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For all of us mere mortals, successfully carving one jack-o'-lantern—even if it features a wobbly smile and a too-small nose—is a feat to pull off each Halloween season. But for the autumnal gods and goddesses who preside over The Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze, carving thousands of jack-o'-lanterns is a must.
Blaze, a Hudson Valley staple for two decades, presents dozens of jaw-dropping artistic displays—many made with real pumpkins. Michael Natiello, the creative director for The Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze, delights in the process. He sat down with Time Out New York—while carving a jack-o'-lantern, of course—to offer a behind-the-scenes look at the seasonal splendor that's become a beloved tradition for many New Yorkers.
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For Natiello and his team of artists, the work actually begins months before fun-size candy bars go on sale and giant Jack Skellingtons decorate stores. All year, they brainstorm, plan and design, coming up with imaginative new pumpkin creations. Natiello draws on his passion for historical illustration to come up with displays rooted in the past, a fitting tribute considering Blaze is a production of Historic Hudson Valley.
Then, as fall nears, the pumpkins start arriving. Nearly 10,000 pumpkins show up on flatbed trucks throughout the season, all sourced from Wallkill View Farm in New Paltz.
From there, the process looks pretty similar to the traditional American pumpkin-carving method—except this operation is on steroids.
The process looks pretty similar to the traditional American pumpkin-carving method—except this operation is on steroids.
Take the carving instrument, for example. Instead of a common kitchen knife, the Blaze artists use a drywall saw to cut a hole from the bottom of the pumpkin. That’s a helpful tool when carving hundreds of pumpkins every day, Matiello tells me. Woodworking tools, keyhole saws and thin serrated knives are their tools of the trade.
The artists do special wrist stretches before they sink their saws into pumpkin after pumpkin. Like elite athletes, they load up on bananas to reduce cramping. Some people even wear braces to stabilize their joints. After a long day of pumpkin carving, many look forward to one particular task: Washing dishes to warm up their hands after touching cold pumpkins all day.
It's not just a one-time carving bonanza. The artists stay on throughout the Halloween season, ready to carve fresh artwork when the heat and the rain take their toll on existing pumpkin displays.
More than a dozen carvers take on the Herculean task of carving thousands of pumpkins to make Blaze possible. Each year, Natiello hires specialized artists for the task, often looking for people with skills like engineering abilities.
For the past two decades, Natiello has been taking on this challenging job year after year.
He grew up in New Jersey carving more traditional jack-o'-lanterns as a kid, but he was entranced by the incredible jack-o'-lantern artistry he saw Martha Stewart create on TV. He's always loved Halloween, with its feeling of "escaping from reality"—and now he's made it a successful career.
When Historic Hudson Valley was looking for an artist for their Blaze concept, Natiello jumped at the chance as a way to combine his background in illustration, painting, religion, mythology and historical crafts. When he was hired, Natiello created storyboards with his concepts and even made a topographical map of the property, placing dots where each pumpkin would go. Blaze, which started at 18 nights, now offers 54 nights of all-ages fun with incredible lighting, audio and art.
My closest analogy is like going to a movie where you will be totally immersed.
“As artists we want to, in this case, make people happy and think a little bit—and forget about everyday life,” Natiello says. “I always say my closest analogy is like going to a movie where you will be totally immersed.”
When you visit Blaze, you might just spot Natiello in the crowd. He loves to see fans enjoying the work, especially at his favorite installation: “The Road to Infinity,” which makes a cool optical illusion that you have to see to believe.
Jack-o'-lantern tips from the pro
If you feel inspired to make your own artistic pumpkin creation this year, Natiello offers a few tricks of the trade.
- Pick carefully. Choose a pumpkin that's dark orange with a thick stem. You want something heavy, which indicates that it likely has thick walls. Think about what you want to create, too. For a Frankenstein pumpkin, a squarish shape would be perfect.
- To scoop the seeds, try a spoon or an ice cream scoop.
- Sketch out your design first with a Sharpie. You can wipe off the marks when you're all done.
- When carving, don’t try to push the thing you carved into the pumpkin. Instead, push it out from the inside.
- During your carving process, be sure to start in the center and work your way out for stability.
- To light it up, use a battery-operated candle instead of a real one. It's safer and some even offer changing light colors.
- Keep it cool. When your jack-o'-lantern is not on display, keep it somewhere cool, so it stays as fresh as possible.
Blaze: Hudson Valley runs at Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton-on-Hudson in Westchester County from September 13 through November 17. Blaze: Long Island runs at Old Bethpage Village Restoration in Old Bethpage, Long Island from October 4 through November 3. Tickets are on sale now with adult prices starting at $20.