Ray Villafane: Difference between revisions

Ray Villafane
Ray Villafane
Born	1968 or 1969 (age 55–56); Queens, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Sculpture artist
Spouse	Tammi Schmidt (m. 2003)
Website	villafanestudios.com

Browse history interactively

← Previous edit

Content deleted Content added

VisualWikitext

Inline

Latest revision as of 13:59, 2 August 2024

Ray Anthony Villafane (born c. 1968)^[1] is an American sculpture artist. Villafane was an art teacher for 12 years in Bellaire, Michigan, before becoming a full-time sculptor in 2006. He gained national attention in 2007 when he competed on and won Food Network’s Challenge Show segment “Outrageous Pumpkins”.

Early life and education

Ray Anthony Villafane was born in Queens, New York, and was raised on Long Island. He graduated from the School of Visual Arts in New York City in 1991.^[2]

Career

Villafane worked as a K-12 art teacher^[3] in Bellaire, Michigan, for 12 years. He began to carve pumpkins when one of his students brought a pumpkin to class and asked him to carve it.^[4]

He began working part time in 2003 as a sculptor in addition to teaching. After creating a wax sculpture of the Marvel character Wolverine and posting an image of it online, he was contacted by a company selling products licensed by Marvel; they offered to produce his work.^[5] He resigned from teaching in 2006 to pursue a full-time sculpting career.^[6]

In 2007, Villafane was contacted by Food Network and asked to appear on Food Network's Challenge Show for a segment called "Outrageous Pumpkins". He competed against three other professional pumpkin sculptors and won each of the three rounds, winning the grand prize. It received the highest ratings of any Food Network Challenge. In 2009, he was invited back to Outrageous Pumpkins and won the show a second time.^[7]

In September 2010, Villafane competed in the World Championship of Sandsculpting in Federal Way, Washington,^[4] placing third in the doubles category alongside his partner John Gowdy.^[8]

In 2011, while attending a display at the New York Botanical Garden, he carved the world's biggest pumpkin to resemble a zombie apocalypse scene.^[9] He also carved pumpkins for Heidi Klum's annual Halloween party in Las Vegas in 2011.^[10] Villafane participated in the Food Network mini-series Halloween Wars that aired in October 2011.^[2]

Personal life

Villafane married Tammi Schmidt in 2003.^[6] They have a blended family of six children.^[2]

He is allergic to pumpkins.^[11]

References

^ VanDenburgh, Barbara. "Pumpkin carving master Ray Villafane turns pumpkins into works of art". USA Today. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c Gamerman, Ellen (October 22, 2011). "Ray Villafane, the Picasso of Pumpkin Carving | Creating - WSJ". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on April 1, 2015. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
^ Ramirez, Vanessa (October 30, 2020). "Arizona man sculpts masterpieces in pumpkins". 12news.com. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
^ ^a ^b Coffey, Laura. "Great gourds! Take your pumpkin carving to new level". MSNBC. Archived from the original on October 27, 2011.
^ "The great pumpkin carver". www.royalgazette.com. October 21, 2011. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
^ ^a ^b Craven, Scott. "See it: The man who turns pumpkin-carving into art". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
^ "It's "The Great Pumpkin Carver", Bermuda". Bernews. October 28, 2011. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
^ "Lines in the sand: Artists' sculptures boggle the mind". November 3, 2011. Archived from the original on November 3, 2011. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
^ Chalk, Andy (October 25, 2011). "The World's Biggest Pumpkin, Carved Into Zombies!". The Escapist.
^ "Incredible (and freaky!) pumpkin carvings". Connecticut Post. October 25, 2011. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
^ Hartman, Steve (October 25, 2010). "Meet the Edward Scissorhands of Pumpkin Carving". CBS News. Retrieved September 22, 2022.

External links

Villafane Studios
Ray Villafane at IMDb

[1] VanDenburgh, Barbara. "Pumpkin carving master Ray Villafane turns pumpkins into works of art". USA Today. Retrieved September 20, 2022.

[:1-2] Gamerman, Ellen (October 22, 2011). "Ray Villafane, the Picasso of Pumpkin Carving | Creating - WSJ". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on April 1, 2015. Retrieved September 20, 2022.

[3] Ramirez, Vanessa (October 30, 2020). "Arizona man sculpts masterpieces in pumpkins". 12news.com. Retrieved September 22, 2022.

[:0-4] Coffey, Laura. "Great gourds! Take your pumpkin carving to new level". MSNBC. Archived from the original on October 27, 2011.

