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