Bewitching Advice for Documenting Your Collection

Photo from Bewitching Peddlers of Halloween 2024, Artwork: Fool Crow, Vicki Nelson

At the very beginning, when I started collecting Halloween artwork, I didn’t realize, as time passed, little details of why I loved the piece in the first place would slip through my memory. Halloween gatherings and art shows can be exquisitely overwhelming while you are there, talking to the artists. The energy of the room is enchanting! As you return home, things begin to fade, and little details can be lost. I’m happy to offer you some tricks from my basket of treats to make documenting your collection a bit easier.

Why document, you ask? Because as your collection grows you might forget details that provide your collection provenance. Your collection takes on a life all its own and saving the stories of each piece along the way adds a certain magic. The piece may not have a specific story created by the artist, but you make an entire story based on your acquisition of the piece, beginning with how the piece of art spoke to you the first time your eyes met.

When I purchase a piece of artwork from Bewitching Peddlers of Halloween, I create a folder for the artist. You should collect a business card, if available. I use plain manilla folders, but you could use anything, even a folder on your computer. I label the tab with the artists name then business name underneath. Then inside the folder, I list all the information I know about the piece including title of the work, the year I made the purchase, the price, the material the piece is constructed out of, if it is signed, if it is an original work of art, and anything else that I find relevant to the piece. As the years pass, I can add additional pieces created by the same artist to that folder. Another thing I include in the folder is a photograph of the piece. This is because the title of the work can sometimes not match up with the visual imagery. This is just one of the many ways you can document your collection of Halloween art.

It's not too late to begin documenting your existing collection. Work backwards, documenting the most recent pieces fist as they are still fresh in your mind. If there are works that you draw a blank at, but would like to document, The Bewitching Peddlers Family would be happy to assist you! Email us with a photo at cupidswing97@yahoo.com.

Jennie Hepler-Takens is a collector and Halloween artist that sells her work at Bewitching Peddlers of Halloween Art Show— which she has produced since 2017.