[5] "The great pumpkin carver". www.royalgazette.com. October 21, 2011. Retrieved September 21, 2022.

[:2-6] Craven, Scott. "See it: The man who turns pumpkin-carving into art". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved September 21, 2022.

[7] "It's "The Great Pumpkin Carver", Bermuda". Bernews. October 28, 2011. Retrieved September 21, 2022.

[8] "Lines in the sand: Artists' sculptures boggle the mind". November 3, 2011. Archived from the original on November 3, 2011. Retrieved September 22, 2022.

[Worlds_Biggest_Pumpkin-9] Chalk, Andy (October 25, 2011). "The World's Biggest Pumpkin, Carved Into Zombies!". The Escapist.

[10] "Incredible (and freaky!) pumpkin carvings". Connecticut Post. October 25, 2011. Retrieved September 21, 2022.

[11] Hartman, Steve (October 25, 2010). "Meet the Edward Scissorhands of Pumpkin Carving". CBS News. Retrieved September 22, 2022.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{BLP sources|date=December 2011}}
+{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2023}}
+{{short description|American sculpture artist}}
-'''Ray Anthony Villafane''' (born March 5, 1969) is an American artist based in [[Arizona]], who specializes in sculpting. Most famously known for his 3-D Style [[pumpkin carving]]s, Villafane also sculpts action figures and collectibles, sand and snow.
+{{Infobox person
+| name               = Ray Villafane
+| birth_date         = {{birth based on age as of date |49|2018|10|15}}
+| birth_place        = [[Queens, New York]], U.S.
+| occupation         = Sculpture artist
+| spouse             = {{married|Tammi Schmidt|2003}}
+| website            = {{url|villafanestudios.com}}
+}}
+'''Ray Anthony Villafane''' (born {{circa}} 1968)<ref>{{Cite web |last=VanDenburgh |first=Barbara |title=Pumpkin carving master Ray Villafane turns pumpkins into works of art |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/grateful/2018/10/15/ray-villafane-pumpkin-carving-halloween/1591119002/ |access-date=September 20, 2022 |website=USA Today |language=en-US}}</ref> is an American sculpture artist. Villafane was an art teacher for 12 years in [[Bellaire, Michigan]], before becoming a full-time sculptor in 2006. He gained national attention in 2007 when he competed on and won [[Food Network]]’s Challenge Show segment “Outrageous Pumpkins”.
-==Career==
-Villafane was born in [[Queens, New York]], and was raised on Long Island. He graduated from the [[School of Visual Arts]] (SVA) in [[New York City]] in 1991.<ref name=wsj>{{cite news|url=https://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204346104576639122627836298.html|title=Ray Villafane, the Picasso of Pumpkin Carving |publisher=[[Wall Street Journal]]|date=22 Oct 2011}}</ref> From 1993 to 2006 he was an art teacher in [[Bellaire, Michigan]] for kindergarten through twelfth grade students. Villafane started sculpting part-time in clay and wax in 2004 as a freelance sculptor in addition to teaching. His overnight success allowed for him to resign from teaching in 2006 to pursue a full-time sculpting career.  Some newly acquired techniques took Villafane's hobby of pumpkin sculpting to a whole new level and also expanded his career to other mediums such as sand, snow and other fruits and vegetables.
-== Collectibles and Actions Figures ==
+==Early life and education==
+Ray Anthony Villafane was born in [[Queens, New York]], and was raised on [[Long Island]]. He graduated from the [[School of Visual Arts]] in [[New York City]] in 1991.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Gamerman |first=Ellen |date=October 22, 2011 |title=Ray Villafane, the Picasso of Pumpkin Carving {{!}} Creating - WSJ |url=http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970204346104576639122627836298 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150401012935/http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970204346104576639122627836298 |archive-date=April 1, 2015 |access-date=September 20, 2022 |website=[[The Wall Street Journal]]}}</ref>
-Villafane's first "practice" sculpture actually became his first professional sculpture.  In 2004, he sculpted a Logan version of the [[Marvel Entertainment|Marvel]] character [[Wolverine (character)|Wolverine]].  The sculptor [[Randy Bowen]] of [[Bowen Designs]] contacted Villafane and offered to produce his statue. Between 2004 and 2005, Ray went on to sculpt several other statues for Bowen Designs including other Marvel characters such as [[Sabretooth (comics)|Sabretooth]], [[Magneto (comics)|Magneto]], and [[The Punisher]].  He continued to pick up new clients such as [[MacFarlane Toys]] and [[Sideshow Collectibles]] before signing exclusively with DC Comics.
