‘Halloween Wars’ sculptor turns his sights on pumpkins
Jon Neill will carve a pumpkin in the 40-pound range Sunday in Laguna Beach, but for him, that won’t be a big deal.
To put it in mathematical terms, it’s less than one 20th as big as the pumpkin he carved two weeks ago.
The newly hired instructor at Laguna College of Art + Design got a call to fly out to Fair Oaks Farms in Indiana on Oct. 11 and sculpt an 850-pound product of the patch. The event’s organizers, who had seen Neill’s work on the Food Network show “Halloween Wars,” invited him to wield his tools during the farm’s CowtoberFest celebration.
“I set up, and about 3,500 people came out to this Oktoberfest that they threw,” Neill said. “Some people had lawn chairs, and they sat there for six hours to watch me carve the whole thing.”
The pumpkin that Neill chisels at the LCAD on Forest gallery may not take as long to finish, and the venue holds considerably less than 3,500 people. Still, any attention the carving gets will underline the celebrity that Neill brings to LCAD — a fame that goes beyond the one sculpture course he’s teaching this fall.
The West Hills resident got the call this year to teach fantasy sculpture, a class in which students create models of characters they’ve created. A movie-industry veteran, Neill has provided artwork for “The Hunger Games” and a slew of other films and TV shows.
When LCAD President Jonathan Burke realized that his new instructor also competed on “Halloween Wars,” a show that pits contestants against one another to make Halloween-themed displays, he was pleasantly surprised.
“It’s something that I’ve watched and looked forward to on the Food Network,” Burke said. “And I realized that I’d seen him before as an artist, as a carver, and I marveled at what they can do in that short period of time.”
It took Neill quite a few years to perfect that short period. As a child in Illinois, he began carving pumpkins at his family’s home next door to a farm. In a typical season, he estimates, he carved 20 to 30 of them.
Last year, on a friend’s recommendation, he applied for and netted a spot on “Halloween Wars.” Neill is back for this fall’s series, which ends Sunday.
While he awaits the final results that day, Neill will set up shop in LCAD’s satellite gallery at 225 Forest Ave. Raffle tickets will be sold for $10, with the winner getting to take the pumpkin home.
How long does a carved pumpkin last? Neill, who keeps anti-bacterial spray on hand and makes sure to carve pumpkins that have long, green stems because the moisture sustains them, said one of his creations can tough it out for several months.
All right, then — so what happened to the 850-pounder he carved in Indiana?
“It’s still here,” said Jed Stockton, the communications director for Fair Oaks Farms. “It’s a little worse for wear right now, but people stop by and take pictures with it.”
IF YOU GO
What: Pumpkin carving with Jon Neill
Where: LCAD on Forest, 225 Forest Ave., Laguna Beach
When: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday
Cost: Free; $10 for raffle tickets
Information: https://www.lcad.edu/gallery/college-gallery