Pumpkins

The earthy smell of decaying leaves.

The taste of cider and roasted malt.

The warm glow of meticulously sculpted fruit.

Each year I welcome these hallmarks of Halloween by crafting some jack-o’-lanterns of my own. Using tools for cutting linoleum or shaping clay, as well as a variety of blades and saws, I render pumpkins into faces and images illuminated by candlelight. These creations reflect my interests, but not necessarily my beliefs. Some subjects are in memoriam, but all jack-o’-lanterns are memento mori: the medium is temporary, as we all are. The artwork eventually rots, and the artist must let go. 

 

Fortunately, some images live on.