By Barry Galef

As a boy, I loved Halloween—especially the part where you carved a pumpkin. I wanted my jack-o’-lanterns to be special, but never felt like they stood out. Then in 1970 I tried something a little different: I added some delicate details carved just through the surface of the skin but not the flesh. To my surprise, they showed up in the dark, even though the only light I was using was a candle. It turned out that only the skin of the pumpkin is opaque; the flesh is very translucent and lets light through even if it’s an inch or two thick.

I used that idea the next year, and the next, adding more and more surface detail and minimizing the places where I carved all the way through. Eventually, I realized I was mimicking the technique of woodcut or linoleum block prints—and started using the gouge-like tools designed for that art. Now I can get as much detail as I want, and if I use a bright LED bulb the design shows up to brilliant effect.

I take my time in planning an image on paper before transferring it to the pumpkin. It takes only a few hours to cut around the shapes and carve away the areas I want to show up bright on the jack-o’-lantern. Once I have the design, it takes perhaps ten hours of work to finish the job.

Rather than showing just a single face or monster, I like illustrating complex and dramatic tales. That gives me a chance to tell a story. And if I take good care of them, the jack-o’-lanterns can last surprisingly long—a month or even two! I’ve found that it’s important to keep them cool, to spray them occasionally with a weak solution of bleach to avoid mold, and to cut away any bad
areas as they appear.

In recent decades, I’ve tied the story on my jack-o’-lanterns to the theme of the Christmas Revels, a pageant-like show presented each December at GWU’s Lisner Auditorium. This year, the connection is particularly close: We’re both using Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. It’s a story of honor, wonder, danger, and redemption in King Arthur’s court, perfect for both Halloween and Christmas.

In addition to showing the jack-o’-lanterns at parties and rehearsals for the Revels, I display my jack-o’-lanterns outside my door at 2020 Lanier Drive for the night of Halloween. Come by to see it this year—and then come see the show that shares the same story. You can get tickets to see the show at www.revelsdc.org and see more of my jack-o’-lanterns (and other art) at www.barrygalef.com.