By Sarah Koehler | Photos courtesy of Dennis Franzen
From the halls of Lake Geneva’s Badger High School to the Food Network’s “Halloween Wars,” artist Dennis Franzen has long impressed audiences with his skills in a wide range of unique media. Today, his Franzen Studio creates everything from wall murals, sculpture work, boat wraps, wood carvings, and illustrations to intricate chainsaw carvings and masterfully spooky carvings. Here’s just a glimpse of how he got to where he is today — and his tips for how you can up your pumpkin carving skills, too!
ATL: How did you get started in such a unique field of art?
DF: From a very young age I had the ability to draw pretty well. Everyone wanted me to draw something for them. When I got to Badger High School and enrolled in art class freshman year, I was fortunate enough to land in the class of Lamar ‘Sparky’ Lundberg. Sparky had us trying our hands at everything, which is what instilled in me to continue that pattern throughout my career.
In my late teens, I set up in the lobby of [Delavan’s] Lake Lawn [Resort] doing portraits of guests and selling movie star portraits. One of the guests worked at Phase 2 Art Studio in Chicago and invited me to show my portfolio there. That led to working at other art studios and ad agencies throughout Chicago, New York and California.
ATL: What about sculpting specifically? How did that start for you?
DF: In 1995, I saw a bronze eagle sculpture for $800 and thought, “I can sculpt my own.” Since then, I have sculpted for Wild Wings, Bradford Exchange, Big Sky Carvers and Demdaco. And I also do work for a few bronze foundries throughout the country. When 9/11 happened, I created a fireman sculpture called “America’s Hero.” The TV show “Chicago Fire” featured this sculpture in a few of their episodes. Other pieces of my work have been in movies, commercials, TV shows and on billboards.
ATL: What was it like to compete on the Food Network’s “Halloween Wars”?
DF: It was an amazing experience. I went through an interview process and my pumpkins passed the test!
ATL: And how did you get started with pumpkins, specifically?
DF: Many years back, I had seen some of [artist] Ray Villafane’s pumpkin carvings. I wanted to try what he did, so I started playing around with pumpkins. Someone heard my name in the pumpkin carving world, which led to my first carving gig. I carved for the Chicago Bears vs. New York Jets game being played at Soldier Field. That started my career as a pumpkin artist.
ATL: What advice would you give to the novice pumpkin carvers who want to try their hand at some autumn carvings?
DF: There are all sorts of tricks of the trade that can make your pumpkin be a one-up from the one you carved last year. Scraping layers versus cutting into the pumpkin for dark and light contrasts is one way to go. Instead of just using a knife, try wood or clay carving tools. Some culinary tools are another option. As long as you’re having fun carving with family and friends, it’s a great pumpkin.
