Meet Kate Gonzalez | Creator, artist, & Halloween enthusiast

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kate Gonzalez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kate, let’s start by talking about what inspires you?
The biggest inspiration is my love of Halloween and all of the spooky, creepy, darkness that comes with it. Halloween was and still is a big deal in my family. It’s always fun, and sparked my love of horror, and everything creepy. Sometimes it’s silly, sometimes it’s dark. It sounds cliche, but Halloween isn’t a holiday, it’s a lifestyle lol!!! Getting to create urban legends, folk legends, and anything that’s pops into my mind is the best thing ever.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
The pieces that I work one have evolved since I started 8yrs ago. I was trying to figure out how to use Halloween scrapbook paper lol!! Along came the first set of 6″ coffins. These were the basic beginning. Simple, kind of cute. From there I started to get ideas on incorporating other pieces. Skulls, skeletons, jewelry pieces. I made a piece for my sister’s friend, a fairy tale piece. She still has it to this day. It had a fairest of them all mirror and a snake. Think the real story of Snow White. I once sold my coffins at wholesale prices to a friend that ran a shop in Old Colorado City., just to start producing and finding new ideas. The shop has since closed, but the coffins keep getting bigger and more creepy. Once they started to evolve from simple scrapbook paper, is when I started to tell stories in them. Each coffin has it’s own story and personality. From ones based off folklore, using vintage photos and adds, to full on horror movies. I now sculpt pieces to go in the coffins. Skulls, pumpkins, vintage trick or treat pales. Even made a ghost Charlie Brown lol!!! I’ve also started to make masks for the larger coffins. That’s still a process I’m fine tuning, but every one comes out better than the last.
Every thing takes time, and I’m still working to make this a full time gig. The most important thing is to continue to grow, evolve, and never give up. So many times I’ve looked at a piece and wasn’t happy with it, so I let it sit. It would sit until it sat there long enough and came up with an idea. I don’t believe in pushing something out just for the sake of making something. I have to feel it, otherwise what’s the point.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Colorado Springs has a lot of hidden gems. My favorite place to start would be down in Old Colorado City. Just walk around, grab some coffee at La Baguette, pretty much be a tourist for a day lol!!! Definitely have to take a trip up to Denver and go to the botanical gardens. Hit several of the great shops up there like Ritual Craft, The terrarium shop, and The Learned Lemur. Since that’ll only take a couple of days, and we’re already in Denver, might as well head north west up to Grand Lake!!! Grab a cabin at Lupine Village, and enjoy the small town below Rocky Mountain National Park.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My family. My husband Chris, daughter Nixie, and my parents. They encourage my creativity, give me space to create, and help to create my work. They’ve supported me from the get go.

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