Think your jack-o’-lantern is a work of art? Think again. Since 2008, Maniac Pumpkin Carvers has created thousands of incredibly detailed designs — from Vincent van Gogh’s “The Starry Night” and Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” to portraits of Queen Elizabeth II and Harry Styles — for clients like the Museum of Modern Art, the New York Yankees, and individuals willing to spend hundreds or thousands on Halloween decor. To get the scoop, we spoke with the company’s co-founder, Marc Evan... Q: First, why pumpkins? And did you ever think that 15 years later, you’d still be doing this?Honestly, it was a natural intersection. [My co-founder Chris Soria] and I have always loved all things Halloween, and we’re both lifelong artists … We always knew we were going to have careers in the arts — though we didn’t necessarily think the art we’d become most well known for would be our pumpkin carvings ... We were fresh out of college when we started this company, so I don’t know that we ever thought [we’d still be doing this] 15 years down the road … But there’s definitely no stopping now. It’s something we’re very proud of ... We’ve worked really hard on elevating [pumpkin carving] into an art form and taking it to the next level. Q: What does your pumpkin carving process look like?Much of the work we do is commissioned ... so it starts with a lot of meetings, sketches, mocks, and a ton of other work prior to carving. Once we get the approval, the first [step] is picking the perfect pumpkin. We source them from local farms, and we look for fresh, physically beautiful pumpkins — meaning, the skin has an even tone and there aren’t bruises or blemishes. Preferably, there’s also a long stem. Then we draw the image on the pumpkin and scoop it out. We open our pumpkins from the back rather than the top, because it makes for a more beautiful aesthetic and it helps the pumpkin hold its shape better. We carve [with] a variety of tools, including wood carving knives and chisels, craft knives, and clay sculpting loops ... Each pumpkin takes between two and 12 hours to make … so we don’t really sleep in [October] because we’re working around the clock. When we first started, our season was the week or two before Halloween ... Now, our season is August to Thanksgiving. During that, [we have a team of] up to 15 people carving hundreds of pumpkins. Q: Since pumpkins are perishable, you can’t really work ahead, right?It’s definitely considered an ephemeral art, so it’s meant to be enjoyed in the moment ... And unfortunately, as soon as you start cutting into a pumpkin, it begins to degrade ... So we try to carve as close to delivery as possible. We don’t let them sit around in our studio. That said, there have been times when we’ve spent a couple hours carving a pumpkin, realized it’s actually rotten on the inside, and had to start over. That’s really unfortunate when you’re on tight deadlines. Q: What have been some of the most memorable pumpkins?Getting to carve our favorite characters for companies like Marvel, Disney, and Nickelodeon have always been highlights. But we’ve also gotten the attention of incredible art institutions, like the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Some of our favorite pumpkins are part of what we call our Artist Series, where we recreate masterpieces for museums ... Translating a famous work of art into another medium, like pumpkin, has its own set of challenges, but as artists, it’s an extraordinary experience to learn ... You develop a deeper relationship with a piece when you stare at it for 12 hours straight, and you get a different appreciation for the artist and their work ... That pushes us to increase our level of detail and what we produce. Q: Are those also the most difficult?The famous works of art are incredibly challenging ... but every year, we carve a giant pumpkin for Luna Park at Coney Island ... It’s typically between 1,000 and 2,000 pounds, so it’s truly massive and the design is always super challenging and complex. It normally takes two or three artists working for 12 to 15 hours straight to complete it ... So those are the most physically and mentally demanding pieces to work on. Plus, when you’re on site, you’re exposed to the elements, and it’s part performance art. It’s in public, so people ask questions and react to what you’re doing, which is part of the fun. But at the same time, you’re not able to fully dial in and just focus on the work. Q: What’s the biggest mistake that people make when carving pumpkins at home?Picking pumpkins that aren’t fresh. People often get them from grocery, hardware, or big box stores, but those pumpkins have been sitting around for a long time, and they’ve been beaten up [while traveling] on trucks. You’re much better off going to a farm stand or pumpkin patch. The other mistake is people don’t plan [their designs]. Even if it’s just a classic jack-o’-lantern, you should always draw those shapes on paper, sketch it onto the pumpkin, and then start carving ... [Another] thing I see people doing too often is using a kitchen knife to carve their pumpkins. Sure, it gives that Halloween movie vibe when you have the big knife out, but you’ll get better results with a smaller, more detail-oriented tool, like even those cheap carving kits [with] the plastic handle saws. And it’s much safer. Q: What do your own Halloween decorations look like?I wish I had the time to carve pumpkins for my house and family, but [at this point], I barely leave the studio unless I’m going to an event and doing demos. My house gets a little bit neglected this time of year. | 
