Spend some time watching Eric Jones transform a pumpkin into a sometimes spooky, always creative, work of art and you’ll start to understand why he is so popular. It’s not merely his prodigious skills as a 3D sculptor, but his affinity for children and his passion for inspiring them to pursue their own creative interests that are special.

For Eric, pumpkins are a medium that allow for temporary creative expression and act as a connector of sorts, a way to captivate and hopefully inspire others to try their hand at art. He engages his audience, especially the young, often encouraging them to give it a try and imparting a technique or two.

Halloween and other fall traditions such as dressing in costumes and carving jack-o-lanterns stretch back centuries to the ancient Celtic harvest celebration of Samhain and to Irish folk tales, like “Stingy Jack.” While pumpkin carving is now a widespread American tradition around Halloween, pumpkins have not always been the objects being carved. In Ireland and Scotland, folks would carve scary faces into turnips, while in England they often carved large beets. When immigrants sailed across the Atlantic, they brought with them those tales and traditions to the new continent where pumpkins were abundant (they are native to North America and were vital to the Indigenous people).

Eric’s origin story as a master pumpkin carver doesn’t go back quite that far, but it did begin in middle school. It’s probably no surprise that a man who has spent nearly three decades as a caricature artist, drawing over 300,000 people at live events, loved to draw as far back as childhood. What might be surprising, however, is the inspiration Eric found thanks to a teacher. But it wasn’t from being praised for his talents. One day a teacher discovered Eric sketching and told the boy to “find something constructive to do.” The admonition resonated with Eric, but likely not in the way the teacher had intended. After all, why couldn’t he pursue a career that allowed him to do the thing he loved? Why couldn’t art be constructive?

Eric became motived to not just establish his own career through art, but to share that inspiration with kids. “To push themselves,” he says, “and to look at careers that inspire them. Through artwork you can do just about anything in this country. I want to let them know that art is relevant. It’s not just math, science, and engineering that are important. We are a nation of innovative people.”

One might ask, of all the artistic media available to use as a canvas for creation, why pumpkins?

“I have been a 2D artist my whole life,” explains Eric. “I got into pumpkins about eight years ago to hone my 2D skills and fell in love with 3D sculpting.” After he’d been at it for a while, he sent a carved pumpkin to Al Roker on the Today Show, which caught people’s attention. Soon Food Network invited him to try out for the show Halloween Wars. He made the cut (yup, pun intended) and participated on the show. Later, he won the third season of Outrageous Pumpkins.

The celebrity status that came from those shows has lended itself to Eric’s credibility and reputation. In 2023, he expanded on the level of his work by carving the world’s largest pumpkin (which weighed 2,749 pounds before he started cutting). Imagine how many mischievous faeries and spirits that jack-o-lantern might have warded off.

That Guinness World Record and his streaming success have afforded Eric the chance to travel around the country and meet the top growers, so that he is able to procure the largest pumpkin grown each year and carve it.

But what is it like spending time creating art that isn’t going to last? Unlike a marble or bronze sculpture in a museum, or the stone or wood carvings that adorn parks and town squares, Eric’s mediums are primarily pumpkins, snow, and sand, which rot, melt, or wash away. For him, the ephemeral nature of his work adds to the appeal.

“All the work is temporary,” he says. “It’s about process more than the product. When you create something temporary, there’s an urgency to see it.”

Eric often uses the transitory nature of his creations and that sense of urgency to engage in philanthropy. Sculpting For Smiles, a nonprofit he founded, is intended to bring a smile to children who suffer from health issues.

“I try to bring smiles to kids themselves,” says Eric, “so that for a little while at least they might overlook their struggles.” He finds himself creating for sick or injured kids, as memorials or fundraiser foundations in the names of those who have passed away.

“I go to their homes, school, hospital and will make a sculpture of anything they like,” he adds. “There is often a mad rush to come and see it and get a photo with it, which creates an opportunity to raise funds for the child.”

A lifelong Buffalo Bills fan, Eric has also gained a reputation for his snow and sand sculptures related to the team, and has made himself a staple of the Bills Mafia. As a result, he often works with several Bills players, their charities, and the organization. He has a number of sand and snow sculpture activities planned for the upcoming season, including a sand sculpture for Dion Dawkins’ charity.

Throughout October, Eric will be traveling the country carving pumpkins. He buys around 1,000 each fall to sculpt for personal projects, for organizations, and events like Corning’s Days of Incandescence (daysofincandescence.com), October 23 through 25. He’s scheduled to be creating something amazing in Centerway Square from 2:30 to 6:30 p.m. on October 25. Learn more about Eric at ericjonesstudios.com.