New York City is an incredible place for a lot of things…Fall isn’t one of them. While the rest of the Northeast is “leaf peeping” (a term that makes me violently uncomfortable), and humming along on tractor-drawn hayrides through uneven but charming orchard fields, picking crisp firm apples and shapely pumpkins to carve, New Yorkers continue to brunch. Bloody marys are for forgetting Fall-time FOMO. Growing up in Connecticut my feelings for pumpkins are border-line carnal, so it’s unacceptable to me that nearly everyone in the city has lost interest in the great Fall past-time of carving. You could imagine how stoked I was to discover Maniac Pumpkin Carvers, where the tradition is not only alive and well, but on steroids.
Founders, artists and childhood friends Marc Evan (top left on 1st photo) and Chris Soria (top right on 1st photo) showed me around their studio based in Brooklyn, NY where they create their world renowned high-end custom pumpkin carvings. Before it was a business, the duo revived their love for pumpkin carving while studying illustration at Parsons School of Design. Marc and Chris began carving for the local bars and restaurants the were employed with, and eventually gained the attention of Wired.com and larger clients like Martha Stewart and Food Network. Now they provide carving classes, portrait-style etching, live demonstrations and events, company branding, and high-end photography and time-lapse video of custom creations. Pumpkins range from $150 for simple etchings to $500 for elaborate sculptures and carvings.
The studio, which is embedded on the side of a warehouse, had the same laid back, chill vibe you’d get from carving in the backyard with your fam, but make no mistake, days are long, tedious and meticulous. As Fall approaches, the carvers begin routinely receiving shipments of pumpkins by the hundreds from local farmers. What I learned while at Maniac Pumpkin Carvers is size does matter; a pumpkin’s stem girth is strongly indicative of how thick it’s flesh is. After a drawing has been outlined on the unblemished side of the pumpkin, the process of etching with linoleum cutters and loop tools begins. With each stroke, pumpkin shavings cascade onto the work table. Some areas were shaved precariously thin, while other areas remained relatively untouched. It was this play on depth and dimension that began to give the pumpkin new life. The carving process can take anywhere from 6 hours to multiple days to complete depending on it’s complexity. Proximity to Halloween usually requires overnight hours to handle demand. For Chris, working round the clock is worth the gratifying feeling he gets when popping in an electric LED light and watching his painstaking work come to life.
The day I visited, Marc had just completed a carving entitled ” Star Child 113″(Last Photo), a personal piece (arguably his favorite) that was translated from one of his earlier artworks commemorating his son who had passed away. The pumpkin had a psychedelic look to it and you can make out different creatures and shapes every time you look at it. Marc explained that many of the elements were inspired by the toys he remembered his son playing with, but it was his face that he could never get tired of staring at.
Unfortunately, the moments to enjoy these perishable works of art are fleeting, lasting from a few days to a few weeks. But I think that’s what makes this fall tradition so invaluable because it teaches us to enjoy things while we can. Regardless, I’m happy to see these guys are using their personal passion to fuel innovation and creativity in the professional carving world.
