Sharing my JOY with you - - -

 It has truly been my absolute, most heartfelt joy and an outright privilege to be able to share the many Artists in each issue of Autumn Brilliance magazine over the years 🎃🖤🎃

 

*** My delight in discovering and promoting each one has brought such a healing light into my life. Surely everyone feels the same way when seeing their artistry for the first time, either in person or in the pages here. I can best describe it as a pure, childlike sense of wonder and undiluted happiness that blooms in my heart witnessing the imagination and creativity brought forth from each and every one of them (and, might I add, not one single speck of AI to be found!). Artists who have brought their talents, via an unending variety of mediums and genres - clay, paint, wood, fabric, metal, you name it.

I am genuinely, forever thankful. My Halloween mug runneth over! 

*** And, again, I get to share all of this joy with you!

And now for some whimsical Witchies! - - -

It's clear that artist Ryan Knight keeps the vivid flame of Halloween burning bright all the time.

    Hand-sculpting his distinctive Witch ornaments and pumpkins and more, his art instills a brilliant sense of fun, of surprise, of all-out whimsy in the viewer. These ornaments seemingly contain a magical cackle within that is ready to burst out. Don't even try to resist - you will cackle, too! 

    Every one of them is highly stylized, fun, occasionally odd, and simply stunning. Ryan creatives everything from clay, and festoons each one with all manner of materials, feathers, rhinestones, flowers... you name it, and Ryan's creations have it. Absolutely not a dull one in the bunch; they all have their own little personalities. You could collect a dozen, and still want more!

    If you, like us and like so many among the Halloween crowd, love to hang your Halloween ornaments year-round, you are wise to do so with Ryan's beautiful little goodies - the will bring you nothing but cheer and laughter every day.

*** You can meet Ryan and indulge in his fabulous artistry in person at the incredible All Hallows Art Fest in the picturesque northern California town of Petaluma, on Saturday, September 26th, 2026!

   We are so happy to present Ryan's art in the Fall 2026 issue of Autumn Brilliance magazine (available in September here on the website - the link is on the left side of the page). 

    And of course, we'll have copies of the magazine for you at the wonderful  Bewitching Peddlers of Halloween art show in Marshall, Michigan, on September 26, 2026. 

Please stop by our booth, we're excited to meet you there!

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

Come to a quiet place with us - - -

  We're a taphophile: a person who enjoys the history, architecture and overall serenity of cemeteries and graveyards. There's an incredible amount of forgotten history to be found in so many of them, along with stunning ancient iconography that often tells the tale of the person's life and the era they lived in. Many of the stones from yesteryear seem to be absolute monuments of remembrance, when compared to the relatively bland stones used today. Nevertheless, the artistry and history of these gravestones are resplendent with their regard for the people buried beneath them.

It is something that Brenda Sullivan of Gravestone Girls grew to love. Together with fellow GG's Maggie Phillips, Melissa Anderson, and Brenda's father, Richard, they explore burial sites all over New England, and also in their long distance travels, having visited notable cemeteries and burial site areas across the world.
 

Brenda's mother taught her at an early how to do a tombstone rubbing, which led to her lifelong fascination of the lives of the people who lay below the elaborately-carved and lovingly decorated blocks of stone.
 

With her fine arts education and background in small artifact restoration, she creates beautiful clay replicas: pins, magnets, and even stunning jewelry of some of the most striking gravestones and iconography from across New England and abroad.
 

You can learn more about the compelling artistry of the Gravestone Girls in the Fall 2026 issue of AUTUMN BRILLIANCE magazine.

Come visit Brenda and all the Gravestone Girls at the Bewitching Peddlers of Halloween art show, where they'll have a beautiful array of gravestone artistry to be had. You can have them autograph your copy of the magazine, too!

Remember, Bewitching Peddlers happens one day only: Saturday, September 26, 2026 in the lovely town of Marshall, Michigan.

- We too will be there, with plenty of magazines for you! 

 Available here and online in September.
- Link on the left, to order! -

An original Folk Tale for you - - -

  We're grateful to have had the opportunity to present the debut of an original folk tale, created by noted clay artist/storyteller, Lauren Martinez of Stony Layne Collections.

