As promised, here is the much anticipated Part II of my most recent interview with artist Jennifer Gordon. This portion of the interview sees Jennifer discussing Halloween and all things gothic! And what would an interview with Jennifer Gordon be without examples of her gorgeous art?
So, come along and look at the pretty pictures while Jennifer gets you into the Halloween spirit.
SSD: What, if any are some of your Halloween traditions? Do you decorate for Halloween, have any Halloween/late October rituals, etc?
JG: I need to preface this with saying right off the bat, I love Halloween, LOVE it. It’s my favorite, even better than Christmas, I wish Halloween gifts were something that was done, because then it would be perfect.
That being said, Halloween traditions start for me usually at the beginning of September, I used to try and stave it off until the beginning of October, but have given up even trying.
I start with allowing only Gothic/Horror books and movies to be watched. The second there is even a breath of Autumn in the air, I start itching for it.
That being said, since I start so early, there does tend to be a lot of terrible movies watched, and terrible books read, but intermingled with that, there is usually some breathtaking moments of fright.
My husband and I used to decorate the front yard with a faux graveyard scene, complete with spooky ravens. That is until a real family of ravens moved into our backyard, and we got a dog who is petrified of ravens. We tried to set the scene in the front yard but all it got us were a family of angry ravens and a small barking petrified dog. So needless to say those have been retired. We still decorate a bit with pumpkins, some spooky black leaf garlands (inside) and the occasional bloody handprint on the wall. In fact our dining room table is still stained with “blood” after a couple years ago we decided to have a blood spattered tablecloth. We really underestimated the soaking and staining factor of fake blood.
It will forever look like we slaughtered something on our table now.
(Why Did You Stay)
SSD: What are your theories about where this All Hallow’s/Gothic love originated?
JG: I have been thinking about this question and thinking about it all day and trying to pin point exactly what it is that originated my love for this, and I have to say I really think it goes back to my childhood (of course). You see, I have an aunt who suffers from severe schizophrenia, and she would come to stay with us for 6 weeks during the summer months, and I remember being little and having the disease explained to me and I think I may have grasped it on a very basic level…I do remember that one time she told me that she was not sick at all, they were not hallucinations that they were ghosts. Another time my mother also made a comment about “what if she’s not sick, she only sees people who have died?”.
So, I think I always had that ‘what if’ in my head every time I could hear her mumbling in another room or walking in when she was talking to “nothing”.
I think too that being an only child like I was, that there left an awful lot of time to day dream and imagine and let my mind wander to all sorts of places without having a sibling there to sort of enforce a reality on me.
(You Were The Strangest Sort of Friend)
SSD: What do you generally do to celebrate the holiday? Are there any parties, parades, etc. in your area that you attend, do you go out and celebrate or stay in and do candy for the neighborhood kids, or both?
JG: We’ve done the party thing in the past, both giving them and going to them, but our schedule the past couple years has not really been very open, sadly. We are lucky that our town has a Halloween celebration so when all else fails we can at the very least dress up and walk around downtown, get a drink, and if we are lucky take a horse and buggy ride. I also make sure to dress up for the giving of candy too, though our house usually only sees on average 2-3 trick or treaters per year.
[SSD: One of my great disappointments is that the tide seems to have turned away from kids going door to door. We get so few every year and I find it really sad because that tradition was such a big deal when I was a child.]
SSD: Share a memory or two, if you would, about a favorite Halloween memory as a child and also as an adult.
JG: Most every childhood Halloween memory involves one of my childhood bff’s, Missy. We were partners in crime and all trick or treat shenanigans from the age of 4 until we stopped. A dear memory is one of our early Halloweens, she was very sick and came to my house to sleep on our couch, luckily that year I happened to be dressing up as a nurse and was able to tend to her:
As far as adult memories, they are all basically costume based, I did have a fabulous “Dead Prom Queen” costume from my early 20’s, complete with tiara, sash, and big bloody knife jutting out of my chest. I have worn some pretty wonderful flapper costumes, and I am working on getting together an Edwardian Era costume which could double as a Rose, from Titanic dress, or with the right accessories would make a fine Steampunk inspired piece.
