Art Notes

Halloween is a holiday specifically centered on mischief, a night given over to nonsense and boisterous mayhem. After all, the classic salutation given in the gloam of the evening is “trick or treat!” so there should be no mistaking the nature of the night. Moreover, if you happen to be a bear, the chaos of the evening stretches well beyond this last day in October.

Their curiosity and penchant for trouble are well known and something I have smilingly documented in other paintings. My latest effort in this regard is Halloween Mischief. A hoedown is about to start, and partygoers young and old are filing into a country barn. Dancing, an apple bob, and a costume contest are all part of the holiday agenda. But outside the festival’s selected venue, a different type of commotion is breaking out. A large bear, definitely a “papa”, has managed to turn a jack-o-lantern into a mask worthy of Sleepy Hollow’s headless horseman. Bear cubs scramble to try and imitate what they believe to be “good bear behavior”, poking their own heads into carved pumpkins. Two raccoons observe the craziness, grateful that for once they won’t be blamed for the chaos. I hope you enjoy my latest effort to capture the silly fun of a Halloween night.

And, as always, thank you for sharing my most scary adventure in art!