As guests walk through VanDusen Glow in the Garden this year, there鈥檚 one word 麻豆传媒映画sculptor Bruce Waugh is hoping to hear: 鈥淲ow.鈥�
For Waugh, who has been carving Atlantic giant pumpkins for about 30 years, VanDusen Botanical Garden鈥檚 magical Halloween-themed lightshow walk is considered a 鈥渟pecial鈥� time of the year.
He and fellow sculptors, including well-known artist Clive Cooper, have been helping bring the event to life with three-dimensional carved pumpkin characters since it began in 2016.
鈥淚n the first year at VanDusen we worked on 80 Atlantic giant pumpkins,鈥� Waugh recalled.
Every year the Glow in the Garden takes on a new theme, from last year鈥檚 whimsical enchantment with magical moments from H盲nsel and Gretel to 2017鈥檚 spooky take on Alice in Wonderland.
This year, a new and improved lightshow and a B.C. wildlife theme have taken over the garden.
Pumpkins weighing up to 100 pounds have been carved into native critters to fit the theme. The thicker pumpkins offer more flesh for the artist to carve into.
鈥淚鈥檝e carved four Atlantic giant pumpkins as features and we鈥檙e doing about 50 other sculptures with pumpkins that look great lit up,鈥� Waugh told 麻豆传媒映画.
He has created two owls, a wolf and a raccoon so far.
鈥淚 can do really, really scary things but because VanDusen鈥檚 Glow is a family friendly event I wanted to keep it kid friendly and accessible, rather than have big scary monsters,鈥� Waugh said.
Having said that, the wolf may give you a fright!
The giant pumpkins usually only last a week before they begin deteriorating and are then replenished with new carvings, so you鈥檒l be in for a surprise if you head to the event this week.
Waugh can turn a giant pumpkin into an extraordinary sculpture in two to three hours using ribbon tools (often used in pottery) and a paring knife, but that鈥檚 not all he can sculpt.
The 58-year-old鈥檚 talents stretch to other temporary mediums too. Waugh鈥檚 artistic career was sparked by an interest in sand sculpting in the late 1980s.
鈥淭here was a big sand sculpture contest in White Rock that I saw on TV that spurred me to look into it,鈥� he explained.
鈥淚 did some research and then I thought: 鈥業 could do that.鈥� So I went down to the beach and did a practice sculpture and I got on the front page of the paper 鈥� it was my very, very first sand sculpture. It was very quick notoriety.鈥�
From there, Waugh took his new found passion to a sand sculpture contest in Harrison Hot Springs in 1988 where he met his mentor, Alan Matsumoto.
From creating sand structures, Matsumoto introduced Waugh to the world of pumpkin carving and ice sculpting all in a year.
鈥淚 haven鈥檛 stopped since,鈥� Waugh said.
Waugh said he enjoyed working with all the temporary mediums because it allowed him to create big pieces of art in a short span of time.
鈥淚t looks good and it stays there for a while and then it goes back to the earth,鈥� he said.
Even though he鈥檚 now paid to create magnificent works from pumpkins, ice and sand, Waugh maintains it was never 鈥渟upposed to be a job.鈥�
鈥淔or me this is a hobby blown out of proportion,鈥� he said with a laugh.
Despite having sculpted hundreds of pumpkins and at least 1,000 different sculptures across all the mediums, Waugh doesn鈥檛 tire of the challenge to create new works of art and enjoys pushing his creative boundaries.
鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely a pleasure for me to sculpt, I鈥檝e been doing this for so long and I still learn new techniques 鈥� you find a new tool, or a new method, or somebody inspires you to do something different. I love that about it.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e always, always learning when you鈥檙e sculpting like this.鈥�
His sculpting has taken him on adventures all around the world for events and championships and he hopes it will continue in some capacity for the foreseeable future, even when he eventually retires.
鈥淚 have some peers that are 80 years old and still sculpting in sand. I鈥檓 hoping to be one of those travelling around and putting smiles on people鈥檚 faces,鈥� he said.
For now, he鈥檚 just hoping people will grab a raincoats or umbrella and enjoy a magical walk through VanDusen鈥檚 Glow in the Garden.
鈥淚 like to spend time, when no one knows I鈥檝e made the sculpture, kind of spying on people to see their reactions,鈥� he said.
鈥淚f I get a 鈥榳ow鈥� in front of a pumpkin, then my job is done. That鈥檚 the satisfaction that I get.鈥�
You can see Waugh鈥檚 work in the flesh at Glow in the Garden, taking place every evening from Oct. 17 to 27 with three one-hour time slots (5 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.)
Many evenings sell out, so it is recommended visitors buy tickets in .