I have had some other fun Halloween adventures which also include (when I was working as an assistant to a psychic entertainer) getting to spend Halloween night in a haunted mansion in Newport, Rhode Island, and on another Halloween I got to tag along with a team of ghost hunters.
SSD: As this challenge was birthed partially by my love for the gothic, what, if any, classic works of gothic/horror fiction are your favorites and why? What about more contemporary works?
JG: My favorite of all times would have to be The Haunting of Hill House, by Shirley Jackson. This book has spoiled me for almost all Halloween themed reading. You really do not get much better than that. I also love We Have Always Lived In the Castle (Jackson as well), and Rebecca [by Daphne du Maurier].
Contemporary books that fit the “gothic” theme would have to be The Lady in Black (which I read this year for RIP but have not posted my review yet) written by Susan Hill. This book could very well have been a Victorian Ghost novel, it is very subtle, very atmospheric. The language is very much of the time period.
I also really liked the Gemma Doyle trilogy. These are YA novels and combine a wonderful Gothic Feel of a Victorian Era girls school with fantasy. The best one of the trilogy is the first book A Great and Terrible Beauty.
The book The Lake of Dead Languages by Carol Goodman fits in with this theme too.
As far as “Horror” I think the two scariest books I have read in the past 10 years have been Ghost Story by Peter Straub and The Keeper by Sarah Langan.
SSD: What is your take on scary movies? Do you like the old stuff, the new, both? What are some classic and/or contemporary gothic/scary/horror films that you particularly enjoy?
JG: I love to sink in to a good scary movie, but I am not a fan of gore. So that being said I have never watched (nor will I ever) anything that has “Saw” in the title.
I do like older horror movies like Carnival of Souls, and The Haunting, and then of course there are the late 60’s and 70’s classics The Exorcist, The Omen, Rosemary’s Baby, and of course the original Halloween.
My favorite contemporary horror films are The Others, The Orphanage (thanks to you Carl for suggesting it), The Exorcism of Emily Rose and though this goes against my dislike of gore, I have to say The Descent is the scariest movie I have even seen. I was literally crawling out of my skin during that movie, it is a must see, it even scared my husband.
SSD: Do you have any works that are inspired by gothic literature, film, or just the gothic mood and feeling?
JG: The Ghosts of Manderly pieces were inspired by these themes, I was thinking of the grand parties they would talk about having at Manderly, in my mind these are some of the guests.
[SSD: I am thrilled to own an original work of Ghosts of Manderly III. It is even more lovely in person]
(All Women Have Secrets)
All Women Have Secrets, though it does not look gothic, was actually based on A Great and Terrible Beauty.
(Mina’s Locket)
Mina’s Locket, was inspired by Dracula.
(She Did Not Scare Easily)
She Did Not Scare Easily was based on the mood of the season as well as my love for the whole “Repressed Victorian Madness” thing.
(Antoinette’s Secret Twin)
Antoinette’s Secret Twin, is the piece I found myself making while deep in my obsession over [Audrey Niffenegger’s] Her Fearful Symmetry, though twins are a constant source of inspiration as you can see from:
and
(Doppleganger)
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I don’t know about the rest of you, but after Part I, I was itching to see what Jennifer Gordon had to share in Part II, particularly since I already knew what the questions were! Not surprisingly, Jennifer delivered the goods and, if possible, I am even more immersed in the gothic spirit than I was prior to writing this post.
This would be a great time to remind you dear readers of Jennifer Gordon’s current R.I.P. IV Specials:
Prints are all buy one, get one free!!!
–Do not put free print(s) in shopping cart, just write the titles of the free pieces in the ‘Note to Seller’ section during checkout.15% off everything else in my shop
–Just put the discount code RIP2009 in the ‘Note to Seller’ section during checkout and wait to pay until I send you a revised invoice.Also, EVERY PURCHASE receives this exclusive 5×7 R.I.P. Print:
Visit Jennifer Gordon’s Etsy Store to take advantage of these great deals!
AND REMEMBER:
If you purchase(d) any item from Jennifer Gordon between October 1st and October 25th, your name will be entered into a very special drawing for a fabulous prize pack. BUT, you have to send an email to me at poegeek (at) gmail (dot) com to let me know what you purchased. This isn’t so that I can check up on you, it is so I will know to put your name in the drawing. Also, please remember to put the special R.I.P. code into the ‘Note to Seller’ section if you buy something so that you can get the free print.
