Death Makes a Holiday Art Event

  

Halloween Artist Bazaar is celebrating death. A collection of ghost, reapers and graveyards in the spirit of Halloween.
Take the links below to purchase these unique handmade Halloween collectibles direct from the independent artist!

Mr.Bony’s Nurse Paper Mache Ghost On Coffin Candy Box Bobble Head $75.00
Nancy Michalak Bewitched Halloween card $4.95
Twilight Faerie Lucky Night Painting $25.00
PunkinPrims Halloween Alter $25.00
Chad Savage Grim Reaper Original Ink Drawing $150.00
Sauvage Raven Creations Wake the Dead $15.00
Abbybelle Grim Reaper Figure $15.00
Forest Whimsy Halloween Miniature Bookcase $28.00
Chaos In Color Canvas Wrapped Print Dia De Los Muertos Cat $85.00
Creepycute Doll Works Bobby Bones Art Doll $65.00
Art By Sarada Silent Grave $6.00
Jynxx Designs Ghouls Graveyard Statement bracelet $32.00

Find more Halloween art and collectibles year round by visiting Halloween Artist Bazaar on Etsy or the HAB sales catalog!

Halloween Artist Bazaar Artist Pages:

HAB Artists

HAB on Etsy:

HAB on Etsy

HAB online shopping catalog:

HAB on Etsy

Everlastings and Offerings


Everlastings and Offerings
-By Debbi Decker

All Saints Day can be a very busy day in New Orleans’ cemeteries. Peering through the gates, you might see a few families busy among the tombs, polishing marble and brass, and pulling the weeds and the ferns that can root in the tiniest of cracks in the surface. There are not as many families present these days as there would have been back in the 1800s and early 1900s. Time has taken its toll on the tombs, and many of the families have either moved away or died out. Still, those that can will take the time to care for the tombs that belong to their families, and there are cemetery preservation societies that are attempting to halt the destruction and decay. Candles continue to be lit, and the priests still come to bless the graves.

During the 1800s, it was a common practice for vendors to set up outside of the cemeteries around New Orleans on All Saint’s Day to sell fresh flowers to be placed in vases in front of the tombs. Over time, and as people came over to the city from Europe, decorations for the tombs called “immortelles” were introduced to the general public and sold to the families as they entered the cemeteries to clean and decorate the family tombs. The word is of French origin and means “everlasting”. These decorations or offerings would have run the gamut from simple straw flower bouquets to elaborate woven wire wreaths full of beads and china roses. Zinc would have been cut out in the shape of leaves and made into wreaths. Reverse glass paintings of various images and symbols were popular, as were woven hair ornaments. Black roses made out of linen and woven into crosses or other religious shapes were popular. Some of these immortelles were brought over from France, while others were made in New Orleans. Mark Twain commented upon immortelles, stating that “they required no attention… and last like boiler iron”. As advances were made in the silk and plastic flower industries, placing elaborate immortelles on the graves and crypts went by the wayside. The silk and plastic flowers cost less, and families could afford to change out the decorations as often as they wished. There is still evidence that the practice continues in some areas, however, it appears more as a personal afterthought or an offering rather than the actual act of leaving an immortelle as it would have been perceived back in the day.

A recent stroll through Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 in the Garden District revealed that the leaving of offerings is still alive and well in New Orleans. Especially at the resting places of people who may have been active in the practice of the Voodoo religion. It also appears that certain crypts have been turned into shrines, as is the case of the tomb of the Society for the Relief of Destitute Orphan Boys (see picture). I have no idea why this particular crypt has now become a shrine and this has only happened in the past two years. When I last visited the cemetery in 2013, there were no offerings on this tomb.

You never know what you will find. During my visit I discovered a hand painted canvas depicting a Mardi Gras mask. Many tombs had beads draped over them, some had metal or glass vases full of actual flowers withered from the heat and passage of time. I noticed a few small toys and tiny cherub statues, as well as bouquets of silk flowers that seemed to fare better in the heat than their living counterparts. Cigarettes, lipsticks, vials of oils and perfumes, cigars and chewing tobacco decorated the crypt’s ledges, as well as small pouches with indeterminate contents to be wondered about or guessed at.

It is not clear from the offerings left what exactly is going on, but as with the Voodoo offerings at the various local mambos’ and houngans’ tombs, I suspect that the petitioners are leaving little gifts behind as thanks for the spirits’ help with their requests. Why these particular tombs are chosen may never be known. And, in a sense, these kinds of offerings become immortelles or everlastings because these offerings will remain. It is acceptable to look over the leavings, and even take a picture or two. You are encouraged to add your prayers and leave an offering of your own. Never ever disturb or take the offerings at these tombs. To do so would anger the spirits and could bring great spiritual harm.