If you are familiar with the wonderful Latin American holiday of "Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead), you will know that is full of reverence for past ancestors, focusing on keeping their memory alive. Truly, it's one of our most favorite, treasured holidays (next to Halloween, of course).  

❤️Meet the Pepperbones❤️ 

 Deep in our hearts, we all hold fast to the memories of those who have passed... it's a place where we ache and feel so alone. We suffer in silence, with only our grief as our dark companion. 

This is where The Pepperbones witches arrive, each with her own special ability to envelope us with their unwavering love, lessening our load.
It's a very lovely Day of the Dead styled tale, full of love and emotion, illustrated with Lauren's gorgeous original art. 

  You can read this enchanting tale in the Fall 2026 issue of AUTUMN BRILLIANCE magazine, available in September.
(Order information is found by clicking link on the left side - remember, this issue not available until September!)

An Artist of Great Renown! - - -

  We still pinch ourselves at being able to present in our Fall 2026 issue one of the most acclaimed artists in the world (we're not kidding when we say that). 

Jordu Schell has created and designed so many of the most recognizable creatures, aliens and beings in movies over these past several decades. Chances are you have seen a lot of his work! Just a tiny smattering of his credits include "Hellboy" ... "Avatar" ... "Men In Black" ... "Planet of the Apes" ... several TV programs, including "Babylon 5" for which his creature design won an Emmy award, and so many more. The list of his accomplishments is long and truly fantastic.

Jordu's incredible talents also includes numerous iconic monster masks (many created for Distortions Unlimited). Those of us who collect Halloween masks probably have several of them! I had the pleasure of finally meeting him in person last fall at the MASK FEST convention in Cincinnati, and he could not have been nicer. No wonder we all are inspired by him. 

It most certainly is our honor to feature some of Jordu's finest works in our magazine!

 
*** Our Fall 2026 issue will be available in September 2026 - via link on the left here ***

 
---> It will also be available at our booth at the Bewitching Peddlers of Halloween show in Marshall, Michigan on September 26th. Please stop by and say hello - we're looking forward to meeting you there!

Our Halloween souls thirst for this palette! - - -

  The wonderful truth about Halloween art is, it comes in so many styles and colors... isn't it great that we find artists who are masters at using the myriad of colors that positively bloom with the season!

 
***Canadian artist, David Irvine of The Gnarled Branch encompasses a wicked and wonderful sense of the true spirit of Halloween in each of his paintings. A grand swirl of his paintbrush renders a legion of autumnal characters dancing across the canvas that delights the senses - prancing skeletons, jaunty Jack O'lanterns, mischievous imps and more, all in a palette that pleases the Halloween soul that thirsts within us all.

 
***We're exultant to bring you some of David's captivating creations in the Fall 2026 issue of AUTUMN BRILLIANCE magazine - 

---> Available in September 2026 <---

(You'll find the link in profile on the left for ordering info!)

 

Fun and fabulous and just freaky!

 Greetings!
***We mean what we say... we are positively WACK-A-DOOO thrilled that we get to feature Lorrie Crandall's off-the-chart artistry in the Fall 2026 issue of AUTUMN BRILLIANCE Magazine!
*** Once you get the chance to see Lorrie's handmade creations in person, you will need to collect and gather as many as your hands can hold. Her imagination churns out the fun, the silly, the weird, the spooky, the overall fabulous in everything she makes. We ain't kidding!
- - -Plus, she and her equally-awesome hubby Kris live Halloween like there's no tomorrow - their exquisitely decorated home is the hot-spot of the town.
*** Come visit Lorrie and see her marvelous creations at the Bewitching Peddlers of Halloween show, September 26 2026, in Marshall, Michigan. 

Plus, you can get her to autograph a copy of the magazine, too! 🎃

 

Announcing the first of many Fantastic Artists ...

 ... to be featured in the Fall 2026 edition of Autumn Brilliance.

    We welcome Jeanette Leary of SugarBright Studios!

