Pumpkin Carving
I recently had the pleasure of participating in the 21st annual Art of Pumpkins carving party, hosted by Chris Scharein and Ted Gee at their beautiful home in Ka'anapali. Pumpkin-carving is a tradition that I've always held in high regard, so I was thankful to be invited to this enjoyable event, which was attended by approximately 30 people.
My jack-o-lantern in all its glory.
Here's another view on the doorstep of my cottage:
I first developed this design around 1989, and have brought it back to life every October since then. The eyes and nose are intended to fit within the imposing teeth, so that every aspect of the design shares an equally jagged appearance. The huge mouth extends all the way across to both sides of the pumpkin, which does leave it vulnerable to caving in under its own weight, so a pumpkin with a strong, thick rind is preferable. As a jack-o-lantern purist, I tend to shun the prefabricated designs of store-bought stencils to guide the cutting, so the lantern retains the appearance of a somewhat imperfect cut, which I find aesthetically preferable (one of the few areas of my life in which I willingly accept imperfection - for all those of you who find my perfectionism to be intolerable, enjoy this moment of freedom while you can!).
According to a mixture of legend and history, jack-o-lanterns were first carved in ancient Ireland and Scotland as a means of deterring encounters with unfriendly spirits on the night of October 31st, when it was believed that the dead were able to enter the world of the living. The traditional jack-o-lantern, then, was intended to be menacing, to frighten spirits away, in case they arrived with evil intent. The original lanterns were carved from gourds and turnips, since pumpkins were only found in the New World - so the use of the pumpkin did not begin until after the immigration of Celtic people to America in relatively recent history.
Here's the entire menagerie of both free-wheeling and stenciled carvings, as arranged on the front steps of Chris and Ted's house:
And some closer shots of samples from the collection
(the Dracula face won first prize this year):
