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Essays

The Pumpkasso (Thank you, Picasso!)

Nit Wits #23: Pumpkasso

Learn How to Draw My Cartoony Pumpkin

Nit Wits #23: Pumpkasso Posted Oct-01-2005
Pumpkins and Picasso
October is THE month of the pumpkin 'round these parts. Yes, the link between the fall harvest, Halloween, and pagan/druid/orwhathaveyou customs using carved-face gourds to fend off evil spirits — while greeting little children in costumes going door-to-door chanting "trick or treat!" for candy — has much to do with it too.

Whoever picked the pumpkin for this purpose (and jack-o-lantern carving) chose the right sized gourd for it. Think about it: an average pumpkin is at least the size of a human head. This makes it perfect for horseless headsman (oops, headless horsemen) and Sleepy-esque Hallow stories. I used to live near a town named Sleepy Hallow, Illinois. Yes, it really exists! (And I looked everywhere for that horseman!)

I was in Sams Club the other day and Halloween is in full force. I suspect it started in July, but aisles of bagged candy and mud-crusted pumpkins lined the entrance aisle. Somewhere in the middle of the store near the outdoor gear were huge inflated yard ornaments with stacked grinning pumpkins and vampirish ghouls. In the coming weeks neighborhood homes will duplicate the fare and erect their own homemade graveyards and All Hallow's Eve scenes to create magnificent stages of fantasy and creativity for passersby to see. Oh, and random complimentary smashed pumpkins will await us all in the streets.

Last year I tagged Halloween as 'the Beginning of Christmas.' You'll notice this truth when you see your neighbor's previous jack-o-lantern turned backwards and quickly accompanied by a gobbling cardboard turkey on November 1. Somewhere after Thanksgiving it then morphs into the head of a reindeer pulling a Christmas-lighted Santa Sleigh. See, I told you they picked the right fruit!

(A side note on spelling: If you're prone to misspelling the word pumpkin like me, (pumkin, punkin), remember these two things: a water pump and your next-of-kin. Maybe that will be Nit Wits #24...)

Back to Nit Wits #23. With the attention on the favored orange gourds, you can't walk past the Halloween aisle without noticing the novel carving kits. Sure, you can go home and grab a knife from your cutting set and gouge out chunks of Jack. But why would you want to do that when the business world has made pumpkin carving into a sculpting fine art? (There are some very cool online Web sites that have free pumpkin carving patterns you can download too. Pumpkin Masters is one I like).

I've seen barfing jack-o-lanterns, cartoon characters, and Star Wars ships, but I haven't seen a Pumpkasso yet. There's originality for ya, I say. No template or pattern required.

I already had the Pumpkasso idea ready to go, but was further inspired by an actual Picasso painting I found online at the Detroit Institute of Arts Web site. A 1915 painting by Picasso named Bottle of Anis del Mono gave me the humorous perspective I needed to bring the Pumpkasso to life. (© 2005 Chris Dunmire)

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Ongoing Tidbits...

Ernestina Gallina's Rockin' Pansy Painting Project on Creativity Portal

Chris Dunmire's Creative Careers in the Arts Interview (Summer 2008)

Michael Feldman's 'Whad'Ya Know?' Radio Show

May 2008 Tidbit Archives

Free Printable Free-Range Ant Farm Poster

Nit Wits #42: Politically Correct Free-Range Ant Farm

Nurture Your Creativity: Zen Garden

Free Project: How to Make Your Own Desktop Zen Garden for Under $10

Dipping Deeper into the Writing Well

Our Dynamic Human Nature: GROW with the FLOW

26 Simple Ways to Nurture Your Creative Life

Chris's 26 Ways to Nurture Your Creative Life »

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