+== Career ==
-[[DC Comics]] toy division [[DC Direct]], inked a two-year contract with Villafane in 2006.  He renewed his contract in 2008 for another two years, sculpting [[action figure]]s and [[collectible]] statues. Villafane presently continues to freelance working alongside other clients such as [[Hasbro]] and [[Blizzard Entertainment]].
+Villafane worked as a K-12 art teacher<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ramirez |first=Vanessa |date=October 30, 2020 |title=Arizona man sculpts masterpieces in pumpkins |url=https://www.12news.com/article/news/local/arizona/arizona-man-sculpts-masterpieces-in-pumpkins/75-93851a92-d4c8-4c29-93e4-fdf11e46240c |access-date=September 22, 2022 |website=12news.com |language=en-US}}</ref> in [[Bellaire, Michigan]], for 12 years. He began to carve pumpkins when one of his students brought a pumpkin to class and asked him to carve it.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |last=Coffey |first=Laura |title=Great gourds! Take your pumpkin carving to new level |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna39527582 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111027171305/http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/39527582/ns/today-today_halloween_guide/t/great-gourds-take-your-pumpkin-carving-new-level |archive-date=October 27, 2011 |publisher=[[MSNBC]]}}</ref>
+He began working part time in 2003 as a sculptor in addition to teaching. After creating a [[wax sculpture]] of the [[Marvel Entertainment|Marvel]] character [[Wolverine (character)|Wolverine]] and posting an image of it online, he was contacted by a company selling products licensed by Marvel; they offered to produce his work.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 21, 2011 |title=The great pumpkin carver |url=https://www.royalgazette.com/archive/lifestyle/article/20111021/the-great-pumpkin-carver/ |access-date=September 21, 2022 |website=www.royalgazette.com |language=en-US}}</ref> He resigned from teaching in 2006 to pursue a full-time sculpting career.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Craven |first=Scott |title=See it: The man who turns pumpkin-carving into art |url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/life/2014/10/19/see-man-turns-pumpkin-carving-art/17550863/ |access-date=September 21, 2022 |website=The Arizona Republic |language=en-US}}</ref>
-== Pumpkins ==
-In 2007 Villafane was contacted by High Noon Entertainment and asked to participate in the [[Food Network Challenge|Food Network's Challenge Show]] for a segment called "Outrageous Pumpkins".  He competed against three other professional pumpkin sculptors and won all three rounds to receive the grand prize.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/39527582/ns/today-today_halloween_guide/t/great-gourds-take-your-pumpkin-carving-new-level/|title=Great gourds! Take your pumpkin carving to new level |publisher=[[MSNBC]]}}</ref> The Food Network contacted Villafane again in 2009 to come back to the show and defend his title.  He was also the grand prize winner for the "Outrageous Pumpkin Challenge II". In 2011, he carved the world's biggest pumpkin to resemble [[zombie]]s.<ref name="Worlds Biggest Pumpkin">{{cite web|url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/113821-The-Worlds-Biggest-Pumpkin-Carved-Into-Zombies|title=The World's Biggest Pumpkin, Carved Into Zombies!|publisher=[[The Escapist (magazine)]]|date=25 Oct 2011}}</ref>  He also provided pumpkins for [[Heidi Klum]]'s annual Halloween party in [[Sin City]] in 2011.
+In 2007, Villafane was contacted by [[Food Network]] and asked to appear on Food Network's Challenge Show for a segment called "Outrageous Pumpkins". He competed against three other professional pumpkin sculptors and won each of the three rounds, winning the grand prize. It received the highest ratings of any Food Network Challenge. In 2009, he was invited back to ''Outrageous Pumpkins'' and won the show a second time.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 28, 2011 |title=It's "The Great Pumpkin Carver", Bermuda |url=https://bernews.com/2011/10/its-the-great-pumpkin-carver-bermuda/ |access-date=September 21, 2022 |website=[[Bernews]]}}</ref>
-== Sandsculpture ==
-After seeing Villafane's performance on Food Network carving pumpkins, a Florida-based sandsculpting company, [[Sultans of Sand]], contacted Villafane to see if he had ever tried his hand at sandsculpting. His first attempt yielded amazing results and lead to further invitations to sandsculpt around the world.  Villafane has taken part in sandsculpting events in [[Jesolo, Italy]], twice in November 2009 and 2010 creating a Nativity scene and in the summer of 2009 creating the shows main masterpiece [[Dante's Inferno]].  He was also commissioned by  [[St. Basil Cathedral]] in [[Moscow Russia]] to sculpt alongside other sandsculptors from around the world. He also competed in the [[World Championship of Sandsculpting Competition]] in [[Federal Way, Washington]] in September 2010 taking 1st place in the double's category alongside John Gowdy.
