We talked to Ray Villafone and Andy Bergholtz about their pumpkin carving artistry.
And, the conversation was surprisingly fascinating:
Andy Bergholtz: From an artistic point of view, pumpkins are extremely rewarding to work with. There are not many other mediums that are as large and fast as pumpkins are by nature. For example, within a couple hours I can create a larger-than-life character in a pumpkin, which would have taken me five times as long to do in clay or any other medium. Aside from the versatility, the uniqueness of the art form is also a huge part of the draw. In over 10 years of sculpting professionally, not a single one of my “commercial” sculptures has ever inspired the same excitement with viewers as my pumpkins have. And it’s not because the pumpkins are better-executed sculptures, it’s because there is simply something more intriguing about temporary art like this. Everyone has carved a jack-o’-lantern before, or at least watched someone do it, so this is a medium that most people can instantly relate to. We see beautiful sculpture every day and don’t realize it—from the action figures on a shelf in a toy store, to the beautiful hood ornament on a sports car, to the decorative molding on the ceiling of your favorite Italian restaurant. Sculpture is everywhere, but a lifelike character carved from a gourd is definitely not something you see every day! It’s a fresh art form that captures the imagination and is rewarding on so many levels—how could I not love it?
more here
So delightful. Is delightful the right word for pumpkin-guts zombies?
