Wilcox, Iva

Spun cotton artist Iva Wilcox creates an eclectic mix of spun cotton

ornaments and figures inspired by vintage images of Halloween postcards. Iva finds inspiration all around her, including her hometown of St. Augustine, Florida, which is rich in ghostly history. Her studio is surrounded by 100-year-old oak trees dripping with Spanish moss, and it all helps create haunted scenes complete with spooky trees, scared pumpkin and turnip heads and black cats.

Iva dabbled in a variety of mediums before settling on spun cotton some 10 years ago, when the art form was still a newly re-discovered craft. She uses techniques similar to those in Victorian times to make her pieces, forming a wire armature and then wrapping - or spinning - the cotton around and around it. Then, she ages each piece to look like a well-loved toy or a long lost treasure. She often incorporates vintage findings or antique elements to make each piece a unique keepsake. She’ll collect old clock cases, sewing drawers and old spindles among other antiques to truly highlight her Halloween scenes. Veggie heads riding on black cats or driving pumpkin chariots, witches casting spells over Halloween fairies, and black cats trick or treating by lantern light have been incorporated into some of these antiques. She also wires seemingly complicated tiny lights to add that flickering candlelight effect to her scenes which enhance that feeling of a dark, moonlit Halloween night.

The story of Iva’s creative beginnings is similar to many other artists who find inspiration in all things Halloween. She attributes it to growing up in a time when children ran through the neighborhood trick or treating unaccompanied without worry, squealing with delight over pillowcases full of candy and jumping at the thrill of neighborhood Halloween haunts.

Before devoting her time to art fully, she worked in public relations for many years. When her children were small, she knew it was time to let go of the corporate world and begin her artistic adventure.

Her spun cotton was selected for the 2023 Early American Life Directory of Traditional American Crafts. She has sold her work nationwide wide online and a at several Halloween shows including Bewitching Peddlers of Halloween and All Hallows Art Fest. She work has also been sold through retail boutiques, including Rogers Gardens Halloween Boutique in Orange County, CA.

She has written articles for magazines and newspapers, and her artwork has been featured in newspapers as well as art magazines, such as Art Doll Quarterly, Somerset Studio and Holidays & Celebrations. She has taught workshops and has co-organized folk art shows including the founding of Tinsel & Treasures Folk Art Show in Danville, CA, and Spirits in Sanford in Sanford, Fl. She creates under the name of Iva's Creations.

Facebook: Iva's Creations Collectors Club

Instagram: @ivascreationsbyivawilcox

Patreon: Iva's Creations by Iva Wilcox