Creating Halloween Memories: Johanna Parker
Ben Ashby
Few people can say they are as devoted to Halloween as Johanna Parker, of course it isn’t as difficult to fall in love with the holiday when it is also your birthday. Johanna Parker, the namesake of Johanna Parker Design has spent her life loving Halloween and collecting anything that represented the holiday for her. Now a folk artist, Johanna creates inspired and inspiring creations of papier mache reflecting all of the memories and joy that the season brings to her life.
How did you get started with Folk Art? How did you start creating folk art as a business? My mother lead the way along my path to creating folk art. In my early years, she was a weaver and textile artist, and I followed her to various art show exhibitions. Clearly, I was interested in art as well, and at the age of 12 she invited me to make my own goods and sell them at fairs by her side. I stitched pillows and samplers, painted blocks and gnarled branches and illustrated on paper bags just to name a few. These creative explorations helped me find my niche, and through the years I realized how much I enjoyed crafting and sharing my creations with others.
I started Johanna Parker Design at the tail end of a 6+ year career in TV news graphics. The high pace of news art direction left little time to nurture my creative side and whimsical imagination. So, on a whim, I decided it was time to fly and follow my passion for folk art as a new career. I began sculpting vintage-style Halloween characters, photographed my pieces and started submitting my work to show promoters and magazines.
Have you always been a designer and creator? Yes. Mom tells me that I was drawing people with five fingers at the age of 3. Fortunately, she nurtured my talents, and I was always creating art. I was that girl in elementary school that was constantly nominated by her classmates to paint the posters and visual aids for the team. And, somewhere, I have a dusty box of blue ribbons from childhood art contests from my school days.
How did you get started creating? I believe that my mother being an artist intrigued me as a child, and of course I too wanted to play along and be included. She supplied me with crayons, colored chalk, markers and paint, and family friends were always dropping off old dot matrix printer paper and other materials for me to draw on. I thoroughly enjoyed the artistic process, and the adults around me saw my potential and cultivated it.
Did you always want to create your own products as a business, or did it start as a passion on the side? I think the idea of creating my own products was always in the back of my mind, but when I graduated from the Art Institute of Colorado, I wanted to explore graphic design. I had visions of being a package designer, but soon jumped at the opportunity to design for TV news. However, I realized that design for TV was not tactile, and I missed working with my hands. To fill the void,I continued to make folk art for the holidays on the side.
How did you get started with papier mâché?
I must have been a teen when mom brought home a bag of papier mache mix for me to experiment with. Together, we tried our hand at this medium, and it truly resonated with me. Even though my first attempts were extremely crude, I continued to work with it when time allowed and slowly refined my skills at sculpting.
What was your inspiration in creating the brand?
Years ago in art school, I was assigned the challenge to design a logo and letterhead for my own resume as a designer. I decided that “Johanna Parker Design” had a ring and would one day become a recognizable brand that could encompass many different things. A stylized pumpkin with stars, which has now evolved into a jolly jack-o’-lantern, is my logo because I was born on Halloween. Later, I would find that my business would morph into an all-year celebration of Halloween via the collectible holiday folk art characters I create.
How do you find inspiration for your designs, how do you create them?
I am inspired by swirling patterns, vintage hues, nature and the flowing lines and bold shapes of the Art Deco era. My one of a kind folk art characters are each hand sculpted in a multilayered process. My husband and business partner, JP d’Andrimont, fine tunes each piece with carving tools and abrasives. And lastly, I paint each piece with individuality, often adorning each with trims and illustrated hats.
Do you have a favorite?
They are all special to me and bitter sweet to let go of. The time that is poured into each piece shows my dedication to my craft, and honestly it’s difficult to choose a favorite.
Any new upcoming fall projects?
Well, I am currently creating my annual Halloween collection of originals which I will unveil at Denver’s Halloween Trunk Show & at Michigan’s Ghoultide Gathering. Collectors interested in seeing what’s new will just have to “haunt” me down.
When did you first fall in love with Halloween designs?
As a child, Halloween was extra special since it was the day I was born on. Mom would festoon the house in Halloween ephemera which always signaled my delight. When I was old enough to appreciate them, I started gravitating toward vintage Halloween novelties as mom and I loved to haunt the antique stores.
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