     Working with spun cotton, Jeanette weaves a world filled with funny and fabulous monsters, creatures, celebrities and more from her nimble hands and rich imagination, all imbued with a wonderful sense of humor.

    You can see more of Jeanette's work in our upcoming issue, available in September. 

- - -As always, it's easy to order a copy of your own by simply clicking the photo of the magazine cover here on the left. 

***Please note, it is not yet available - not until September 2026 - so please check back for updates***

 

 

 

Let's talk about...

 ... HALLOWEEN!

Of course, what else would we discuss here. 

I recently had the delight and honor of being interviewed by the awesome By Pumpkin's Light podcast crew: Miranda, from the fabulous Spooky Little Halloween magazine, and Mike from All Hallows Geek.   

I mean, seriously - any time I get to talk about Halloween art, artists and just plain Halloween as a inspirational time of year, is good! I'm happy to yammer on and on about it because like you will agree, it's our happy place, isn't it. (And be forewarned, I do yammer away in the interview!)

Give a listen when you have a moment, and while you're at it, be sure to check out all of their podcasts. You'll find so much incredible stuff there, from an incredible array of artists, decorators, designers, writers and more - all of whom keep the spirit of Halloween close at heart. ❤️

You can find this fabulous podcast on a variety of carriers, including Spotify, Apple Podcast, iHeart Radio, and Instagram - or by the direct link I've put here below.

https://www.bypumpkinslight.com/episode-86-ellen-gee-autumn-brilliance-magazine/

 

 

Worth more than you realize ---

 I just wanted to share this post from our Facebook page. It struck a nerve in me, and I'm sure that you, as an artist who creates handmade art (or a fan/collector of handmade art) will agree with it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Presenting our Spotlight Artist for the Fall 2026 issue! - - -

   I’ll just come right out and say what we’re all thinking: we live for Halloween. I know that we all miss it terribly right now. It seems so far away, doesn’t it? Do not despair, for we have much to rejoice at this current time …. It is HALFWAY TO HALLOWEEN! 

 

And with that said, we hope to further allay the pains of missing our favorite season and holiday by bringing you this delectable bit of news.

 

    As I’ve said before, the one particular aspect of creating Autumn Brilliance magazine that is by far the most exalting is choosing the Spotlight Artist for each issue. This year’s choice is absolutely cause for the genuine joy we’re feeling at the moment! This artist surely deserves a place atop the Mount Olympus of artisans and creators, and we know you will agree with this lofty but heartfelt sentiment.

 

With that said, we are euphoric to present our Fall 2026 Spotlight Artist, Tom Kuebler.

 

(   (Our Fall 2026 issue will be released in September, 2026)

    Tom’s known as the “Sculptor of the Bizarre,” a label most certainly well-earned. When you look at the body of his incredible work, with its hyper-realistic, full-sized sculpts of characters both real and fanciful, you can’t help but get shivers down your spine and a stirring in your heart. Tom sets the standard both for his technique and imagination. You will find a diverse crowd, from all walks of humanity: circus freaks, monsters of every kind, desiccated body parts, literary greats, giants, little people, spooks and creeps and everything else in between, many of which were created with his trademark dark humor and pathos. Guillermo del Toro is a fan, and has some of Tom's creations in his own personal home collection.

      

    It is truly an honor to present Tom Kuebler in the Fall 2026 issue of Autumn Brilliance, available this September both online at our website, and in person at the Bewitching Peddlers of Halloween show in Marshall, Michigan. On September 26^th, 2026.

***Tom will be at the show, so please stop by his booth to say hello  – you could even get your copy of the magazine autographed by him!

 

 https://www.thomaskuebler.com/

 

 http://www.bewitchingpeddlersofhalloween.com/

 

 (Cover photo by Tom Kuebler, entitled "Innocence Damned." A life-sized little vampire boy in his velvet-lined coffin, clutching his antique monkey doll... the perfectly creepy-cute subject for this issue!)

 

 

 

 

The things we have seen ...

 We're back from our fantastic weekend road trip to Columbus, Ohio. What fun we had!

