Morton Arboretum's Glass Pumpkin Patch sets autumn aglow

In patches across the land, pumpkins are peeking out from beneath their leafy vines, showing off an autumn palette of orange, russet, green and white.

There are even a few varieties that grow in red and blue.

But at the Glass Pumpkin Patch at Lisle's Morton Arboretum, thousands of ribbed beauties that were handcrafted by glass artists will sport a color spectrum extending beyond what earth's bounty offers during a five-day event that begins Wednesday and continues through the weekend.

"The pumpkin is fun because it gives you a chance to do color studies, to change your shapes," said Daniel Sviland, a glass artist from Waukegan who plans to bring 400 of his handblown glass pumpkins to this year's display. "It allows us to play with color."

Sviland is one of 17 artists who will be displaying and selling their work and offering glass-blowing demonstrations at the outdoor museum at 4100 Route 53.

"There is every color you can imagine," said Jacque Fucilla, arboretum store manager. "As always, this is a unique event for the arboretum and for the entire Chicagoland area. This year will feature 6,000 one-of-a-kind glass pumpkins."

In addition to those pumpkins, Fucilla said a "farmers market" of glass fruits, vegetables and gourds also will be available, featuring about 100 pieces, many of them mushrooms fashioned by Sviland.

Sviland, who co-owns Hot Shop Glass, a Racine, Wisconsin, glass-blowing studio with artist Amanda Cosgrove Paffrath, has been bringing his creations to the arboretum for the past seven years.

Sviland said he usually sells about 80 percent of the stock he brings to Lisle.

"They sell like crazy," he said. "It's a wonderful paycheck for me."

More than that, it's an opportunity to bond with other artists.

"It's a time to hang out with other glass blowers," Sviland said. "You don't get to talk shop very often."

Sviland has been long fascinated by glass.

"I started working with stained glass when I was about 7 years old," he said.

As an adult, his wife brought him to a bead store. He started making beads for her, then escalated his glass knowledge by taking lessons from Chicago artist Lance Friedman.

Like many of his fellow artists, Sviland plans to show Glass Pumpkin Patch visitors how it's done with demonstrations.

"For kids to see the molten glass and to see it all in movement is pretty magical," he said. "And for adults, too, it's pretty magical."

He explains the process like this: A combination of silica, lime, soda and trace minerals is placed in a furnace heated to more than 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Then the tip of a pipe is rolled in the molten glass and the mixture is rolled through minerals that add color.

"After we color it, we blow into the pipe and shape it," he said.

He said the molten glass must be kept at a minimum temperature of 1,100 degrees throughout the process. It is cooled and reheated as the piece develops.

Most pieces take anywhere from 15 to 90 minutes to make, he said.

To make the pumpkin ribs, a mold is used. When the piece is formed, it must be slowly cooled in a heating device known as an annealer.

Intense concentration is key to producing intended results, a concentration that induces a pleasant state of mind, Sviland said.

"The wonderful thing about glass blowing is you can't think about anything but the glass while you're doing it," he said.

Each artist adds their own flourishes and details to make distinctive, collectible pieces.

"There are no two pumpkins in that patch that are identical," Sviland said.

The sale part of the patch doesn't begin until 1 p.m. Friday. Before that, visitors may look but not purchase.

"If you've got your eye on a specific pumpkin, you have to be here at 1 p.m. Friday to buy it," Fucilla said.

She said the patch usually has a good supply left by Saturday morning and a variety remaining on Sunday. Prices range from about $25 to $300, she said.

She said shoppers often buy baby blue and baby pink-colored pumpkins as baby shower gifts. Most purchased pieces are destined to aesthetically spice up interior seasonal décor.

"A lot of people will just set them around the room," she said. "I do a collection of them on my dining room table."

In its eighth year, the Glass Pumpkin Patch draws both newcomers and steady customers.

"People have made this a part of their fall tradition," Fucilla said.

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Glass Pumpkin Patch exhibition, demonstration and sale

Where: Morton Arboretum, 4100 Route 53, Lisle

When: Preview is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, Oct. 10 and 11, and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, Oct. 12; sale runs from 1 to 5 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday

Admission: Wednesday: $10 for adults, $9 for seniors 65 and older, $7 for kids 2-17, free for children 1 and younger and members; admission Thursday through Sunday: $15 for adults, $13 for seniors, $10 for kids 2-17 and free for children 1 and younger and members

Info: mortonarb.org