finished as I type. I also have an ornament set, and two Halloween sculptures on the way, so keep an eye out!




Zero, making himself comfortable in the window seal.

Spookytime Jingles - April!!

Hey guys, don't forget to check out all the great new stuff at STJ this month. It may have looked a bit sparse last night, due to the overwhelming success of STJ at the convention, but guess what? More stuff will be listed tonight!!!

The Haunted Crescent Hotel

A lot of people will immediately dismiss the possibility of ghosts, saying "NO, there's no such thing." I'm a bit of a skeptic myself, but the door is certainly not closed.

Ever heard of the Crescent Hotel? Yeah, I know a lot of hotels say they are haunted just for the publicity. If any hotel is truly haunted, it has to be this one.

I visit the Crescent Hotel at least once a year, in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. It's one of the most historic and beautiful hotels in one of the country's most beautiful towns. I've tried to convince my fiance to have our honeymoon there next spring, but apparently she's less of a skeptic than me. Last year, we had the pleasure of taking a "Ghost Tour" of the hotel, where we heard tons of fascinating stories about the place; some very, very disturbing.

We were told about a man by the name of Norman Baker who took over the hotel in the 1930s. He was a self-proclaimed doctor who believed he had discovered a cure for cancer. In those days, it was harder to know some one's background, so as far as his patients were concerned, he was a real doctor.

People flocked to Baker at the old hotel for a chance to have their cancer cured. They had no idea that Baker's "cure" was only a combination of watermelon seed, brown corn silk, alcohol, and carbolic acid. Baker's patients, not having any real treatment would only get worse. When the patients got to the point of crying out in pain and agony, Baker put them in an area of the hotel where people near by couldn't hear their cries of pain.

The tour guides also told us that the cruel doctor would do autopsy-like experiments on people who had not yet died. We were told that hundreds of innocent people died agonizing deaths, trying to be cured of cancer by Baker. Some say that years later, when the hotel was being renovated, human remains were found in some of the basement walls. Baker hid his victims there along with his corruption.

If that's not enough reason for a hotel to be haunted I don't know what is.

A few years ago, my brother, my dad and I were all on the 3rd floor of the hotel. All three of us suddenly felt a bit dizzy, only for a second or two. This could have been our imaginations, but I thought it odd that we all felt the same way at the same time!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDYnU-oMPVI

http://www.prairieghosts.com/cresc.html

Frank N. Stein WIP

Like the new look!? Annette gave my blog a face lift and she did a wonderful job. I couldn't be happier!

I haven't been able to get myself in gear this month so things may be looking a little sparse on Etsy and Spookytime Jingles.

Speaking of STJ, the update is just around the corner. I had considered passing on the Halloween entry this month, but seeing how it's in October, I couldn't resist. Below, you'll see the beginning of my take on everyone's favourite monster, Frankenstein's Monster.

Vist STJ on the 13th for the finished product!

August 13 STJ Update!!

I hope everyone is as excited as I am about this month's Spookytime Jingles update. I can't wait to see what everyone has in store for this month. Judging by what's been posted so far on our Flickr page, it's gonna rock!! I'm particularly excited about all the new artists coming to STJ; such great talent!


I wanted to have three sculptures listed for each section this month, but I've fallen so far behind I'm afraid this isn't going to happen. Either way, I should get back to the 'studio' and get busy.

Here's a little taste of what Crescent Hill will offer this month...

I'f you would like to see the rest of this sculpture, you'll just have to make your way over to http://www.spookytimejingles.com/ on the 13th!!

Halloween Wip for STJ

Unfortunately I was unable to make something for Halloween for the opening month of Spookytime Jingles, but this month will hopefully be a different story. I have a couple of pieces in the works, one of which may eventually become a Santa or something else all together, and another that is pictured below. This stack of quirky pumpkins, called "See no Evil, Speak no Evil, Hear no Evil," is almost ready for some paint. I still need a way to emphasize the "Hear no Evil" pumpkin on the top. He has no ears so I guess he can't hear for that reason, but I may add arms from the middle pumpkin to cover "Hear no Evil's" non-existent ears.

If you're wondering about the bottom pumpkin, his mouth is zipped up. If you look closely you can see the zipper tab on the right side of his mouth.