Paranormal Artist Profile: Angel Hawari

If this painting doesn't make you smile, then you need to rethink your entire attitude towards life.

Angel Hawari grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where ghost stories are the norm.

"In the south, everybody has ghost stories. It’s kind of a pastime," she said. "As a kid, I assumed all the houses, especially in the older neighborhoods like the Garden District, had spirits in them. I love houses. The older the better. And if there are ghosts, that’s the cherry on top."

Angel's mother managed a haunted nightclub, while her father would sometimes take her to the spooky houses where "the shadowy attics [she] wandered into held curious things" as part of the architectural work he did.

She even lived in a haunted house of her own for a time.

"I used to lived in a plantation-style house in a small town between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. The place was too big for the owner and his wife once their kids moved out. So they moved to a house across the street, and rented rooms in the old house to college students. Everybody had stories along the lines of a friend of a friend lived there and some spooky thing happened. My room was what used to be a high-ceilinged, living room with emerald walls, white woodwork, and a beautiful carved mantelpiece. It opened up to a wrap around porch overlooking a side yard edged with wildly overgrown bamboo. You can probably tell, I loved that house. Incidentally, it’s where I met my husband, too. But the previous tenants said they saw glaring red eyes watching them through the windows at night. It freaked them out so much they put spells over the windows and doors to keep the ghost away. Which seemed silly and more than a little rude. If you wanna tick off a spirit, I’m sure trying to lock them out of their house is a good way to do it. I never did see glowing eyes, but a few times I was sure someone was in room when no one was. It wasn’t scary. More like someone looking to see what I was up to every now and again."

We just sort of assume that this is what growing up in Baton Rouge looks like.

With so many paranormal experiences in her life, it's no wonder Angel's heart holds a special place for ghosts and monsters, which may explain her excitement over the upcoming Gods & Monsters art show in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

"It’s like a great big Halloween party," she told us.

So look for that this October if you're in the Minneapolis area.  If the other artists have even a portion of Angel's supernatural skill with a paintbrush, then it's not to be missed.

Make sure to check out Angel's shop on Etsy, and keep up with the latest news on Angel's art at her website.  We know we will.