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All of Jennifer Gordon’s talk of gothic things and All Hallow’s Eve certainly stirred up responses in me that I cannot wait to share in the comments section. How about you? Are there any of these questions that you’d like to answer, or did Jennifer’s responses inspire you to share? If so, please leave a comment in the comments section. I will randomly draw from those comments left before 11:59 p.m. CST Friday, October 16th and will reward the winner MY free print.
What does that mean?
Well, it means that I plan on availing myself of the Buy One, Get One Free prints. If you are the one chosen, you can pick the Free Print and I will send it to you, along with a couple of other little Jennifer Gordon goodies!
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Finally, the most recent drawing was to give away one of Lisa Snellings’ Jacko Poppets:
The winner, chosen by the Random Number Generator, is:
Don’t forget that there is another giveaway chance for Poppets from Lisa Snellings. Check out the post for details.
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Thank you so much Jennifer for another fun interview. I so appreciate your enthusiastic participation.
I look forward to reading everyone’s comments!
Where to begin?
I am so jealous of you having ravens living in the back yard! I’m not entirely certain I’ve ever seen a raven in person besides the zoo. I’ve seen many a crow and love it during certain times of years when crows and blackbirds fill the yard. They are so monstrously large and beautiful. I do love when ravens show up in old movies: You Can’t Take it With You, Fall of the House of Usher, The Raven.
Such a fascinating story about your aunt…the idea of it not being madness but being something else reminds me of so many of the stories/characters I love of Neil Gaiman’s.
I have to share here that I included the two images with the dolls because dolls like this, and ventriloquist dummies, freak me out. In a fun way, but in a creepy way as well. I mean, I love me some Charley McCarthy…but I wouldn’t want to run into him in the dark unless he had Edgar Bergan’s hand up his ass. Comprende?
When I lived in Tulsa, OK one of the doctor’s at our mental health center would have these HUGE Halloween parties, with pumpkin carving, dressing up, food, scary movies in the basement theater, World Series on upstairs. It was so fun. That is what inspired me to host pumpkin carving parties for my wife’s work friends and others every Halloween. I like to think I’ve carried that spirit with me since we moved to Kansas City.
Isn’t Carnival of Souls great? I love that movie. I remember seeing The Omen with my youth pastor when I was a teenager. That was one creepy film. Haven’t had the heart to see the remake. I also love all the ‘bad’ old Hammer horror films and Vincent Price films. And movies like Young Frankenstein always make me smile.
The Others is one of the greatest gothic films ever made, in my opinion, and that isn’t just because of my deep and abiding affection for Nicole Kidman. I am so glad you liked The Orphanage. Such a great eerie film. I am planning on rewatching both of these VERY SOON.
I hadn’t noticed the twin theme until you pointed it out. I cannot wait to read your thoughts on Her Fearful Symmetry.
I’m a little intimidated by your own long comment before mine…sadly, I cannot make a coherent comment that long! I’m just here to gush. Gush as in “oh my goodness why didn’t I ever see this artist before this challenge I need to convince my husband to go over to that website and buy me a couple christmas presents early” – that sort of thing. 😀 All Women Have Secrets and She Did Not Scare Easily are just gorgeous.
I need to reread The Haunting of Hill House. I read it a decade ago after watching that year’s version of The Haunting, and didn’t really like the book. (or the movie, for that matter) I wasn’t a big reader then, though, and I didn’t realize the book was so old. I thought it was modern, so it wasn’t at all what I expected. I have a feeling I’ll like it better this time.
Amanda: No reason to be intimidated…it just saves poor Jennifer from me sending a long email to her! Ha! I haven’t read Haunting of Hill House either, but I do think We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a very good book.
Jennifer Gordon is so talented! I’ve said that before but it bears repeating.
It’s intriguing to me that she loves Halloween so much. I have found that many artists share something: a birthday in October, with several falling right on Halloween. Now perhaps this is just a coincidence, but maybe there’s more to it than meets the eye. I wonder when Ms. Gordon’s birthday is. . . .
Susan: Not sure. I do love coincidences though. Many of my favorite authors, actors/actresses, etc. have birthdays in November, like myself, and I’m always thrilled by that connection, regardless of just how silly it might be of me to be thrilled.
