Santa Rosa wood carver's pumpkin portraits a hit

President Barack Obama, the Beatles and the Bride of Frankenstein all share an unlikely distinction.

Their likenesses have been etched into the ubiquitous orange orb of the Halloween season by the skilled hand of master pumpkin carver Jason Todd.

The Santa Rosa artisan visits fall festivals and pumpkin patches to work his magic, conjuring up images of pop culture and politics, rock stars and movie monsters.

Using the skills he perfected during his long career as a wood carver and furniture maker with Reed Bros. in Sebastopol, the retiree transforms pumpkins into mad scientists, iconic musicians and present-day celebrities, taking pumpkin carving to a new level.

There aren’t any classic jack-o’-lanterns in his repertoire, but Count Dracula, comedian Ellen DeGeneres and cute Disney princesses from “Frozen” have been featured on the large, 12- to 15-inch-wide pumpkins he prefers for his seasonal art.

His work is fleeting, though, with photographs his only lasting tribute.

“It’s like an ice sculpture. It’s not going to last forever,” said Todd, 63. “It could last three or four weeks, tops, or start dying the next day. Once they start to go, they start to go.”

Todd fell into the medium when Greg Duncan, a scenic designer and neighbor with faith in Todd’s talents, signed him on to pay tribute to six prominent San Franciscans for a fall event in the city’s Ghirardelli Square.

When Todd nodded affirmatively to the casual question, “You know those pumpkins that look like real portraits of people?” Duncan responded, “Good, because I got you a job.”

In an instant, the woodworker became a pumpkin carver.

“I didn’t know how to do it,” Todd said.

“I had never done it before.”

That was 25 years and hundreds of pumpkin portraits ago.

Todd initially crafted the likenesses of San Francisco celebrities, including then-Mayor Willie Brown and Steve Young, the 49ers quarterback.

Todd simply transferred his carving expertise from the grain of wood to the ribbed skin of the autumn squash.

He uses woodworking instruments like a V-shape parting tool - not chisels - to make superficial carvings after tracing portraits onto pumpkins with an overhead projector.

He brings the prepped pumpkins to public appearances, where crowds watch as he turns his traced images into sculptured portraits.

Todd uses a permanent black marker to shade the images, then meticulously etches shallow highlights and details into the skin.

Early on, he discovered he could better define his images using a marker, rather than relying on the pumpkin’s flesh and skin. The results are dramatic, even though the curve of the orbs can distort faces a bit.

He looks for images that translate well from key features like the eyes, nose and mouth.

His work often is spot-on, whether they’re portraits of politicos John McCain and Mitt Romney or late rockers Prince and David Bowie. The late, great Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead is among Todd’s favorite pumpkin images.

Sometimes pumpkin portraits speak to viewers in different ways.

His carving of a bespectacled John Lennon with long hair instead resembled a popular wizard to a child.

Todd had to laugh ­- and find a new Lennon image - when the young boy exclaimed, “Look, Mommy! It’s Harry Potter!”

There’s no mistaking one portrait prompted by this year’s unprecedented presidential campaign. Todd couldn’t resist etching candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton face-to-face with lips puckered for a kiss, carved within a heart.

Republicans and Democrats alike were amused by this season’s popular pumpkin, one of about 20 carvings Todd does each fall.

“Usually when I do a political thing I try to find the best pictures of both, even though I’m biased,” said Todd, who wears his hair and beard on the long side and keeps his political leanings to himself.

He spends an hour or so on each pumpkin, much longer for more involved portraits like the one he did of King Kong.

He has a special affection for musicians, “particularly dead ones,” and always pays tribute to someone newsworthy who has recently departed.

His artwork “is topical, it’s in the news,” he said. “This year there were so many dead celebrities, half my pumpkins were tribute pumpkins.”

He’s done a “27 Club” series that pays homage to musicians who all died at age 27 - Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain and Jim Morrison among them.

Acknowledging the macabre leanings of the Halloween season, “I’ve considered serial killers and mass murderers but haven’t done that,” he said. “It’s a little too creepy.”

He’s created portraits of local winemakers and chefs for various jobs he’s done, and even has crafted a likeness of his favorite pumpkin grower, Bob Muelrath. Todd often barters pumpkins for appearances at Muelrath Ranches Pumpkin Patch, located near his home in rural southwest Santa Rosa.

He sometimes takes creative liberty, too, with one pumpkin showcasing a guitar-playing Darth Vader from “Star Wars.”

Todd loves sharing the fun of the season with people of all ages. The personable carver answers questions, discusses pumpkin trivia and typically holds drawings for his pumpkin portraits.

“I hope it represents the season and gets everyone rolling,” he said of his art. “I’m pretty proud of what I do, but it’s transitory. I’m glad someone else ends up with them.”

Contact Towns Correspondent Dianne Reber Hart at sonomatowns@gmail.com.