My name is Jean Marie Smith and I love Halloween! As artist-in-residence at Creasey Mahan Nature Preserve, every year for the past ten years I've created and sculpted/painted hay bale art to bring smiles and joy to children and adults at the Halloween Haunted Hike.

After reviewing popular trends and interviewing friends and family, I finally settled on which characters I would use. My criteria include one book character, one iconic cartoon character, and something for all ages. Some of the bales are double-stacked, or placed on end or on sides, depending on the character to be sculpted.

I so enjoy watching parents and children gather around the bales for photos as they create warm and lasting memories. I love hay bale sculpting so much that I already have plans for next year that include Bert and Ernie from Sesame Street and Smokey the Bear!

If you're interested, you can find my previous post here.