Such wonderful answers evocative of the season and of Hallowe’en; I can imagine the front-yard with ravens and the blood-stained table, which is very creepy. I wish that the UK made more of a deal of Hallowe’en but it’s really not much of a holiday here.
I am currently reading Her Fearful Symmetry so the twin prints are deliciously unnerving. I reviewed We Have Always Lived in the Castle last week and intend on reading The Haunting of Hill House on the day of Hallowe’en itself.
Claire: I need to get over there to read your review of Castle! I could swear I’ve said this in a comment before, but I find it odd that the UK doesn’t celebrate Halloween like they do in the U.S., particularly since some of the supposed origins of the holiday are found in rituals of the people of that island. And the twin prints are unnerving when you think of them and Her Fearful Symmetry.
Hi all, first, thank you so much Carl for posting the feature, these questions were a joy to answer.
As for the ravens in my front yard, they are very intimidating and I had never seen one so close before until one landed on my porch- they are massive. My little dog went crazy trying to get through the window to it- the raven on the other hand had no fear.
it was chilling.
I do strongly suggest that everyone read The Haunting of Hill House, it is in my top 5 books of all time and there are moments in it that I can barely think about when it is dark, very terrifying.
Jennifer: You’re more than welcome! 😉 I can imagine that they are intimidating, and yet after watching You Can’t Take it With You a million times, I cannot help but desire a trained one! I have no doubt our dog would go nuts if he saw a raven, and the raven could probably pick him up and carry him off!
Now I’m even more tempted to read The Haunting of Hill House.
oh and Susan, my birthday is in late August, I wish I had an October birthday.
What beautiful pieces these are. I love art that incorporates handwriting into it – I guess because I’m such a verbal person, I love seeing words inside of art.
I’m glad to see Shirley Jackson getting so much love, here and all over the blogosphere as a result of the RIP challenge. I’ve only read her books in this past year but am totally loving them. 🙂
Jenny: I love the handwriting part as well. I love the sense of history and the texture it gives each piece. Shirley Jackson definitely gets a lot of blog love this time of year. I hadn’t thought about it until you pointed it out, but it is very cool!
OH!! I am SO happy to see Jennifer mention _Lake of Dead Languages_ – I adore Carol Goodman and think all of her work fits the autumn spirit so well, but _Lake of Dead Languages_ is especially fitting!
I too am a huge Shirly Jackson fan, and like Jenny above (goodness, there are a lot of Jenns/Jennifers/Jennys!) am so glad this challenge is spreading the Jackson love! I somehow missed _We Have Always Lived in the Castle_ but saw someone else read it for this challenge, so picked it up myself and, not surprisingly, loved it.
Jenn: I am thinking Jennifer might have mentioned Lake of Dead Languages either to me in an email or in last year’s interview as well, because the cover looks so familiar. Perhaps hearing about it three times now, including your mention, means I need to get out there and read it already!
First off, I am in love with All Women Have Secrets! That is such a gorgeous piece of art!! I’ll definitely be dropping by Jennifer’s store. This interview was just amazing! Well done Carl and Jennifer. I’m in the middle of reading Her Fearful Symmetry right now, so I really enjoyed seeing Antoinette’s Secret Twin as well. But back to the interview. This has officially put me in the Halloween mood!! So many awesome things were mentioned here. What a true kindred spirit. I found myself saying Yes! Yes! throughout the whole thing!! Great job you two!
Chris: That is a great one, isn’t it? I give all the credit to Jennifer. I just asked a few nosy questions! I’m glad you had the same experience I did, which was to get right into the Halloween spirit.
Chris – All Women Have Secrets! was my favorite as well. 🙂
Jeff: But what kind of secrets, that is the question?!
Once again, an excellent interview, Carl. I have to say, All Women Have Secrets is mighty tempting! Am participating in Sandy’s (You’ve GOTTA Read This!) Rebecca read-along: Jennifer’s Ghosts of Manderley series is spot-on!
Ravens always remind me of The Birds…with a shudder.
