Johanna Parker - A Journey in Art

Wouldn't it be cool to have your birthday on Halloween?  Think of all the fun parties!  People dressing up, all the candy you can eat and it's not just for your childhood.  The parties could be every single year, decorated with your favorite fall colors and being surrounded by the creatures of the night.  Halloween night is a favorite of many, but Johanna Parker can actually say it's also her birthday.  Maybe that's why she is so inspired to create some of our favorite collectibles.  

Halloween by Magenta (Carnival Cottage):

Do you have a love for vintage and folk seasonal home decor? Johanna Parker is one of the impeccable designers you can find with us! Learn about her journey in art and find out the many reasons why we love seeing her creations year after year.

Johanna Parker Design is actually a creative duo based in Colorado. The pair of creative artisans are fueled by painting, sculpting, sanding, graphic design, pattern making, photography, and illustration. Those passions lead to creating colorful, fun, and whimsy pieces to decorate your home year-round! Johanna and her husband JP d'Andrimont work to construct folk art decor for Halloween, Christmas, Spring/Easter, Valentines, and other celebratory and seasonal themes. Today, Johanna Parker Design creates a limited number of folk art originals each year and licensed collections for the gift and seasonal home decor industry. 

Christmas Originals:

Like many artists, there was always a different start to the journey of art.  Before diving into how we know her today, she worked as an Art Director in the TV news industry, winning an Emmy award achievement. This wasn't completely satisfying to her so she decided to leave the industry and instead, work with her hands and her heart and start creating the one-of-a-kind folk art pieces that we have all come to admire.  Along side her mom, Johanna starting pursuing the dream of creative expression.  Focusing on her favorite holiday, Halloween, Johanna created the smiling black cat that is still popular today.  (As a side note, Johanna had her lovely Jack the black cat as an inspiration for many years and has recently lost him at the age of 22).  

Johanna's talent was reproduced in the early 2000's by Primitives by Kathy.  Many of these pieces are hard to find these days and are highly sought after.  Through the years, they have been showcased in Halloween Trunk Shows, Christmas Home Shows and in many magazines including Country Sampler, FOLK Magazine and Better Homes & Garden.  In addition to the reproductions, Johanna would make handmade originals throughout the year, that people would line up for a chance to grab.  I have met and talked with some of the long time collectors and they tell me stories about the showcase(s) of art sold by Johanna at those art shows.  

Johanna Parker by Primitives by Kathy:

After several years with Primitives by Kathy, Johanna became a licensed artist with Bethany Lowe Designs, where we can still find many of her reproductions today.  Bethany Lowe Designs is known for the classic vintage look all year round, most notably Halloween and Christmas.  More recently Johanna has partnered with Magenta, Inc. and Transpac to create her fun and whimsical designs in the ceramic world.  A lot of Rae Dunn collectors started drifting towards Johanna Parker in order to add color and fun to the black and white of pottery.  Today, you will find Johanna in any form you desire to help you decorate all year long!  You will also find her art in the fabric world as she has many designs with Spoonflower.

Halloween by Bethany Lowe:

Christmas pieces by Magenta (Carnival Cottage):

We have learned that Johanna has decided to end her contract with Transpac.  We have all loved much of her Transpac pieces including the Ghost Cookie Jar (aka Gus), black cat pieces and wonderful pumpkins.  Collectors have also been enjoying the Carnival Cottage line that is made by Magenta.  Thankfully the small boutiques are now able to carry some of those pieces.  

Halloween by Transpac:

Incredible collectibles aren’t all Johanna Parker has to offer. If you visit her blog, you will see that she also enjoys teaching you how to create masterpieces of your own! Her latest quilt tutorial is a great project to invest some time into if you’re looking to add some flare to your home without breaking your bank account. 

What is not to love about a designer that makes iconic pieces for your home while also teaching you how to make decor of your own?  She also partners with a lot of artists to create fun pieces that compliment your Johanna Parker collection.  You can find pillows, boxes, hand made lanterns, candles and more.

Johanna Parker Partners in Craft / Wigglebugs:

We are just now receiving the new holiday items from Transpac and once again, Johanna has created many great items.  One to make sure you include is the Thanksgiving Turkey bowl and coordinating plates.  We don't normally see a lot of Fall items from Johanna so these are extra special this year.

While we don't know what will be coming in the foreseeable future, we do know that we will continue to love and support Johanna.  We will continue to be patient and of course excited to see her new creations! 

Find what you love at Holiday Pizzazz!