This is my art and it is dangerous!" Part 4 The Rose Sculpture.

Joshua Hudson - Beetlejuice sculpture

Delia Deetz Sculpture Series – Part Four: The Rose

A Mysterious Bloom in the Beetlejuice Universe | Joshua Hudson Studio

Welcome back to another chapter in my ongoing artistic journey recreating the unforgettable sculptures of Delia Deetz from Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice. If you’re new here—hello! I’m Joshua Hudson, artist and sculptor behind Joshua Hudson Studio, where I blend pop culture, surrealism, and fine art into one-of-a-kind creations.

This blog post marks the fourth installment in my Delia Deetz sculpture recreation series, and I’m thrilled to share it with you. This latest piece was a true labor of love—and mystery. Often overlooked, rarely discussed, and barely visible in the film, this sculpture appears briefly in the now-iconic dinner party possession scene and again at the film’s quirky climax.

It’s a sculpture that doesn’t scream for attention—at least not the way Delia’s more monstrous pieces do. But for fans who obsess over every artistic detail in the Deetz household, this one stands out for its subtler, almost floral form. A strange, abstract bloom hidden in the background of chaos.

I call it: The Abstract Rose.

The Sculpture That Almost Wasn't

Let’s start with the obvious: this sculpture is hardly in the movie. There are no production stills, no behind-the-scenes reference images, no official titles. Most people miss it altogether, which, to be honest, made it all the more fascinating to me.

In the dinner scene—the one where Harry Belafonte’s "Day-O" plays while guests are supernaturally flung about—there’s a quick shot where this sculpture can be spotted, off to the side. Its shape is organic, curling inward in a spiral form that almost resembles a twisted rosebud. It appears again near the end of the film when Delia’s sculptures spring to life in a chaotic climax of stop-motion magic.

That’s it. That’s all we get.

So why recreate it?

Because art, especially the surreal kind that defines Beetlejuice, is about the unspoken—the shapes that linger in the corners, the tension between what’s grotesque and what’s beautiful. This rose-like sculpture balances that duality in a way that intrigued me from the start.

Building the Abstract Rose – The Creative Process

As with the previous three sculptures, this piece started with a custom-built metal armature. These are essential to the stability of my work, especially when using dense sculpting compounds like the ones I favor at Joshua Hudson Studio. The framework acts like the skeleton, allowing me to build weighty forms without risking collapse.

From there, I began shaping the piece using a heavy clay compound that allows for both texture and fluidity. I knew I wanted the piece to feel organic—petal-like curves, a layered spiral structure, and surface ridges that echoed nature without directly copying it. This was, after all, meant to be Delia Deetz’s interpretation of a rose, not an actual flower.

And true to her avant-garde, self-serious style, I leaned into the absurd. The piece doesn’t sit delicately on a pedestal. It rises awkwardly, almost like it’s unfurling itself in pain or confusion—typical of the Burton aesthetic and very much in line with Delia’s tone-deaf attempts at high art.

It took several weeks to get the curves and proportions just right. Unlike the more geometric or humanoid sculptures in the series, this one required more instinctual sculpting. I had no clear lines to follow—just gut feeling, frame grabs, and a whole lot of squinting at blurry screenshots.

Why This Piece Matters (Even If You Missed It)

So many fans of Beetlejuice focus on the larger-than-life sculptures that attack the guests or crash through the walls. Those are, of course, unforgettable. But I believe it’s the supporting sculptures, the ones half-hidden in the background, that truly bring Delia’s world to life.

This abstract rose sculpture contributes to the overall visual language of Delia Deetz as an artist. Her work is confusing, a bit chaotic, often menacing—but also undeniably passionate. This sculpture, though minor, adds softness to the collection. It shows a different side of her—maybe even a moment of vulnerability hidden behind all the steel and stone.

And that’s why I knew it had to be part of my series.

The Challenges of Limited Reference Material

As with the third sculpture in this series (the untitled background piece), the biggest challenge here was the lack of reference material. Beetlejuice is a film rich in practical effects and visual design, but it’s not exactly known for archiving every set prop. Trying to find high-quality images of this sculpture was like looking for a ghost in the netherworld.

I relied on screen captures from Blu-ray versions of the film, adjusting contrast and lighting to tease out shape from shadow. I also rewatched the film (more times than I can count), pausing every few frames of the dinner and climax scenes to study how the sculpture shifted in light and space.

It wasn’t perfect. I’m sure there are details I missed. But part of the fun—and the artistic challenge—is embracing those gaps and filling them with my own interpretation. That’s something I’m learning more and more through these builds. Sometimes it’s not about exact replication—it’s about evoking the spirit of the work.

What's Next for the Delia Deetz Series?

With four sculptures now completed in the Delia Deetz Beetlejuice series, I’m inching closer to the finish line. There are at least one or two more obscure pieces seen fleetingly in the film. At this point, I haven’t decided if I’ll recreate those. They’re even harder to see than the rose sculpture—and would require a leap of imagination more than anything else.

That said, if more reference material becomes available—especially from the upcoming Beetlejuice documentary Documentary for the Recently Deceased—I may be tempted to dive back in.

(And hey, if you're reading this and you have rare images of these sculptures, hit me up!)

Final Thoughts from Joshua Hudson Studio

Creating this abstract rose sculpture was both a challenge and a joy. It reminded me why I started this series in the first place: to honor a wildly imaginative film and the strange, eccentric characters that shaped its world. Delia Deetz may have been out of her depth as a fine artist, but her work left a lasting impression. And through this process, I’ve gained a newfound appreciation for her weird, wonderful vision.

Thank you for joining me on this creative journey. If you’ve enjoyed following along, stay connected with Joshua Hudson Studio for more updates, sculptures, and behind-the-scenes looks into the process. I’ve got more projects in the pipeline—some Beetlejuice-related, some not—but all rooted in a love for bold ideas and strange beauty.

Until next time, keep your eyes on the shadows. You never know what’s hiding in the background.