Well here we are... the Countdown to Halloween 2011 officially kicks off today, October 1st, and I figured what better way to get into the spirit of the season than to celebrate with some of the most awesome jack-o-lanterns I have ever laid my eyes upon. In preparation for this month I had considered doing a series of posts on pumpkin carving, an artform that I believe is often forgotten in modern All Hallow's celebrations, and in doing so discovered for myself the wonderfully wicked work of Ray Villafane.A 2-time winner of Food Network's Outrageous Pumpkins Challenge Show, Villafane is a Michigan-based artist who has done work for such companies as Sideshow Collectibles, McFarlane Toys, and Bowen Designs among others. Applying the same insane attentional to detail and twisted features to rotund, orange-colored spheres he has managed to create some of the most awe-inspiring carved pumpkins I've ever seen. I really cannot stop staring at that skull...
Click to enlarge photos:
Artwork © Ray Villafane
This article is part of the Countdown to Halloween blogathon, a month-long blogging marathon dedicated to honoring the Halloween season. For more information and a full list of participating sites, please visit www.countdowntohalloween.com.
Those are crazy awesome!