Tammy Strum

My name is Tammy Strum of Light and Shadow Studio and I have been a professional artist for over thirty years. I am married with three grown children and one very stubborn Scottish terrier. I have mainly worked designing and sculpting wildlife art in commercial markets. However, in my own time, my passion is for Halloween! I love everything about it.

I have been sculpting and painting Halloween items for family and friends for years. From light hearted whimsical Halloween to the darker creepier side of Halloween, I do it all. I work in all mediums but love sculpting with Paperclay® the best. I am a very detail oriented artist and spend many hours making my pieces special with some twist that makes them very different. I enjoy using found objects and constantly try to change the items that I paint on.

I recently have moved into selling my art on Ebay and have been thrilled with the results. Everyone has been so supportive and encouraging. I belong to the wonderful group of HA31 artists and
have found them instrumental in getting me started and helping me succeed. I find a pure joy in creating things that allow me to use my imagination! I find an even greater joy in sharing it with others. I sometimes will accept custom orders and can be reached at spotzstrum@msn.com

Q. How long have you been an artist or doing art?

A. Like so many artists, I have been doing art all my life. My mother and my grandmother are both professional artists, so I grew up with it. It is just something that is a part of me and always has been. What a blessing it is, too. I started doing it professionally when I was about 22 and my husband and I started our own company and did art and craft shows for a living.

Q. What started you in your craft?

A. My husband is Canadian (now a US citizen) and after living there for awhile we moved to the USA. It was in a horrible recession and we decided to try our hand at working for ourselves. It was both a fun time and a very hard time trying to sell at art shows and such. We learned a lot but when the opportunity came for him to move on to a 9 to 5 job we took it. I continued on mainly working as an artist who painted. It is only in the last 12 years I started sculpting. That's my favorite.

Q. Are there certain things that inspire you to create?

A. Not anything in particular. I am a huge science fiction and fantasy book reader. That does inspire me sometimes. I love vintage Halloween art and get lots of ideas from that. I think if there is anything that inspires me the most it is other artists. I look at their work and just feel the urge to create something.

I live in Montana. It is so beautiful and I live in a valley surrounded by the Rocky Mountains. It often just lifts my spirits and inspire me to create. I have to also say my Mom. She is such an incredible artist herself and my biggest fan. She is always cheering me on and I can bounce ideas off her.

Q. Do you have any tips for other artists who are just starting out?

A. Just keep trying. Keep creating. Always keep challenging yourself to do harder things and attempt new mediums and new subjects. If there is anything that stops an artist from getting better it is when they get settled in and don't try new things. You can always get better and learn more with art.

Q. What is your favorite medium or tool used in your art?

A. My favorite medium is a very fine paper clay but I also use Sculpey and Apoxie sculpt too. I always paint in acrylics. My favorite tool aside from brushes and sculpting tools is my Dremel tool. I do everything with it, carve, sand and drill. It's indispensable! My favorite items to paint or sculpt over are wooden things.

Q. How did you come to be interested in Halloween art?

A. I have been a big fan of eBay for over 10 years now. Before I started selling, I followed and bought a few items from many Halloween artists. They inspired me to try it! I am so glad I did.

Email Tammy and visit her pages here on HalloweenArtists.com.