Does anyone else remember “Hush, hush, Sweet Charlotte?” Bette Davis, Agnes Moorehead…I’ve forgotten the others (maybe Joan Crawford? It is pre “Baby Jane”).Such atmosphere!
ds: Evidently All Women Have Secrets has struck a cord. That is cool that Sandy is doing a read-along of Rebecca, it is such a great gothic classic. It has been long enough now that I need to give it a reread. I just watched The Birds for the first time a few years back…definitely a good creepy movie. Hitchcock was a genius. I think I’ve seen Hush, hush, Sweet Charlotte, but am not sure.
Despite your best efforts Halloween has sorta creeped up on me this year. Not that I usually do anything in particular for it, but I used to love the whole trick’r’treatin aspect when a kid, so it’s great that halloween parties seem to be making a come back. I’m going as Little Dead Riding Hood this year.
And a couple of people have suggested Halloween themed film nights so maybe I’ll be all Halloweeny despite my lack of organisations 🙂 I’ll keep some of those film recommendations in mind. I loved The Others, and have been meaning to watch The Orphanage for ages. We just got Pan’s Labyrinth on Blu-ray and that definitely has a Halloween vibe.
Fence: I am trying not to groan too loudly and the Halloween pun. 😉 You should really post pics of yourself in your Little Dead Riding Hood get up. You definitely need to watch The Orphanage. I’ve only seen it once at the theater and really need to see it again. Pan’s Labyrinth is so great, I’d love to see it all tricked out on Blu-ray!
My favorite is still All Women Have Secrets. Too bad that she doesn’t have the bookmark version of it. I was looking for it when I bought the other bookmarks.
ps: I’m so sad that October almost ends!
Mee: You’ve definitely got good taste, if group agreement is anything to go by! And I agree too, it is a wonderful piece. Feel free to drop her a line about bookmark and other suggestions. It may be something she could do.
I too will be sad when October ends. This challenge, and the months of Sept and October, seem to just rush by.
Oh wow I just read a few comments above me and found it’s many other people’s favorite too!
I loved this interview! 🙂 Two of my favourite scary movies are The Orphanage and The Others as well!
You know, I binged on R.I.P. books in the first half of September, then I forgot about it for awhile, and now I’m craving R.I.P. books again! 🙂
Eva: I have been really craving a revisit to both of those films since I posted this. I do the same thing with the challenges that I host. I binge, end up reading a smattering of other things, and then go back to challenge reading.
What an awesome interview! Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts. Halloween for me always starts the holiday season for me! It’s my favorite time of the year. I love the weather, the leaves, the magic in the air. Halloween is my favorite. I always make chili for Halloween every year and we try and decorate as much as possible. We carve pumpkins every year and put out spooky music and strobe lights on Halloween night to get into the creepiness of it all! We definitely don’t get as many trick-or-treaters as I’d like. when I was a kid it was a lot more common.
Thanks for the great movie and book choices. I’ll have to look some of them up. Carnival souls was really good. It creeped me out too!
Heather: Mmmmm….chili! Halloween (actually, more honestly the start of September) starts the long holiday season for me as well. I just love this time of year. I have a copy of Carnival of Souls but have not watched it for years. I think I’ll have to pull it out this year and introduce my daughter to it.
Wow. This was an awesome interview. Like many others, I find All Women Have Secrets an astonishing piece. Something about it has pulled at me and I almost didn’t take the time to leave a comment before I head over to buy it.
But I had to take the time to thank you both for adding new reading material to my wish list. I can’t wait to read The Haunting of Hill House and Lake of Dead Languages.
Thank you both for sharing of yourselves this Halloween season!
Amy
Amy: It is wonderful to me, as I am sure it is to Jennifer, to see what images move people. I just finished The Haunting of Hill House last night. It was a wonderfully gothic reading experience. I am so glad that I dropped everything and gave it a quick read.
And you’re very welcome.
OMG! I am beyond thrilled! I have been without good computer access the last 48 hours and to come back and find I won a Poppet? SQUEE! Do I need to send you an e-mail with a special subject line with my address or what?
Astaryth: I’m very excited for you, I think you’ll love it.
Hey Carl, I gave you an award!
http://bibliofreakblog.com/memes/time-awards/
JT: Thanks, I’ll check it out.
