Blue Hill man's pumpkin art is a seasonal sensation

Todd Desautels with one of his creations. Photo courtesy of Todd Desautels.

By Jenna Lookner

BLUE HILL — Visitors to the Blue Hill Co-op this month have likely noticed a massive pumpkin adorned with detailed carvings displayed at the entrance to the popular store. The 905-pound pumpkin was carved by farmer and artist Todd Desautels of Blue Hill who is known for his elaborate art on an unusual canvas: pumpkins. 

Desautels relocated from his native Massachusetts to Blue Hill in 2015, acquiring a large parcel of land with several people who call themselves  “The Farming Artists,”  including his longtime friend and business partner Angela Faneuf who started Tiny Seed Village, an intentional community, on the property in 2024. 

Desautels said he was inspired by pumpkins he saw at the Pumpkin Festivalin Keene, new Hampshire, as a young man. He said he became involved with pumpkin artists and that the community continued to grow. He got his first big contract for a Natick, Massachusetts event in 2006.

“That was when we really proved it to ourselves that this idea could work,” he said. 

It’s hard to miss this giant beauty at the Blue Hill Co-op, carved by Todd Desautels. Photo by Jenna Lookner.

Desautels said he has embraced growing giant pumpkins on his property, but many of the pumpkins that he utilizes are sourced from out of state. He said drought conditions were among the factors that impacted 2025. 

“I didn’t grow as many pumpkins as I would have liked this year,” he said. Desautels grows several varieties including Atlantic Giants which he describes as the “giant pumpkins you see at the fair.” He also grows the varieties Big Max and Prizewinner which he said weigh between 50 and 150 pounds. 

In 2024, Desautels did live demonstrations at the Blue Hill Fair, carving a new pumpkin each day. While he did not return to the venue this year, he said that the Big Max tends to be the variety he takes to events where he does live demonstrations. 

Things get competitive when an artist is hunting for the perfect canvas, he said. Agricultural fairs host auctions where many carvers acquire their pumpkins. Desautels said $1 a pound is about average for the Atlantic Giants—but it’s not unusual to be bid up higher. 

Desautels said professional pumpkin artists typically return the seeds from giant pumpkins to the grower to strengthen genetics. He said he is fortunate that he will be able to harvest and keep the seeds from the pumpkin at the co-op, which he carved for the Big E fair in Massachusetts, even though it was not grown locally. Desautels has been a fixture at the Big E for 17 years, he said. 

While the Big E is among his most prominent and longest running events, Desautels is constantly evolving. He and Faneuf have done pumpkin walks with thousands of jack o'lanterns and Desautels said he is regularly approached for events. 

“A lot of it is word of mouth," he said. “People see what I do from an event like the Big E or from social media. I pretty much do an event every other weekend in season.” 

Desautels says that in addition to the carving events he does at fairs throughout New England, including a recent event at Dole’s Orchard in Maine and the Canton Pumpkin Festival in Massachusetts. He is also commissioned to create decorations. 

“My minimum is about $500 for something smaller,” he said. “I have to factor in the cost of the pumpkin, the labor, and the transportation.”

Desautels’ tool kit typically includes Linozip, a ribbon loop tool, and alcohol based ink. His style is not traditional pumpkin carving, but rather focuses on creating a scene or logo on the surface of the pumpkin, utilizing ink to accentuate the lines. 

“It kind of glows,” he said of the ink.

“I can think of ideas but I can’t commit to anything until I see the pumpkin,” he said. “This year I have been leaning into wildlife scenes, I like to take inspiration from where I am working” 

Now and again Desautels has a moment of realizing how many people have enjoyed his work. 

“I met a woman recently who had a photo of one of my Big E pumpkins as her phone wallpaper,” he said. “That’s what keeps me going.”