+In September 2010, Villafane competed in the World Championship of Sandsculpting in [[Federal Way, Washington]],<ref name=":0" /> placing third in the doubles category alongside his partner John Gowdy.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 3, 2011 |title=Lines in the sand: Artists' sculptures boggle the mind |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna39407415 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111103161803/http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/39407415/ns/today-travel/t/lines-sand-artists-sculptures-boggle-mind/ |archive-date=November 3, 2011  |url-status=live |access-date=September 22, 2022 }}</ref>
-== Media ==
-In addition to the ''[[Food Network Challenge]]'' shows, Ray also participated in the Food Network mini-series ''[[Halloween Wars]]'' that aired in October 2011.  Villafane was also a guest on the ''[[Martha Stewart Show]]'' October 19, 2011 to teach Martha the 3-D Pumpkin Carving Style and where she referred to him as "the [[Michelangelo]]" of Pumpkin Carving.  In 2010, ''[[The Evening News with Katie Couric]]'' sent their segment producer [[Steve Hartman]] to record one of his [[Assignment America]] segments on Ray's pumpkins where he refers to Villafane as "the best pumpkin carver in the world".
+In 2011, while attending a display at the [[New York Botanical Garden]], he carved the world's biggest pumpkin to resemble a [[zombie apocalypse]] scene.<ref name="Worlds Biggest Pumpkin">{{cite web |last=Chalk |first=Andy |date=October 25, 2011 |title=The World's Biggest Pumpkin, Carved Into Zombies! |url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/113821-The-Worlds-Biggest-Pumpkin-Carved-Into-Zombies |publisher=[[The Escapist (magazine)|The Escapist]]}}</ref> He also carved pumpkins for [[Heidi Klum]]'s annual Halloween party in [[Las Vegas]] in 2011.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 25, 2011 |title=Incredible (and freaky!) pumpkin carvings |url=https://www.ctpost.com/news/slideshow/Incredible-and-freaky-pumpkin-carvings-31672.php |access-date=September 21, 2022 |website=Connecticut Post |language=en-US}}</ref> Villafane participated in the Food Network mini-series ''[[Halloween Wars]]'' that aired in October 2011.<ref name=":1" />
-In 2011, you could find photos of Villafane and/or his Pumpkin(s) in ''[[People Magazine]]'' October 24, 2011 Edition on Page 90, ''[[Star Magazine]]'' November 14, 2011 Edition on Page 6 and ''[[Men's Health Magazine]]'' October 2011 Edition Page ___. He was also featured in the ''[[Wall Street Journal]]'', the front page of the ''[[Las Vegas Sun]]'' and over in the [[UK]] in such publications as ''[[The Sun (United Kingdom)|The Sun]]'', ''[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]'' and ''[[The Post (British newspaper)|The Post]]''. In 2010, his pumpkin photographs were featured in ''[[Rosebud Magazine]]''.
+== Personal life ==
-''[[Readers Digest]]'' featured Ray's pumpkins on their website in 2010 and ''[[MSNBC Today Show]]'' website featured his pumpkins in 2010 and 2011.
+Villafane married Tammi Schmidt in 2003.<ref name=":2" /> They have a [[blended family]] of six children.<ref name=":1" />
+He is allergic to pumpkins.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hartman |first=Steve |date=October 25, 2010 |title=Meet the Edward Scissorhands of Pumpkin Carving |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/meet-the-edward-scissorhands-of-pumpkin-carving/ |access-date=September 22, 2022 |website=[[CBS News]] |language=en-US}}</ref>
 ==References==
+{{reflist}}
-<references/>
 == External links ==
 * [http://villafanestudios.com/ Villafane Studios]
+* {{IMDb name|4218590}}
-* [http://www.notesontheroad.com/Interviews/Front-Page-Stories/Ray-Villafane.html/ Notes on the Road Interview with Ray Villafane]
+{{authority control}}
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Villafane, Ray}}
-[[Category:Articles created via the Article Wizard]]
+[[Category:Sculptors from Arizona]]
-[[Category:Artists from Arizona]]
 [[Category:School of Visual Arts alumni]]
 [[Category:Living people]]
 [[Category:1969 births]]
-[[Category:American sculptors]]
-[[Category:Painters from New York (state)]]
 [[Category:People from Bellaire, Michigan]]
+[[Category:Sculptors from New York (state)]]