Nothing says Halloween like a jack-o'-lantern, but these professional carvings will blow your neighborhood pumpkin out of the water. (Photo by Frank C. Grace/Courtesy Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular)

Created by artist and unassuming local celebrity, Keith Jennings, the first tree spirit arrived on St. Simons Island in 1982. The old story goes that Keith negotiated his way out of a bar tab, hence, a tree priestess was born behind Murphy’s Tavern, on a blurry Saturday morning. In his own words, however, Keith states that his first tree spirit was created in the back yard of a place called, “The Animal Farm”. Either way, Keith Jennings has been known to cut the rug around here, no matter how you slice it.

Watermelons are one of the sweetest parts of summer, but there’s no reason not to have some fun with them before you start eating. Artist Clive Cooper of Sparksfly Design saw beauty in the rinds and got to work carving sculptures out of the fruit before digging in. (Photo by Clive Cooper)

I would like to tell you why many artists, who like me, have painted portraits and landscapes in oils on canvas, worked with acrylics, watercolors, and pen and ink drawings, have turned to the art of gourd carving.