Imperfect Canvas

As Halloween approaches Pumpkin carving is a typical activity. I had two opportunities to try it out. I did a meta pumpkin and an owl (that one I kind of used a pattern for). It was fun. The pumpkin one I wasn't super excited about, but it's grown on me. All this pumpkin carving led to some conversations about them, which is not too surprising. I have always enjoyed making Jack-o-lanterns but not everyone does. Some people understandably don't like the clinging gook that makes your arms itch. But my sister told me that she didn't like carving them because it just isn't a very good medium. Which is true. They bruise, break, and rot. Not to mention that they are really thick so it's hard to show detail and they are not forgiving! And yet, I still like them. After carving my second pumpkin I started thinking about why I like it. I get perverse pleasure when I create something I'm proud of out of a distinctly limited medium. It makes me happy. Case in point are the pictures I made out of a Mr. Potatohead computer program when I was in middle school and high school. Here is a link to a website I made for them http://www.virtualkingdoms.net/spud/museum.html.