Halloween Party

In Halloween Party children—costumed to incite fear as wild animals and goblins—are comically afraid of their own shadows. They are huddled together, showing insecurity in the face of a presumed threat just outside of the limits of the canvas. The young girl clutches her brother’s hand, the boy dressed as a tiger shouts into the distance, at the back, the boy dressed in red, suggestive of a court jester or fool, finds solace in picking his nose. Produced shortly after moving to rural Iowa from the bustling city, Halloween Party might also suggest the artist’s own insecurities brought on by the move.