A Halloween List.

Recently, the weather had been cold, blustery, and raining.  The clouds were gray, and the leaves have been falling. 

It truly felt like Autumn. 

Bliss.

Naturally, the weather got me in the Halloween spirit.  So, I thought I'd give you a quick overview of some of my favorite, must-see, annual Halloween tv shows/movies.

1.  Hocus Pocus

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I love, love, love this movie.  It is so funny.  The resurrected 'Sanderson Sisters' run a muck ('A muck, a muck, a muck, a muck!') in a small New England town.  I love the footage of the town, with the fall foliage, and old fashioned houses, and Halloween decorations.  Granted, it was probably filmed on a set somewhere, but still.  The imagery of fall makes me happy.  This movie is my absolute must-see.

Best line/dialogue: (this movie is full of great one-liners and silly jokes!  I'll stick with a short one!)
Mary Sanderson:  (gets a Clark bar, and takes a bite) Its the chocolate covered finger of a man named Clark!

2.  Garfield's Halloween Adventure

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Oh, Garfield.  I thought he was so cute and silly.  In his Halloween Adventure, Garfield, and sidekick Odie, go trick-or-treating, and wind up in a creepy house by a lake.  Inside, they meet an old man, who tells them that the ghosts of pirates were coming that Halloween night to claim their buried treasure.  I'm not going to lie, those ghosts gave me the willies as a child.  But, in good Garfield fashion, all's well that ends well. 

Best line/dialogue:  (Garfield shows Jon his pirate costume, complete with peg leg.  Odie runs in, also dressed as a pirate, with 4 peg legs.)

Garfield to Odie (in pirate voice):  "This be me first mate, Odie the stupid...you be having a might too many peg legs there, matey..."

3.  Roseanne, The Halloween Collection

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Regardless of the general feelings one may hold about Roseanne, as a show, actress, or person, it is hard to argue with the fact that her show did some of the greatest Halloween episodes.  Of any show.  Period.  A close second would be The Simpson's annual Treehouse of Horror shows.  They were ingenious, with spectacular costumes, and often silly plots.  My favorite episode in particular is a spin on A Christmas Carol, when Roseanne is visited by the ghosts of Halloween past, present, and future.

Best line/dialogue: (From the first Halloween episode, "Boo")
(Teenager, Becky, has just learned that she was not invited to a Halloween party, hosted by one of her classmates).
Becky:  I hate Halloween.
Roseanne:  Oh, you don't even know what Halloween is.
Becky:  (sarcastically)  Okay, then, why don't you not tell me.
Roseanne:  Okay, I won't...Halloween is the one night of the entire year when the veil is lifted between the living and the dead.  And the dead return from hell to walk the earth and we have to dress up like ghosts and goblins and stuff to fake out the evil spirits, or else they might carry us back to hell with them.
Becky:  So...why do the dead people come back?
Roseanne:  For the candy!  There's no chocolate in hell!  That's why it's hell.

4.  Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 4, Episode 4:  Fear Itself

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I just loved this series, and watched every new episode.  In fact, I recieved the complete series collection on DVD as a birthday gift a few years ago.  This particular episode was one of the few Halloween shows Buffy featured.  The 'Scoobies' (aka Buffy and friends) attend a Halloween party, only to discover that a demon of fear has taken over the house, causing everyone's worst fears to become reality.  It was a funny, clever episode that I still enjoy watching.

Best line/dialogue:  *Spoiler* (At the end of the show, Buffy and her friends are gorging on candy, celebrating their defeat of the fear demon).
Buffy:  There's no problem that cannot be solved by chocolate.
Willow:  (weakly)  I think I'm gonna barf.
Buffy:  Except that.

5.  It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

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Who doesn't remember this?!  I was always excited to see it when it aired near Halloween.  Darling little Charlie Brown.  Poor kid.  Even trick-or-treating was a bust for him.  A classic cartoon. 

Best line/dialogue:  (Children looking in their trick-or-treat bags, comparing goodies).

"I got 5 pieces of candy."

"I got a chocolate bar."

"I got a quarter."

Charlie:  "I got a rock."

Well, folks.  Thanks for sticking around to read my Halloween list! 
Do you have any favorites that aren't listed here? 

Please share!



Unrequited.

Unrequited:  (adjective)  1.  Not reciprocated.  Not felt in response, or not returned in the same way or to the same degree.

This painting is the first in a series of 3.  The dress features clippings of the unread letters mentioned here. 

If you have a moment, the following will guide you, the viewer, through some of the symbolisms of the painting:

The ferris wheel, a repeating symbol, represents the situations we often get ourselves into, that go nowhere.  A continual circle, containing us, in which we think that something will suddenly change.  The only change, in fact, is to get off of the ride, and walk away. 

The image in the stained glass represents St. Rita, the patron saint of the impossible dream.  I, personally, do not my place faith in saints, but find the stories of saints, and what they represent, and why, rather poetic, even romantic, in an old-world sense.  I searched for a saint that would signify dreams and hopes.  I chose Rita, a woman who overcame obstacles in her life.  I also love the art of stained glass and desired to incorporate it into this piece.  ‘St. Rita’s Window’ is unique in the approach I took.  If you look closely, behind the window, is a complete scene of a city.  I first painted a cityscape, then covered it with layers of paint, and topped it with the “window.”  I felt that it added an additional dimension to the piece, and representing the fact that the world can await one, if we are willing to look beyond what we see.  Additionally, once the image of St. Rita was completed, I did a paint wash over her in white, and darkened the edges with ink, to give her the overall appearance of stained glass.  Finally, I used a gel medium to create very small strokes and peaks, and topped it off with flaked mica, which reflects the light beautifully. 

The symbolism of the bird will also be a repeating theme.  Birds have a special place in my heart, as a reminder of God’s grace and care in our lives, and freedom, and joy.  That joy can sometimes be hidden in the midst of sorrow.  As the series progresses, the bird will begin to take flight.  It is first seen in ‘Unrequited’ as a small advertisement, a bird in a cage, for sale.

Behind her is a collage, created from images I have found and collected.  I love the vintage images, and how they represent groupings of lovely pictures, advertisements, and tokens of beauty. 

Her dress is adorned with roses, created from the letters.  To cut the first letter was akin to cutting my heart, a little bit.  And yet, it was the most exciting part of the painting.  A true symbol of letting go.  And finding peace.  Also on her dress, I have added swaravski crystal elements, for extra sparkle.  The flower in her hair is adorned with ‘micro-beads.’ 

It may be prideful to share this, but I love this piece.  My soul always gets poured into my works, but this one speaks to me.  I haven’t just put my heart and soul into it, I’ve allowed it to tell its own story, and that’s what makes this painting stand apart from the rest. 

I’ve begun the second in the series, ‘Unrelenting’.  Ultimately, the 3 paintings will journey their viewers through the stages of heartache (or at least what I’ve felt).  We start here, unrequited.  We try to believe that we can change the outcome of Providence, unrelenting in our fight to do so.  And we finally begin to let go, and be at peace, understanding.

My brain has been spinning with lots of new ideas for paintings when these 3 are completed.  I am looking forward to sharing them with you as they unfold! 

Thank you for stopping by, letting me share a part of me, and taking a look at ‘Unrequited’! 

P.S.  Here's a look at the work as it progressed!