    The Oddities & Curiosities event was incredible, everything we hoped it would be - and HUGE! If you are planning to go, take my advice: you need to wear some comfie walking shoes and get ready to do some serious rubber-necking of the innumeral artists (not sure how many were at the Columbus show, but I would venture to guess it was over 100). Every type of art you could imagine was on display and for sale, from paintings to weird taxidermy to sculptural and beyond. It's one big ginormous WOWZA. Got to meet a lot of new artists during the day we spent walking about the exhibit floor. It was a true spooky treat for the eyeballs and Halloween/horror soul.

    Met up with several friends, including none other than the "Sculptor of the Bizarre" himself, Tom Kuebler and his wife Kara, who are also mainstays at the Bewitching Peddlers of Halloween show. You must surely know Tom's work - you've seen it before. A friend of Guillermo del Toro, Tom's insanely hyper-realistic and often super-eerie sculptures have been featured in del Toro's traveling art exhibits. If you are familiar with del Toro's personal home collection, which he calls "Bleak House," you're aware that there are many life-sized pieces residing within. I'm ecstatic to have procured an original piece of Tom's art at the show, which is called a "Hand of Glory." Yes, it is every bit as creepy as it sounds, and will be put in a place of honor among my extensive, never-ending Halloween collectibles. 

Left to right: Kara Kuebler, John Davis, Mark Greenbaum, me, Tom Kuebler. Photo by Amy Sharp Schneider    

All this talk of Halloween collectibles leads me to my original intention here, that of telling you that our big Spotlight Artist reveal is just a few days away: Wednesday, April 22, 2026.    

    I'll tease you by saying this person of esteem is not merely an artist, but a genuine icon of the art industry, worthy of being placed upon the Mount Olympus of artistry, and damn..... we're simply honored to be able to present them and their work in our Fall 2026 issue of Autumn Brilliance (available September 2026).

Keep watching here on Wednesday for our big reveal!

 

  

 

 

 

  

Where are we traveling to this year? - - -

Greetings, all Halloween friends and fans!

    You might think it's too early in the season to be planning for Halloween - to that, we say, "ha!" That could not be further from the truth! We honestly never stop planning for it, as do the artists and creators do as well. In fact, this time of year - late winter/early spring - is prime production time for planning your body of work. Hand-made art is precious, and takes a lot of time, love, and plenty of blood, sweat and tears!

    In addition to our yearly journey to the dazzling Bewitching Peddlers of Halloween show (held in Marshall, Michigan in late September) where we have a booth, we will be attending the Oddities & Curiosities show in Columbus, Ohio next month on April 18-19 to check out the bizarre and delightful offerings they have in store. (Please note we are attending this, we do not have a booth there this year)

We'll be visiting this show on April 18-19th in Columbus, OH

    

Come see us at our booth at this awesome show on September 26th in Marshall, Michigan

    

Along the way, we like to not only scope out fantastic new art to feature in an upcoming issue, but also being the dedicated foodies that we are, any unsung Mom & Pop diners, restaurants and pubs are high on the list, too. Add to this an undying love of old architecture and crumbly old towns, fall foliage, lakes and rivers and anything spooky-kooky, yes please, we will be there. 

    One thing that has become a truly great bit of fun for us to do is drive around new neighborhoods in different states across the country, and see all the Halloween decorations that folks have fancied up their homes with. That is WONDERFUL to see! We've taken notes about the best of the best in each neighborhood we visit, and send them a free copy of Autumn Brilliance, with a personal note thanking them for taking the time and energy to celebrate Halloween. Last year, residents in Monroe, Michigan, and St. Joseph, Missouri, received surprise copies of the magazine in the mail. This year, it could be you! 

    We dearly love our annual "Autumn Road Trips" and enjoy meeting new people and seeing all manner of cool new things. This year, we may be including a late October road trip up to New England - and on that roster would be a visit to both Salem and Sleepy Hollow, of course. We were last there for Halloween, 2016, and have been aching to return again. This trip is not yet set in granite - we will keep you posted. 

    Here is our questions to you: What sort of road trips do you like to partake in? What kinds of unusual, off-the-beaten path sites and sights would you recommend in your town? 

