Top Carver:
A Master Pumpkin Carving Face-Off
Sunday, October 8; 11 a.m.–3 p.m.
Reflecting Pool
See three of the region’s best carvers John Davis, Stephen Brandt Junceau, and Lenny Calvin, put their skills to the test in an afternoon pumpkin carving competition that brings out the ghouls and ghosts in these much-loved gourds.
John Davis is an artist working out of Putnam Valley, NY. Every fall, John (the painter, sculptor and woodworker) transforms into a full time pumpkin carver. John enjoys taking a medium such as pumpkin carving (something everybody has taken a stab at) and elevating it to a point most people didn’t think was possible. The disbelief is where the fun is. 2016 was the first year that he started working with pumpkins as a professional. Since then, John has appeared on the series premiere of Outrageous Pumpkins on the Food Network and has traveled the country displaying his techniques and his eerily realistic carvings from Florida, to Chicago, to Los Angeles.
Stephen Brandt Junceau is a multimedia artist from Chanute, Kansas with a BFA in Illustration from the School of Visual Arts. He works primarily as a visual effects artist in the video game industry, but still utilizes his classical training with commissioned side-work like residential murals, branding design, and portraiture. Among his favorite creative outlets is the month he gets to spend sharing his art by transforming pumpkins into epic Halloween creatures every year. Stephen has been a professional pumpkin artist for six years, creating custom works and live-carving at events across the country.
Lenny Calvin describes himself as a “self-taught artist”. He discovered his love for art at a young age while spending time with his uncle who made his living as a graphic artist and illustrator. Len’s passion for the arts not only includes carving and sculpting in different mediums but sketching as well. His artistic eye found its way into his designing, carpentry and furniture making. Lenny has competed on FoodNetworks Halloween Wars Seasons 6 & 8 and FoodNetworks Outrageous Pumpkins Season 2. He’s been featured on many local & national news stations. His fans can see his work on Instagram, FaceBook & YouTube. He claims his favorite time of the year is when there are an abundance of pumpkins to carve. He calls it “temporary art”. So many pumpkins – so little time!