Vancouver pumpkin carver continuing to hone his craft with each seasonal masterpiece
The medium Clive Cooper chose for his art is, by nature, temporary. He likes it that way.
"There's no really good way to preserve a pumpkin," he told CTV News Vancouver in an interview on Halloween weekend.
"You never know, when you pick a pumpkin, how long it's going to last. Once you carve into it or you skin it, the time clock starts for it to rot. Just keeping it cold, you know, as cold as you can, is about the best you can do."
Cooper started carving pumpkins for a work contest, but it soon became a passion. He's sculpted hundreds of pumpkins, watermelons and other fruits into unique and highly detailed creatures.
He told CTV News he draws inspiration from a wide variety of sources.
"Sometimes I go to the sweet side, sometimes I go to the dark side, whatever happens to inspire me that week," he said.
Halloween is typically Cooper's busiest time of the year. He sells carved pumpkins on commission, and also donates some of his works to local organizations.
"Some years, I'm busier than a centipede in a toe-counting contest," he said.
A small carving can take just a few hours, while bigger pieces can take upwards of eight, Cooper said.
It's a lot of effort to put into something that can't be enjoyed for very long, but that's part of the beauty of the process for Cooper. Each carving is another chance to hone his craft and improve, and that's the advice he offers to others interested in teaching themselves to carve.
"Don't get discouraged," he said. "Keep on trying. You don't get good right away. In fact, I'm glad that they don't last, because if I were to go back and look at some of my first pumpkins, I'd be appalled."
To view a photo gallery of Cooper's work, visit his website.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.