About the Artist

Artist Jeanette Paras


 

For more than 30 years, Jeanette Paras has been creating giant celebrity pumpkins in the studio (aka ‘garage’) of her Dublin, Ohio home. It is a labor of love, a passion and a Halloween tradition…that has become an international phenomenon. In all, Jeanette has “pumpkinized” more than 80 giant celebrity pumpkins since 1988.

Jeanette is the mother of three, a retired MBA and a two-time breast cancer survivor. Her most recent bout with cancer came in 2015 when Jeanette had nine hours of surgery that included both a mastectomy and reconstruction. A few short weeks after surgery, she went to work on her pumpkin creation – something her doctors recognized as a vital part of her recovery.

For the artist, creating giant celebrity pumpkins is fun. And the response from the public makes it even more enjoyable. Cars pull over to look; people walk by to take pictures and the media amplifies that attention. “I can’t help myself, I get such a kick out of seeing the reaction people have to my pumpkins,” said Jeanette. “My giant celebrity pumpkins make me laugh and, at the same time, make a lot of other people laugh too. That’s a great feeling.”

The tools of the trade – paints, brushes and anything else needed to create a giant celebrity pumpkin. Tools and secrecy are both necessary. The windows of her garage are covered each year to prevent people from getting a sneak peek.