Love love love the pictures, especially You Always Listen to Me and All Women Have Secrets. I’m really excited about Halloween/Samhain this year as I have 2 parties to go to plus a wedding! Now all I need is a costume for the twisted fairy tale one…
Rhinoa: You Always Listen to Me is very creepy and great. I’ve always thought an October wedding would be cool, considering how much I love the month. As it is I couldn’t wait any longer which is why we planned for a May wedding about a week after that year of college ended! 😉
These are so beautiful and the interview just added to the beauty.
I am a horror movie lover!! I have seen so many (old, new, creepy, bloody) that few truly scare me anymore but I have to agree with The Descent as an absolutely frightening movie.
Thank you for the interview and the generous giveaway!
Christine: I am probably an odd duck in that I am not generally looking to be scared, per se, with horror movies. I generally am looking for the creepy atmosphere, the gothic elements, and a well done film, or something that evokes a feeling of nostalgia, if we are talking about older stuff. Still, I don’t mind getting a good scare whenever they happen as well.
I’ve not seen these prints before. They’re gorgeous, and I’m heading off to the store to buy a couple. Thank you for sharing this interview!
Faith: If you do purchase anything please let me know so that I can get you in the other drawing.
These are absolutely gorgeous, Carl. I meant to leave a comment before when you posted Jennifer’s work. She’s very talented!
Danielle: I agree. I am so glad I discovered her through Etsy last year.
This pics are beautiful would love one for my office..:D
Tina: I had Ghosts of Manderly III in my office for a long time but finally had to bring it home recently because a space opened up in my bedroom that would work just perfectly.
i very much enjoyed this second part to the interview. her artwork is so evocative and haunting. i love it. i am a little sad october is halfway over. it always passes too quickly.
Jehara: I did as well, her artwork is very haunting and I couldn’t wait to hear what she had to say about the holiday. I too am sad, the month has been passing by far too quickly.
I love Ghosts of Manderly because it reminded me of Rebecca one of my favorite gothic reads.
Chris: I do too, that is why I couldn’t resist buying the original work when it was up. I have such fond memories of reading that early in my marriage and then getting my wife to read it as well. We also went and rented the old movie version afterwards and years later watched the BBC version, which I prefer just because the main reveal is more faithful to the book.
Jennifer’s talk about Halloween costumes got me thinking about favorite costumes from my past. My favorite costume when I was a child was Betsy Ross which my mom made for me when I was 8. It was a great colonial dress, complete with the hat and shawl. I was a history buff even then! My favorite costume as an adult would have to be when I dressed up as Medusa. My hair took hours to do so I could place the rubber snakes throughout…great fun!
Also, The Descent is one of THE best horror movies and a top favorite of mine. It was gory, but to me that was secondary. It was genuinely fear inducing as all good scary movies should be.
Michelle: That is so cool. I bet Medusa was a really fun one as well. I haven’t seen The Descent. I am not sure why because friends who did see it said it was worth watching.
I really really love her art! It is so beautiful and haunting at the same time. I just love this time of year! I really want to plan my participation better for next year…this is my first year blogging so I’ve been out of the loop. My favorite scary movie is The Changeling with George C. Scott. It was sooo creepy and I still never want to go to the bathroom alone…
Heather: I’m glad you are with us as part of your first year of blogging. It takes time to get in a groove, and even then life easily can interrupt that. At least it does often with me. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen The Changeling. Sounds intriguing though.
Wow, I was reading along and saw “all women have secrets”… I must comment on that I thought, only to see so many comments on that photo! I guess I was taken by those eyes and the splash of color in the flower (is that a Frangipani?) Excellent article/interview. I first watched “The Others” in a darkened house all alone. Yikes! Thanks again Carl.
Ian: It is a great image. Can’t help you on the flower. We saw The Others at the theater when it was first released. One of my favorite movie experiences, I just loved it. Still do.
Carl,
This is such a rich post. I’ve been back several times to read and ponder the art. “Mina’s Locket” is splendid, and perhaps my favorite of all. “She Did Not Scare Easily” feels quite different to me. It’s nearly Baroque, and recalls Rubens – although I much prefer Jennifer’s image.
While I’m not a fan of the horror genre, I confess all your Halloweenish tendencies here have me thinking of a bloggie literary joke for the holiday. Perhaps I’ll be able to put it together – and if not, there’s always next year!
Thanks so much for the work you do on these posts. They’re just splendid.