Holtorf Pumpkin Carving Halloween Art Display 2011

If you are looking for pumpkin-carving ideas, then some of these photos may provide inspiration for your pumpkin carving.  

Pumpkins are an amazing canvas and we continue to expand creative ways to use them as an art medium.  Last year we displayed 248 carved, scraped, drilled and sculpted creations.  Our largest carved pumpkin weighed 200 pounds.  For more than 20 years, we have been creating creatures, characters and scenes along with renditions of master art works done by Renoir, Monet, Rockwell and Van Gogh, just to name a few.  One art teacher noted that viewing our art was like taking art history 101.  A complement that was well received.  This year we featured several key participants in the civil war to note the 150 th anniversary of the start of the Civil War.  We will contiune to add to that theme next year.  In addition to witches, goblins and assorted Halloween standards, we will have many kid-friendly characters and several optical illusions.  Red Cloud will make an appearance again this year belching smoke as he gets “fired up” talking with his little friends and maybe some adults too. 

The display is made possible by 14 "core" volunteers that contirbuted time and talent.  Some take vacation time to contribute to what has become a Vienna tradition.  Those were supported by another 30 volunteers that helped make the display possible.  Special thanks to Cox Farms of Centreville VA, for providing us with pumpkin canvas and with the opportunity to demonstrate pumpkin carving at their Fall Festival.