Meet the Master Carver: Lee Saberson

Lee Saberson may have moved from Whitefish Bay to Indiana 11 years ago, but the 283-mile drive never stops him from making every year.

Saberson first started out as a pumpkin carver in Whitefish Bay, where he and his family lived for 12 years. He moved to Carmel, a suburb of Indianapolis, about 11 years, ago, and he has returned to the Bay every year since to help with the Great Pumpkin Display.

Having been with the festival for the full 18 years, he is best known as "the master carver."

Saberson said he first got into the art of pumpkin carving as a way to share a time-tested holiday pasttime with his kids.

"Dads have a hard enough time finding hands-on things to do with their kids, and this gives them that chance," Saberson said.

Over the last two decades, his hobby has escalated to a whole new level.

A self-described "engineer with an ego", his pumpkin decorations show his attention to detail and creativity. Some pumpkins have horns, and others have three-dimensional facial features such as noses and eyebrows made of pumpkin scraps.

Rummaging through his large plastic containers of knives, paints and other accessories, he said the key to great pumpkin crafting starts with the tools. He recommends narrow knives - the narrower, the better – and they need not be sharp, either. The agility of a thin blade allows him to achieve the curved lines and intricate designs.

Saberson starts out by choosing his design, then he outlines with pen where he plans to cut. With the philosophy of "pumpkins are our friends," Saberson and other carvers try to make the most of each pumpkin, by using wet pumpkin scraps to erase the pen lines.

With one pumpkin, he carved out large eyes with long eyelashes, and nailed the leftover piece of pumpkin to the top of the pumpkin to resemble horns or antlers.

He recently crafted a set of remote-controlled eyeballs to place inside one of the pumpkins. He also created an elephant face using two gourds.

With a passion for pumpkining, Whitefish Bay's pumpkin festival is akin to the Super Bowl for Saberson. He said he practices in the off-season by sculpting large plastic containers, such as detergent bottles.

Saberson is quick to give credit to Whitefish Bay's original "pumpkin man," Gordy Falk, who helped him hone his craft. The smiley-faced pumpkins with two large teeth and adjoining eyes is one of Falk's legacies, he said.

He also had kind words for another master carver, Craig Voskul, who has been involved with the festival for 10 years and is moving away from Whitefish Bay this week.  

"He is a great all-around guy with a gentle personality – for a very big guy. Most of all (for my sake) he has had tremendous patience," Saberson said. "He has been relegated at times to carve the 30-plus lettered pumpkins for around the fountain before we could get to the 'big boys'."

Saberson appeared on TMJ4's Morning Blend this morning with Tiffany Ogle and Whitefish Bay's Molly Fay. He will also appear on Fox 6's Real Milwaukee Friday morning at 9 a.m.