Photographs “Immortelles”, “Blessed the Child”,”Society for the Relief of Destitute Orphan Boys”, “Society for the Relief of Destitute Orphan Boys close up”, “Offerings” and “Mask Gift” provided by Crazed Poppet Creations and are copyrighted images. To contact Debbi Decker for purchase of these prints visit her website.

Debbi Decker is proprietor of Crazed Poppet Creations Art & Assemblage Emporium. Check out her artist page to find links to her shop and blog to read more of her writings. Visit again next month for the telling of hauntings and ghostly tales by Debbi Decker.

YES, VIRGINIA, THERE BE VAMPIRES HERE


YES, VIRGINIA, THERE BE VAMPIRES HERE
-By Debbi Decker

Born in October of 1925, amidst the rubble and wreckage in a collapsed railway tunnel, he rose up and stumbled out of the smoke, a wraith-like silhouette against the fire lit sky. Those who hid in terror reported a visage of jagged and blood dripping teeth, skin shredded and hanging from the bones. A few hardier souls tracked the creature as he stumbled, moaning and keening, along the river and on to the cemetery where he disappeared into the entrance of a large Gothic tomb. Attempts to open the door of the tomb came to naught and the hysterical requests to the cemetery officials to open the tomb were denied. The gossip in the bars and homes in the days to come claimed the creature was a vampire. “How else?” they whispered. “How else can you explain the bloody teeth, never mind the entry into a sealed tomb?” The owners of the tomb did not stand idly by. “I heard they moved the family bones” a neighbor told another neighbor. “Had to have done it by day” the neighbor answered. Both nodded. Everyone knows that vampires sleep by day. No one questioned why the family did not destroy the vampire while it slept. With a stake to the heart. Isn’t that the usual way one dispatches a vampire?

Years passed and the legend passed along with them. Reports of strange noises from inside the tomb. Orbs and strange mists emanating from the doorway. Tales of Satanic activity and markings around the tomb. It is now 2015, and people still come from far and wide to view the Tomb of the Richmond Vampire.

As with all legends, there is some truth to this particular tale. A railway tunnel did collapse on the night of October 2, 1925 on Church Hill in Richmond, Virginia. A young man, Benjamin F. Mosby, managed to escape the wreckage bearing injuries much like the oft-described vampire in the tale. He was admitted to Grace Hospital, where he later died of his injuries. Not much is told of where Mr. Mosby was found or why he supposedly chose that particular tomb. William Wortham Poole was an upstanding citizen, a secretary/clerk who died at the venerable age of 80, and subsequently buried in the family tomb in 1922. Perhaps Mr. Mosby was trying to reach the river which travels along the cemetery borders. Perhaps he was only able to get as far as W.W. Poole’s tomb where he collapsed inside the dark entryway, thereby spawning the rumors that he disappeared into the tomb. To this day, there are still reports of strange noises and paranormal activity. Since we know Benjamin Mosby died at Grace Hospital, who (or what) prowls the shadows of the Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia? I am personally of the opinion that we do not have a vampire here, but the rather pissed-off ghost of William Poole, wandering and cursing the tale that led to his, and his family members, removal from the august family tomb to parts unknown.

Photographs “Tomb Of The Richmond Vampire” and “Tomb Of The Richmond Vampire-original” provided by Crazed Poppet Creations and are copyrighted images. To contact Debbi Decker for purchase of these prints visit her website.

Debbi Decker is proprietor of Crazed Poppet Creations Art & Assemblage Emporium. Check out her artist page to find links to her shop and blog to read more of her writings. Visit again next month for the telling of hauntings and ghostly tales by Debbi Decker.

Featured Artist Interview October 2015: Crazed Poppet Creations

To find where Deborah Decker sells her wares visit her website Crazed Poppet Creations. 

Interview with Deborah Decker of Crazed Poppet Creations:

At what age did you discover your love of Halloween?

I do not remember ever not loving Halloween. It was still a big deal when I was a kid during the late 1950s to mid-1960s. The churches, communities and schools all still celebrated. People would make their own costumes and decorations, and some would even make goodies to give to the trick or treaters. It was a more innocent era, and I sure miss the handmade aspect of it all.

What is your fondest Halloween memory?

