Jonathan applies his schooling in sculpting clay to create faces in pumpkins. | Photo via Jonathan Barwood
Jonathan Barwood of Portland had just graduated from college with a degree in ceramic sculpture when his mom asked him to carve a pumpkin for the front porch. Since his parents paid for his art school education, he took the request very seriously.
After that, he started entering contests â and the rest was history.
Jonathanâs side hustle as a professional pumpkin carver has been paying his rent or mortgage every October for 20+ years.
Q: How long does it take you to carve a pumpkin?
A: I think the longest I carve now is about eight hours.
Jonathan (far right) on Season 4 of âHalloween Wars.â
Photo via Jonathan Barwood
Q: Who do you carve pumpkins for?
A: I would carve mostly for restaurants and peopleâs front porches, and I did some raffles and some other things like that. Iâve done a lot of corporate stuff, like for Brew Dr. Kombucha.
Q: Letâs talk about the babies in pumpkins.
A: My cousin â I gave him a pumpkin because it was Halloween when I was visiting â and I just went and bought a pumpkin and carved it real fast and then gave it to them because they just had a baby. Iâm like, âHey, hereâs a pumpkin, I do these things and theyâre silly.â And then my cousinâs husband just stuck their kid in it and took a picture, which I thought was great. And then Iâm like, âOh, man, babies and pumpkins â I gotta do that again.â
Jonathanâs son sleeps inside a pumpkin carved to look like J.R.R. Tolkienâs Shelob.
Photo via Jonathan Barwood
Q: Do you have any pro tips on how to make a pumpkin last longer once itâs carved?
A: Okay, so there are a couple of different things. You can hit it with a can of Lysol, but that means you can no longer compost it. Now itâs a toxic sponge and I personally donât like that. So I let them just dry. Itâs really fun to let your pumpkins rot and watch the squirrels, you know?
Part of the joy for me is itâs a very ephemeral artwork. So just like sand sculptures or ice carvings, all of that is like youâre making something really pretty, but itâs not going to last.
Howloween | Mon., Oct. 31 | 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m. | Oregon Zoo, 4001 SW Canyon Rd., Portland | $19.00 - $24.00 | Costumed trick-or-treaters will learn about healthy wildlife habitats on a fun scavenger hunt that ends with treat bags filled with items from companies using deforestation-free palm oil.
Dine the Couve | Mon., Oct. 31 | 12 a.m. | Participating restaurants in Clark County, WA | Itâs the final day of Vancouverâs official dining month â enjoy 3 for $25 and 3 for $35 specialty menus at participating restaurants.*
Tuesday, November 1
The Art of Food | Tue., Nov. 1 - Sat., Dec. 3 | Times vary | Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at PSU, 1855 SW Broadway, Portland | Free | Feast with your eyes on a veritable smorgasbord of art pieces.
Wednesday, November 2
One Page Wednesday | Wed., Nov. 2 | 7-9 p.m. | Literary Arts, 925 SW Washington St., Portland | Free | Share or listen to one page of a work-in-progress from writers; this monthâs featured reader is Frances Badalamenti.
âWendell and Wildâ Screening and Talk with the Animators | Wed., Nov. 2 | 6:30-9:30 p.m. | Pacific Northwest College of Art, 511 NW Broadway, Portland | Free | Watch the stop-motion horror comedy film made in Portland and stay to hear a Q+A with some of the animators.
Portland Trail Blazers vs. Memphis Grizzlies | Wed., Nov. 2 | 7 p.m. | Moda Center, 1 N. Center Court St., Portland | $18.00+ | You know that rule about playing dead if youâre attacked by a bear? Yeah... RIP City wonât be doing that.
We have amonthly guide filled with events + activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.
Congratulations are in order for the Portland Thorns â the winners of the 2022 National Womenâs Soccer League title. The team beat the Kansas City Current with a 2-0 win on Saturday in Washington, DC, making them the only three-time title winners in the league. đ (The Oregonian/Oregon Live)
Opening
Central Library at Southwest 10th Avenue and Taylor Street reopens tomorrow after a three-month closure for construction. So far, one of two outdoor public terraces has been completed, along with improved mobility access. The library will close for another six months starting sometime next year for the next phase of upgrades. đ (Portland Monthly)
Community
NW Natural customers will see a 14.4% increase (on average) in their gas utility bills between November and March. A delayed payment program will have customers pay ~$7 more during winter months, but alternative payment plans + income-qualified discounts are being offered to reduce the impact of price hikes. (KOIN)
Closed
Acclaimed Italian restaurant Renata has closed its doors on Southeast Main Street. The eatery transitioned topickup + delivery servicesduring the COVID-19 pandemic, but the owners said âthe damage doneâ during that time led to their decision to close. Moving forward, they plan to focus on their line of frozen pizzas. đ (Eater Portland)
Cause
This year, Beavertonâs Gung Ho Ministries Boutique raised $100,000 to help cover rent, electricity, and necessities for veterans in need. Founder Tanya Hawkins has been running the non-profit boutique for 11 years and donating all shop proceeds to local veterans. đïž (KOIN)
The local chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals has namedBarbara Coit Yeager its 2022 Outstanding Philanthropist for her 50 years of generosity, volunteerism + community support. Barbaraâs efforts â and charitable giving through her Coit Family Foundation â have supported dozens of Portland causes, from at-risk youth to animal welfare. đž (Portland Business Journal)
How does Scottâs Cheap Flights work? Sign up for free, follow up to five airports, and Scottâs will notify you when flights are 40-90% off. Bonus: You can browse deals immediately after signing up (like a $300+ round trip to Bermuda). đŽ*
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HOLIDAY
A Halloween throwback đ
Trick-or-treat: Halloween throwback featuring your city editors
Youâd better bee-lieve Ben and his little brother were bees for Halloween; Cambrie was a (very salty) pirate. | Photos by PDXtoday
City Editor Cambrie here. My biggest gripe about Halloween is that itâs apparentlyfrowned upon to go door-to-door looking for candy handouts as an adult. Itâs not that I miss the sugar overload (neither does my dentist) â itâs more the sense of nostalgia thinking back on how fun it was to wander around neighborhoods with friends after the sun had set, see all the creative costumes, and be a bit impish.
So City Editor Ben and I took a little walk down memory lane and found some photos from when it was socially acceptable to march up to a strangerâs door and demand candy (while silently wishing for a full-sized Snickers bar). Ah, the good old days.
Editorâs pick: My Halloween costume this year was the Headless Horseman â and for extra credit points, I painted a skeleton on my horse and rode through the neigh-borhood. We turned some heads... and thankfully, I found mine again. Phew.
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