The Art of Carving Pumpkins
By: Stephanie Castillo
Updated: October 31, 2011
NEW YORK -- Lots of people carve pumpkins around Halloween. Very few of them are considered art, unless you're looking at the work of the Maniac Carvers.
Their client list is pretty diverse. Carving pumpkins for everything from the New York Yankees and the New York Jets to Glamour Magazine. Even carving pumpkins for weddings, birthday parties, and promotions.
Pumpkin carver Marc 'Maniac' says it takes a lot of concentration and patience, especially because they work with sharp tools, and one slip could end horribly.
Marc and his partner Chris started carving pumpkins just for fun. They were working in bars and restaurants and carving for friends and pretty soon it got pretty popular and they were carving full time for two months out of the year.
Some nights during the Halloween season the pair carve until 7 o'clock in the morning, depending on the complexity of the pumpkin designs. Depending on the work load they as many as forty pumpkins a night.
The 'Maniacs' say part of the fun is seeing what they can do with pumpkins. They are constantly finding new things and pushing the envelope with their designs.
Chris 'Maniac' says, "Creating a work of art in a pumpkin, its just a very rewarding experience. You're creating something that's ephemeral and temporary and all about the now."
They like to think of it almost like ice sculpture. From the moment they start cutting into it, the clock starts ticking on how long that pumpkins gonna last.
The pumpkins start at $150 and can go upwards of $350 if its a portrait or a very intricate design, or a larger pumpkin. It's a lot of time that goes into each pumpkin.
Their client list is pretty diverse. Carving pumpkins for everything from the New York Yankees and the New York Jets to Glamour Magazine. Even carving pumpkins for weddings, birthday parties, and promotions.
Pumpkin carver Marc 'Maniac' says it takes a lot of concentration and patience, especially because they work with sharp tools, and one slip could end horribly.
Marc and his partner Chris started carving pumpkins just for fun. They were working in bars and restaurants and carving for friends and pretty soon it got pretty popular and they were carving full time for two months out of the year.
Some nights during the Halloween season the pair carve until 7 o'clock in the morning, depending on the complexity of the pumpkin designs. Depending on the work load they as many as forty pumpkins a night.
The 'Maniacs' say part of the fun is seeing what they can do with pumpkins. They are constantly finding new things and pushing the envelope with their designs.
Chris 'Maniac' says, "Creating a work of art in a pumpkin, its just a very rewarding experience. You're creating something that's ephemeral and temporary and all about the now."
They like to think of it almost like ice sculpture. From the moment they start cutting into it, the clock starts ticking on how long that pumpkins gonna last.
The pumpkins start at $150 and can go upwards of $350 if its a portrait or a very intricate design, or a larger pumpkin. It's a lot of time that goes into each pumpkin.
