Sculpture's Last Stand - The 2011 Sisson Family Pumpkin Carvings

My true artistic love has always been sculpture. The only problem with sculpture is what to do with it after you've made it. For instance, my favorite sculpture I ever made was a head of a gargoyle. It turned out great; I was really proud of it. But who needs a life-sized head of a gargoyle sitting in their living room?

So the only outlet my sculpting gets every year is pumpkin carving. It has a practical use, it's festive and inexpensive, doesn't involve a huge time commitment, affords almost unlimited creativity, and you can smash it a week afterwards and not feel bad about it. Because I get to sculpt so seldom, I like to go all out. Last year I decided to make the globe. It was cool for about 12 hours. Then it started to wither, and South America was never quite the same. Australia and New Zealand quickly collided, and Europe began to sag. By the next day, you couldn't even tell what the carving was supposed to be.

This year, I wanted to make up for last year's flop, and I must say I did a pretty good job. I'm especially proud because my design is also original. So without further ado, I give you the 2011 Sisson Family Pumpkin Carvings.

I did the bat for Noah, the Nebraska sunset for myself, and Aaron (in keeping with his hunting/farm boy theme) did the bugling elk.

Closeup. It looks way cooler in person.

See above.

In the light.