Love to hear from you about this! Click our email link on the left and drop us a line.  

 

Our Etsy shop is back open again! - - -

   Today is gorgeous... more like spring than winter. We're getting a much-needed break from the snow and ice, which have all finally melted. Our temps today will reach a high of 73 degrees. Yes, please!

And our Etsy shop is open again, too.

   We've been on Etsy for five years now, with a perfect 5-star rating for quality, content, and top-notch customer service. 

We're proud to be a part of the Halloween arts community!

 

<----- To order yours, simply follow the links on the left - you can click any of the magazine covers to order your own copy of that issue 

 

What are you working on? - - -

Sunday greetings to everyone!
 

After a long, icy, freezing few weeks, things are finally beginning to warm up a bit. The winter wonderland is finally defrosting! 

 

Soon - no more frost on the pumpkin!

Going from zero degrees to 60 is such an incredible change, wooo! Almost feels like a heatwave, lol.
 

--- For the most part, we tend to hibernate here during the winter; reorganize, reflect. With things starting to heat up, production on the Fall 2026, Issue #7 of Autumn Brilliance magazine is in full swing.
 

--- Halloween is never far from our minds, our hearts and our soul!
 

--- Our Etsy store will be reopening this week.
We still have a few Fall 2021, our "Hag-A-Palooza" supersized issue with Dolly Parton available - forgive us for having to suddenly close the shop but again, the icy conditions prevented us from traveling (plus, our little local post office was closed).
 

>>> ARTISTS!!! - what are you working on right now? Do you have a theme for this year's autumn season? Tell us what it is!

Email us at:  ab_magazine@yahoo.com 

Facebook:   

 

Happy 80th Birthday to Dolly! - - -

 We love you, Dolly!!!

     She's a dynamo that never stops going! We have long admired Dolly for the multitude of things she has done over the course of her lifetime. In addition to the many lasting chapters of music she's created in her sixty-plus year career, Dolly is a lifelong humanitarian, heading a variety of social causes, including the founding of her Imagination Library club for children, which bestows free books to help boost literacy by creating a love of reading for kids in the USA and around the world.  

(According to the www.imaginationlibrary.com/ website, as of today, she has given a total of 304,538,420 books to children!)

     Dolly has always expressed her love of the autumn season and Halloween, it being her favorite time of the year. Growing up in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee has left her with a treasure trove of memories and experiences, many of which were fashioned into her songs. One song that truly sticks out as special pertains to an extraordinary, eccentric old woman she knew of in her tiny mountain town; that of a seer, a healing woman... or, as she was known in the area, "an old witchy woman." 

     It's called "These Old Bones" and is featured in this issue, along with a link to a very special video that Dolly did just for Autumn Brilliance. 

(See the video below!)

     * Dolly is proudly featured in the special Fall 2021 issue of the magazine. It's been a very popular issue, selling out several times over the past few years. We still have copies available, but in a very limited quantity. Today, in honor of her 80th birthday, we are offering this fabulous issue at a reduced price! *  

---> CLICK ON THE LINK TO THE LEFT where you see the Fall 2021 issue cover, to take you to our Etsy store for your very own copy! - while supplies last -  

 

https://youtu.be/-qdvD17OZlM?si=YxWbj_S6cVJ_lLdr 

 

 

 

Happy New Year to all! - - -

 Welcoming in 2026!

Greetings, everyone! Grab a cuppa your favorite brew, settle into a comfie chair, and peruse what lies before you here on the website. It's a bit long but, hopefully, worth the read. Got lots to tell you about!

    Hooo-yeah! We are looking forward to creating lots of monstrously delightful things for this year's issue, which will be our sixth year of publishing Autumn Brilliance! 

(In numerology, the number 6 generally symbolizes harmony, balance, responsibility and nurturing... excellent elements to put to use in the magazine)

     An eclectic assortment of ingredients will make for a spectacular issue, come this Fall 2026 - we're adding a few more edgy elements to the mix so you know it's going to be incredible. As you know, the magazine tends to stick to mostly a traditional Halloween vibe... so be prepared, we plan on shaking things up a bit (in a really good way of course). Adding a couple more spicy peppers to the stew will only enhance things, make it all the more delicious to the palate, so get ready to chomp into something exotic and tasty.

