Featured Artist: Debra Murray

What do you get when you cross a lifelong love of THE WIZARD OF OZ™ and a birthday that falls the day before Halloween? If your Debra Murray, you get the perfect inspiration to create this Halloween-themed ornament, just in time for the classic film’s 75th anniversary.

Sculpting horses can be tricky, but this labor of love has become a life-long passion for Deb. Her authentically inspired designs take a sharp eye for detail that comes from growing up around horses—and around the growing collection of models on her desk!

Deb always loved art…and her beautiful show horses. These were, after all, the inspiration and models for her first drawings and paintings. When it came time for college, she went to beauty school rather than an arts program. Deb knew she didn’t want to teach, but she didn’t know there were other options with an art degree! Ironically, Deb now uses her cosmetology experience to fashion the hair and makeup on Madame Alexander® ornaments.

In addition to her other talents, Deb used to sew wedding gowns, and she is able to use that fashion experience in the fabric attachments she creates for our ornaments. Deb loves the details of her job, from dreaming up new ornament concepts to the intricate sculpting detail involved in bringing her sculpts to life.

And more than a Keepsakes Artist, Deb is the proud mother of Mallory who “expresses her art through words,” has successfully achieved her Masters in Communication and is now a proud wife and mom herself.

In Deb’s spare time, she enjoys painting, interior design and exploring the great outdoors.

If you’re looking to follow Deb’s work on Keepsake Ornaments in the future, keep an eye out for the name Debra Nielsen—it’s her new name after marrying fellow Hallmarker Steve Goslin!

Halloween Wicked Witch of the West™ (2013)

“This particular ornament combines a few things that are very special to me. I used to paint the ornaments for the original sculptor of the Madame Alexander Doll® Keepsake Ornaments at Hallmark. When he retired, I asked if I could give them a try, and that ornament became my very first hand-sculpted piece.

“When I was growing up, I would watch The Wizard of Oz™ over and over again on TV. My father would say ‘Seriously, you’re going to watch that again?’—and I did! I passed that love onto my daughter. Now that she’s a mom, I’ll be able to share it with my grandson a few years down the road when we can watch it together.

“My birthday happens to be on the day before Halloween—and this doll is just so colorful in her Halloween dress! There are just so many cool dolls in The Wizard of Oz™ Madame Alexander® collection for fans to be excited about, I hope to be able to do more!”