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/