Forget jack-o’-lanterns with scary faces. As far as Elvira England is concerned, carving pumpkins should not be limited to customary Halloween themes.
In 2014, a koi fish and hummingbird were among her creations. So far in 2015, she has created a mermaid, a deer-skull-and-roses homage to Georgia O’Keeffe, an owl and a ballerina performing an arabesque.
“I just love carving pumpkins,” she said. “I like the challenge of a medium you only use once a year, because you never get used to it. I kind of like that.”
England has three tips for people who want to ramp up their pumpkin-carving artistry:
Don’t be afraid to expand your repertoire and try new things.
“It drives me crazy when people say they’re not artistic,” she said. “I think it’s human to create, and it’s good to be stepping outside your comfort box and trying something new.”
Draw your design on the pumpkin before you begin carving. With pumpkins, you’re working in negative space, carving out the parts that are not the design, which is different than other art forms.
“I think it’s easier for me from doing psanky (a Ukrainian form of decorating eggs),” England said. “Psanky’s kind of backward, too, because you move from dark to light with it.”
England uses tools found at the grocery store – primarily pumpkin saws and metal skewers. She makes the first incisions in the pumpkin with the skewer before inserting the saw for cleaner cuts.
“I realized that the mediums I enjoy (pumpkins, eggs) are the most fragile, the things that are fleeting and don’t last,” she said. “But I still put the pumpkins outside all week, and when a critter ate one this week, it was not a big deal.”
abutler@durangoherald.com
