2024 Pumpkins - No. 2
A Pumpkin Man stands out in the field on a moonlit night in the second entry of the Burnsland 2024 Pumpkins.
For this pumpkin, instead of just drawing a random pumpkin (or four or five) as I have done in the past, I decided to make this one more of a character. And isn’t he all happy, smiling and waving in a friendly manner? Who says Halloween has to always be scary stuff?
When I showed this to Laura, she said, “He is wearing your hat. That’s a little creepy.” But I thought it was a fun touch. He is not supposed to be me. He just has the same taste in hats that I have.
I think he is a pretty snappy dresser!
Appearances
We make quick judgments due to appearances. You might have looked at this guy and immediately thought that you liked him, or that you did not like him. And in this case there is really nothing wrong with that, since this is just a drawing.
But many times we make the same judgments in real life, never giving ourselves a chance to get to know the person other than what we see about them in a split second. We decide we do not like someone based on their looks, height, skin, hair, clothes, and many other things that do not really give a true picture of the person. It takes time to get to know someone and figure out what they are really like. Many times, you might realize that your first impression was completely wrong.
And despite our first, second, or even third impressions, we are called to love one another, and by “one another” we really mean everyone. If we only love those who are like us, who dress nicely, who love us first, we are not following God’s commands. Instead, we are to love everyone, despite how they look or how they treat us.
Do not be quick to judge, but instead be quick to love.
My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? - James 2:1-4
About the Artwork
The file name for this pumpkin is actually “No. 3”, but it is presented here as “No. 2”. That is because the attempt at pumpkin No. 2 fell pretty flat, and I just could not get happy with it. So I gave up and moved on to this guy, who I am definitely happy with. Sometimes when things are not going in the right direction, the best course is to just move on to something else. Knowing when to stop is a challenge sometimes.
And I am not sure if this will be the last pumpkin for 2024 or not. I might have time to squeeze one more in before Halloween. Due to an October trip, I did not have time to draw anything for a week or so, and this pumpkin was actually completed before that trip. So will there be another 2024 pumpkin? Stay tuned!
