Meet the Carvers enthusiasts will no doubt remember that both Sybil and Tom -- our inaugural entries this year -- got profiled last year as well. But, we have some new faces working the knives, too. Making her debut in the Meet the Carvers series is Christina Ruiz.

BB: Tell us something non-pumpkin related about yourself.

CR: Environment is everything.

BB: Very...Jean-Paul Sartre. What kind of carvings are you working on for Blaze 2008?

CR: Fairies, fishes, and faces.

BB: Can you sum up Blaze in three words?
CR: One...Two...Pumpkin!

BB: Can you offer some advice for the casual carver?
CR: Don't drink and carve.

BB: Ah, so that's why my carvings always end in disaster. OK, what's the best music to listen to while carving?
CR: Ratatat.

BB: Love the electronica. Got a pumpkin haiku to share?
CR: Pumpkins on my mind
Scooping, carving out their guts
Pumpkins have no souls.

BB: Yes! I didn't have to ask in the form of a haiku why you didn't have one! OK. What's your favorite thing about Halloween?
CR: Getting to dress up as a gypsy.

BB: Pumpkin pie...a la mode, no a la mode, or no way?
CR: After seeing thousands of pumpkins rot...no way!

BB: If pumpkins could talk, what would they say?
CR: My face is rotting!

BB: If you weren't spending October carving pumpkins, what would you be doing?
CR: Growing vegetables.

BB: Thank you, Christina!

 

You like carvers. We like carvers. Carvers like carvers, too. That's why we are continuing our Meet the Carvers series 08. Next up, Sybil Grieco.

BB: Tell us something non-pumpkin related about yourself.

TH: I'm a designer of fashion dolls.

BB: What kind of carvings are you working on for Blaze 2008?
TH: Baby dinosaurs, fish, faces, and rocks for Pumpkinhenge.

BB: Can you sum up Blaze in three words?
TH: More...To...See!

BB: Love it (and the More To See pumpkins out there) Can you offer some advice for the casual carver?
TH: Let the pumpkin tell you what it wants to be.

BB: What's the best music to listen to while carving?
TH: Indian folk music.

BB: Nice. Got a pumpkin haiku to share?
TH: Sorry, no!
BB: Sybil you must have
one little haiku for me
to share with your fans
TH: Nope, sorry.

BB: OK. What's your favorite thing about Halloween?
TH: Being allowed to ride my broomstick.

BB: Absolutely not. Well, one thing: Pumpkin pie...a la mode, no a la mode, or no way?
TH: A la mode of course.

BB: If pumpkins could talk, what would they say?
TH: Help me!

BB: Yes, especially around here. Now, if you weren't spending October carving pumpkins, what would you be doing?
TH: Sunning on the Riviera.

BB: Thank you, Sybil!

Perhaps the most oft-asked question visitors to the Blaze have is "Who in the heck did all of this carving?!?" Well, in the spirit of explaining just who in the heck, we are launching an all-new Meet the Carvers series for Blaze '08. Our inaugural interviewee: Tom Hunt.

BB: Tell us something non-pumpkin related about yourself.

TH: I'm an interpreter and blacksmith for Historic Hudson Valley.

BB: What kind of carvings are you working on for Blaze 2008?
TH: Dinosaurs, pirates, and rocks.

BB: Can you sum up Blaze in three words?
TH: Whole...Lotta...Fun!

BB: Can you offer some advice for the casual carver?
TH: Just enjoy it and have fun with the carving experience.

BB: What's the best music to listen to while carving?
TH: I like to listen to nature, sounds of the birds singing and the river running.

BB: Very zen. Got a pumpkin haiku to share?
TH: Heck no!
BB: Oh come now Tom Hunt
Surely you can share just one
A few pumpkin words?
TH: Heck no!

BB: Fair enough. What's your favorite thing about Halloween?
TH: Blaze! Is there anything else?

BB: Absolutely not. Well, one thing: Pumpkin pie...a la mode, no a la mode, or no way?
TH: A la mode with enough to cover the whole slice.

BB: If pumpkins could talk, what would they say?
TH: Leave me alone!

BB: I hope that's the pumpkins talking hypothetical...ok, ok, just one more question: If you weren't spending October carving pumpkins, what would you be doing?
TH: Hibernating.

BB: Thank you, Tom!

 

Last but not least in our Meet the Carvers series, we chat with Faith Butterfield.

BB: What's your day job?
FB: I'm a museum interpreter at Van Cortlandt Manor and also a costume maker.

BB: What kind of carvings are you working on for Blaze 2007?
FB: Snakes, spiders, dinosaurs, the Dead Sea, Celtic knots and flowers.

BB: Are you working on any other Blaze-related items?
FB: Costumes for the "directionals," those one-armed skeletal bandits that point the way on the path.
BB: Love those!
FB: Thanks.

BB: What are your preferred carving tools and methods?
FB: An X-Acto knife and keyhole saws.

BB: Got any carving tips for a novice?
FB: Start in the center and work your way out. And, of course, have some fun.

BB: What's your favorite pumpkin-based food?
FB: Pumpkin pie.

BB: What's your favorite Halloween movie?
FB: Edward Scissorhands.

BB: Toasted pumpkin seeds: Salt or no salt?
FB: Salt and a little cayenne pepper.

BB: What makes pumpkins so special?
FB: They shed light and they make people happy.

BB: If I were a carved pumpkin, I'd be...
FB: A witch riding a broom over a full moon.

BB: Thank you, Faith!

Hope you blog readers enjoyed our ongoing series featuring the "dirty (with pumpkin guts) dozen" carvers who helped bring Blaze to life. Hats off to all of them!

As the Meet the Carvers series draws to a close (one left for this year), we catch up with Kate Kennard.

BB: What's your day job?
KK: Museum interpreter right here at Van Cortlandt Manor.

BB: What kind of carvings are you working on for Blaze 2007?
KK: Spiders and Celtic knots for retail.

BB: Are you working on any other Blaze-related items?
KK: General set up.

BB: What are your preferred carving tools and methods?
KK: An X-Acto knife with a very sharp blade, and, if necessary, a hand saw.
BB: For those particularly pesky bits.
KK: Yes.

BB: Got any carving tips for a novice?
KK: Start by carving a hole in the bottom of the pumpkin and look inside for bulges and thick spots, which are areas you want to avoid.

BB: What's your favorite pumpkin-based food?
KK: Seeds, preferably with salt and oil.

BB: What's your favorite Halloween movie?
KK: Arsenic and Old Lace with Cary Grant.

BB: Toasted pumpkin seeds: Salt or no salt?
KK: More salt than one would deem appropriate.
BB: Yea, me too.

BB: What makes pumpkins so special?
KK: They come to life at night.

BB: If I were a carved pumpkin, I'd be...
KK: (singing) Dancin' in the moonlight.

BB: Thank you, Kate!