The Real Pumpkin King – Ray Villafane!

This is Halloween! Ray Villafane is the visionary and patriarch of the Villafane Studios Sculpting Family. At a very young age Ray showed a knack for art; a passion that…

This is Halloween!

Ray Villafane is the visionary and patriarch of the Villafane Studios Sculpting Family. At a very young age Ray showed a knack for art; a passion that his mother approvingly encouraged him to pursue. Ray graduated from the School of Visual Arts in New York City in 1991. However, also having a passion for children, he elected for a career in teaching and left for Belleaire, Michican where he taught Art for students grade K-12.

It was during his teaching tenure that Ray began “dabbling” in pumpkin sculpting, initially as projects with his students. After several custom-carved requests from students’ parents, Ray realized he was on to something with his pumpkins and started offering them to local hotels and restaurants. It became his fall hobby for several years.

But that was just the beginning!