It was Halloween day, and my school hosted an after-school Halloween party. I was 5 years old and in kindergarten, and I dressed up as a Gypsy. Somehow, I missed the school bus home and then decided I could walk home by myself. I recall walking in a field towards home as the sun was setting. It was truly one of the creepiest feelings I have ever had. Something about the shadows and the way the light was playing out in the sunset. I still get the shivers when I think of it, and crazily enough I would have to say this is my fondest memory because it was a true Halloween experience!

How do you celebrate Halloween?

These days after I host the trick or treating on Halloween evening with the grandchildren, I light candles and think of my ancestors, look over the past year and think about goals and things I want to achieve in the future. I usually try to stay up until after midnight but as I get older that gets harder. Halloween is when I celebrate the New Year and it is a very special day for me. My family even calls me on that day to wish me a Happy New Year!

When did you start creating in your medium and what training have you had?

I do not have a specific medium and am mostly self-taught in whatever I do. I have been creating gothic and Halloween art since at least grade school. It has always been an interest of mine.

What was the inspiration to create what you create and when did you know you wanted to create Halloween?

I get inspiration from all kinds of places, from stories, poetry, and history. I prefer the old style Halloween items that were popular from around the Victorian era to the early 1950s.

When did I know that I wanted to create Halloween? That’s a tough question. It seems like I have been creating Halloween since I started school. It’s not like I woke up one day and decided that Halloween was what I liked creating. There are people who say that Halloween is a lifestyle, and in many respects I do think that is true. Because I can’t simply take Halloween and set it outside of me as a stand-alone subject. It is just too much a part of me.

I have to give kudos to a fellow HAB team member, Twilight Faerie, who saw some of my works, pushed me to create more, and urged me to sell some of what I create. In the past, I used to see the different Halloween artist groups and wish that I could be a part of that kind of community. You can imagine how very exciting it was to become a member of Halloween Artist Bazaar!

Featured Artist Interview July 2015: A. Ryer Studio

To find where Angela Ryer sells her wares visit her artist page on HAB. 

Interview with Angela Ryer of A.Ryer Studio:

At what age did you discover your love of Halloween?
Around 7 or 8. My parents made a big to do about it when they bought New Halloween decorations for the house we moved into, I was fascinated by them. They (my parents) hung a sheet in the foyer, put up a black light, decorations and when I came home from my own trick or treating, *this* was MY world….and I loved it; my introduction into Home Haunting.

What is your fondest Halloween memory?

Around 13 or 14 years old, at a new house, my dad hung up sheets outside on the long front porch. I had a ton of masks hanging on them. My neighborhood friend, Bo, a REALLY big kid for his age stood up against the house in a mask and gloves. I was in my mom’s old witch costume, TRYING to be creepy, saying my shtick. One of our schoolmates went “Aww, this is LAME!!” while some of the other kids were standing there eyeing my friend against the wall suspiciously. Just as the one kid made the lame comment, Bo SPRANG into life screaming and got a hold of that kid by the throat!! Just on the other side of the sheet, my brother and his wife stood there as butts fell from under the sheets and kids scattered screaming their heads off like the devil was after them with Bo in hot pursuit!! LOL Yeah!!! How do you like me NOW????

How do you celebrate Halloween?

I do a small display (built a free standing ghost woman with no head) carve lots of pumpkins play Midnight Syndicate and give out candy.

I also tend to bake a lot of pumpkin stuff…

When did you start creating in your medium and what training have you had?

The ornaments started in 2004. I had ABSOLUTELY NO TRAINING in sculpting or mold making. I was in a professional Halloween/haunt group and asked for help in getting started. Some good people pointed me in the right direction and I literally started from scratch. I taught myself.

My cemetery artwork came a little later. The only training I had in painting was high school level. I stopped for a number of years. Back in 2002, after discovering Midnight Syndicate, I became inspired and took myself much more seriously. I started painting from my own cemetery photographs and discovered, I REALLY liked painting nature and capturing my images on canvas. The rest is history.

What was the inspiration to create what you create and when did you know you wanted to create Halloween?

You could say, my ornaments are my *marching orders*.
They came to me in a flash of divine inspiration of what I knew I was supposed to do, for whatever reason, as an artist. I wasn’t looking for anything. It just hit me and I found myself creating something beyond what I ever dreamed. When did I know I wanted to create something Halloween??? After creating my first yard haunt. Sitting there in 40°weather staring at what I created; it literally looked like a mini movie set. I knew in my heart I wanted to create something unique to me in the realm of Halloween.