But first, we want to know, how was your year? Did you step outside of your box and explore? And, if so, what did you discover along the way? You can always write to us here - scroll down on the left side of this page, where you'll find our email link - we love hearing from you!

    Each year during the autumn, the Hubby and I do a little traveling, and now that both of us are retired, in 2025, we did a lot of traveling - as you can guess, mostly Halloween-related stuff, not only because we simply love doing that, but because it gives us so much for magazine content. Plus, we get to meet so many fun new people and fabulously talented artists all along the way. 

    Thrilled to have attended the awesome Mask Fest/Horror Hound weekend event in Cincinnati (if you've not seen it yet, what are you waiting for!? Go!). 

    If you love monsters, masks, scream queens, horror, Halloween, celebrities and everything in between, this convention is for you. It's nothing less than astonishing. We hurt our necks swiveling back and forth, left and right, trying to absorb all the fabulous artistry that was on display from one booth to the next, such as Brian Blair, the prodigiously-talented creator behind Pumpkin Pulp - just, wow! Crazy talented stuff is to be found there. 

    How wonderful to have had the opportunity to meet a ton of artists, especially some who we have admired for years - the mastermind of Halloween haunt prop art, none other than Ed Edmunds, the creator of Distortions Unlimited. Distortions is one of the biggest and most (in)famous prop & special effects houses of the land.

                        Meeting the incredible Ed Edmunds (and about to explode with excitement, can you tell!?)  - Distortions Unlimited - Mask Fest, 2025

    And, just across the aisle from Ed and Co. was another giant legend of Halloween design and masks, Jordu Schell! Jordu's world-renown work has been seen on so many movies, it's nearly impossible to list them all (Hell Boy, Men in Black, War of the Worlds, Planet of the Apes, Avatar, Scary Movie 3, Dawn of the Dead... his list of accomplishments is insane!) Jordu was wonderful to meet, and I bought a signed copy of his amazing book, "Beauties and Beasts," a joint venture with pin-up artist Olivia De Berardinis. 

           Me, finally getting to meet Jordu Schell, master creature designer & sculptor  -   Mask Fest, 2025

    We even saw our fellow Bewitching Peddlers friend, the artist, "Sculptor of the Bizarre" Tom Kuebler. He and his lovely wife Kara brought some gorgeously sick full-sized creations to their booth, including the uber-creepy, six-foot-plus sized "Blood Baron." Standing in front (underneath, actually) of this creation, looking up into its eyes... you feel your heart pounding with a bit of fear as you expect the Baron to open wide his fanged jaws and take a bite out of you. The incredible realism of Tom's work is just astounding and unnerving in the most delightful way. How does he do it!

Left: The Blood Baron!   

 Right: Me and Tom Kuebler with his Creeper Peeper Clown sculpture. Both are incredibly creepy (and I loved it) Mask Fest, 2025

    Next, we traveled north for the always-magical Bewitching Peddlers of Halloween show in Michigan, a show and a road trip we look forward to all year long and miss it terribly after it's over. It's like attending the best Halloween party ever, with all your most beloved friends and family there for the festivities. 

    During our time there, we also were a part of the special BPoH art exhibit at the marvelous Eastend Art Gallery in Marshall, Michigan. Most of you know that before I began doing this magazine, I was a sculptural artist and painter. For the time being, the majority of my art days are on a temporary back burner as I work on the mag, but I did manage to create something to be featured in the show's exhibit. 

     And an absolutely huge surprise occurred that about knocked us off our feet: Jennie Hepler-Takens, the creator of BPoH, bestowed specialized trophy awards to a few of the show's participants in recognition of their overall promotions of helping to preserve Halloween art. One award went to newcomer, "Mimi's Ole Nickel" creator, Maren Owens (Maren's incredible art was featured in the Fall 2024 issue of Autumn Brilliance). 

