Next to the Michael Myers house in Pasadena lies an art gallery that provides a place for “Halloween” lovers everywhere to be enveloped in art. SugarMynt Gallery, which is also walking distance from a lot of the filming locations of the movie, hosts many different exhibits, such as “Welcome to Haddonfield” and the new Tim Burton tribute “Strange and Unusual.”
Owner SaraRose Orlandini walked around the gallery on Nov. 10 in a “Beetlejuice” outfit, eager for the first night of this ‘unusual’ exhibit. Orlandini laid out cookies and offered wine and “La Croix” to guests who entered and paid the $5 entrance fee.
Orlandini explains that she grabs a lot of her artists for the exhibits from many different forms of social media. She is also bombarded with many artists asking her to showcase their work. At the end, though, she has the final say on who she allows into her exhibits.
Upon entering, the first thing art and Tim Burton lovers see is a piece by Michael Murphy titled “Feather Girl” on the wall, which is a Burtonesque inspired piece with feathers. The girl is wearing all black and has feathers as the bottom of her dress. “Feather Girl” was so mesmerizing, it could make anyone want to go up and run their fingers through her dress.
The other side of the wall contains a definitely unusual piece titled “The Joker” by Joshua “Wooly” Gardner. “The Joker” is different than most of the other pieces of art because it is strictly made up of needle felted wool. The colors are so vibrant, one can’t tell if it’s a painting or otherwise.
Right next to Gardner’s wooly piece is Elaine Waterman’s “Never Trust The Living,” which is an oil on canvas. The subject of the piece is “Juno” from “Beetlejuice.” She is holding a cigarette in one hand and blankly stares at those who admire the art.
Although most pieces are characters from his movies, many artists take inspiration from Tim Burton films and put a different twist into their own art. Artist Michael Murphy’s piece, titled “Pierce,” portrays a girl piercing a voodoo looking doll straight through the heart. This type of art is called “Burtonesque art.”
Walking towards the backyard, the first thing that greets guests is a Michael Myers hidden between sheets that are hung up. This is enough to make people do a double take and jump back in shock.
In the backyard, a projector is playing “Beetlejuice” on a screen and a jack-o-lantern with a pumpkin at its feet is available for photo-ops. They also laid out records that are for sale.
The exhibit is most likely a dream to many Burton fanatics.
