NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — One middle Tennessee mom is known nationally for her art, especially this time of year. Once you see what she can do with it, you're guaranteed to be impressed.
"What I wanted to do was start with something simple," Liza Slaughter-Barker said to a group of people gathered in a classroom area.
Liza laid out all the materials for a class at Cheekwood Estate and Gardens.
"These are ribbon loop tools," she said. "This is what you start with."
The class began carving away at pumpkins.
"This is an extreme type of pumpkin carving," Liza explained. "This type of pumpkin carving is more sculptural."
For that, Liza's a teacher you want. Her past work includes pumpkin carvings of an octopus, the face of Frankenstein's monster, and the Bride of Frankenstein.
"I really like carving faces, realistic faces," Liza said. "I like when you can get it to where the eyes are literally looking at you."
How did Liza get so good?
"One day I decided I wanted to make a really good pumpkin carving for my daughter," she said.
Liza kept perfecting her craft.
Among the people in this class was a father and a daughter spending time together. There were also people learning they have a knack for something new.
"It's just having fun, y'know," smiled a student of the class.
Of course, it's art that doesn't last forever. We know what happens to pumpkins over time, but that's not all there is to this.
"It is so enriching and fulfilling to create things," said Liza. "Even if they do rot, it's the process. I teach my little ones how to pumpkin carve. You can do this as well. That's a means for me to bond with my kids."
What Liza hopes is she can give others that same joy.
"I love it," said Liza to one of the students of the class. "I love this time of year. To me, it's magical."
"Not bad for a first one," smiled a woman, holding up her pumpkin carving.
"It turned out great," added a man with his first pumpkin carving. "I'm really excited about this. This was so much fun."
"There's so many different ways a person can be creative," Liza said.
Liza doesn't have any more classes at Cheekwood currently on the schedule, but she's open to teaching pumpkin sculpting in private lessons. She asks anyone who's interested to reach out to her on Instagram at liza_slaughter_barker.
