The Bonfire: Halloween Painting

"The Bonfire"

Back in the earlier years of the past century, a certain amount of youthful rowdiness was not merely tolerated, but to some extent tacitly encouraged. ("Boys will be boys," dad might proudly complain.)

At no time of the year was this more true than at Halloween, when the "trick" in trick-or-treat invariably meant treat... or else! Ignoring the "or else" part might result in having your outhouse tipped over, or the wheels from your Model A Ford turn up missing, or in having to clean up after some other prank that would have been tolerated at no other time of the year.

When I was growing up in the years just before World War II, these practices were already fading away, probably because, scarred by the difficult years of the Great Depression, folks had become less tolerant of even the pettiest and most innocent of what they saw as vandalism.

For as long as Halloween had been observed, one of the most popular events was a great bonfire, at which all manner of stuff would be gleefully tossed onto a blaze set out in the middle of a road, or in a vacant lot, while costumed onlookers cheered, hooted and danced around while flinging into it empty crates, broken furniture, and other burnable booty they'd been hoarding for weeks beforehand.

For a wonderful evocation of the Halloween bonfire, go rent that favorite old Judy Garland musical, Meet Me In St. Louis. Set in 1904, the film portrays a suburban family in the months before the St. Louis World's Fair. We meet the youngest daughter of the family, "Tootie," played by a young Margaret O'Brien, who has a breathtaking Halloween encounter that begins around a roaring Halloween bonfire. No Halloween fan should miss this!

Even though the Halloween bonfire seems to have faded from tradition (hazardous at best, thus a not-unwelcome passing), an artist is allowed to wax nostalgic for something he's never directly experienced.

I knew exactly how this Halloween painting should look even before I began it, and yet it took over a year from beginning to completion, through endless sketches and three separate versions, before it finally felt right.

Here it is. I hope you enjoy it too.

Premiere Limited Edition Print of The Bonfire

Additional subjects are also available
in this larger format.
Click here to learn more.

The Bonfire is one of a growing series of Limited Edition prints close to each painting's original size, in an edition of 150 signed & numbered prints, produced to extremely high standards, on fine art paper, through the wonderfully faithful Giclée process. At left is a comparison of relative sizes of The Bonfire in Large Format vs. Premiere Edition sizes.

The Bonfire Premiere Limited Edition print 17" x 24" on 22" x 28" paper

$149.00,
including Priority Mail shipping in the US.

To purchase by other means, click here.

The Bonfire has been meticulously scanned from my original watercolor and digitally printed with fade-resistant inks on specially treated heavyweight watercolor paper. I personally inspect your print, sign it, slip it into its protective clear plastic envelope, and include with it a page of helpful framing hints from The Haunted Studio.

LARGE FORMAT PRINT (13" x 19") The image measures 12" x 18" on 13" x 19" paper. Your finished, perfect print is carefully rolled for mailing. $59.00 Priority Mail postage FREE in US.	MEDIUM FORMAT PRINT (11" x 14") The image measures 7-1/2" x 9-1/2", within a charcoal-over-white double mat, plus rigid foam-core backing, ready to drop into any readily available 11" x 14" frame. $59.00 Priority Mail postage FREE in US.

Sorry, the original painting has been sold. To view all original paintings currently available, click here.
The Bonfire is also available in new Small Format size The image measures 6.5" x 4.5" within an 10" x 8" charcoal-over-white double mat, with rigid backing. This size is ideal for framing in any standard 8" x 10" photo frame. Small Format prints may be assorted for best prices: 1 print $29.00; 2 prints $49.00; 3 prints $69.00 For more information about Small Format prints, please click here.