    The other trophy was awarded... to us. To Autumn Brilliance magazine. To say we were absolutely floored, gobsmacked and stunned is an understatement! Barely recall walking up to Jennie to receive this incredible honor (and, yes, tears of happiness flowed abundantly!). 

    For this honor, we thank Jennie profusely, from the very bottoms of our hearts. We will continue to do our very best to remain worthy of our award!

Left: Maren Owens and me, with our surprise trophy awards! 

At Eastend Gallery, 2025

Right: The creator of Bewitching Peddlers of Halloween, and a most wonderfully talented maker of magic, Jennie Hepler Takens. 

I admire this woman so very much! 

At the 2025 Bewitching Peddlers of Halloween show                       

    Barely a week later, we traveled west to the Land of Enchantment: New Mexico, where we stayed in a cabin high up (nearly 8000 feet in altitude) in the beautiful Sandia Mountains. Venturing down into the great city of Albuquerque, our next stop was the magnificent Rio Grande Arts Festival (our first time attending this amazing show - we highly recommend you see it for yourselves) where we got to personally meet a brilliant artist who was featured in the Fall 2021 issue of Autumn Brilliance: Lisa J. Ammerman, aka "A Piece of Lisa." Lisa has a knack for conjuring up the most stylized, sweet, sensational witches, Day of the Dead figures, and whatnot. I had been a fan of hers for years, so it was quite enjoyable finally getting to meet her and give her a big hug. (And yes, of course, I bought up a ton of her art!)

       Just a bit of art from Lisa Ammerman's vivid imagination! I love her work (and bought up a bunch of stuff) - Rio Grande Arts Festival, 2025

    Another segment of our New Mexico autumn road trip included a drive to the wonderfully eccentric artist's enclave in the desert midway between ABQ and Santa Fe, called Madrid. This Old West town's reputation lives up to the hype: it's funky, fun, rustic, odd, delightfully decrepit in just the right places, and just plain amazing. Yes, believe it or not, we happened upon a fabulous Halloween-style store called "Always Oktober" that had much cool original art there as well. Didn't have to twist my arm to go check it out!

    While in Santa Fe (another beautiful town that supports artists) we took a sojourn to a place we'd heard so much about, and highly anticipated seeing in person: 

Meow Wolf. 

    Seriously, folks... go there. Just find a way to get there, and experience this other-worldly live interactive art exhibit for yourself. There is nothing like it. It's like taking a trip on LSD, only, without actually taking LSD. Walk in through the door and you find yourself in another dimension. The Santa Fe version (which is the original - there are Meow Wolf exhibits in Texas, Nevada, New York and soon, Los Angeles), dubbed "The House of Eternal Return" is nothing short of jaw-dropping surreal intensity. Colors, sounds, touches, feelings, thoughts, emotions, on a supersonic cosmic level. This needs to be put on the top of your Bucket List - just go there - you will not regret it. I can almost feel the ghosts of Timothy Leary and Terrance McKenna smiling, nodding their heads in glee about this place.

---> Click this link for more info and photos of Meow Wolf.

https://meowwolf.com/visit/santa-fe  

    One final stop on our wild west jaunt included a visit to Tinker Town, a museum nestled in the pine trees, high up on the crest of the Sandia Mountains, and is a delight of the highest caliber! It began as a project back in 1962 by local artist, Ross Ward, and over the span of some 40-plus years grew into the stupendous creation it is today. 

---> Click the link below to learn about this extraordinary place. And, please, be sure to include this on your Bucket List as well!

 https://tinkertown.com/about/

    So as we plan 2026's fall road trip, we're simultaneously ramping up magazine production at the start of a brand new year, reflecting on all the wonderful things we were gifted over the course of 2025. Things that have made us rich in our hearts and souls are the friends, new and old. The travels, near and far. And all the wondrous possibilities that lie ahead, ready to be snatched up and shared with everybody. That, truly, is the best part. 

Thank you for being a part of this!

    Me and Mark, Eastend Gallery exhibition. 

   Marshall, Michigan - Sept 2025

*** What do you have planned for this year? What do you want to manifest in 2026? ***