At Cedar Creek Gallery in Creedmoor, visitors can stroll through a "pumpkin patch" made entirely of hand-blown glass. The one-of-a-kind pieces are crafted by owner Lisa Oakley and two on-site artists, Michael Pope and Thomas Harrison Harper.
"This is my world," Oakley told ABC11. "It's really important for me to make it shine. I want people to walk in and say, 'That's amazing.'"
Oakley, a second-generation owner whose parents opened the gallery in 1968, has been perfecting the art of hand-blown glass for 30 years. Gallery spokesperson Christine Nishiguchi says the process looks easy but actually requires years of trial and error.
"You'll watch them for an hour working on a piece, and then it will break," Nishiguchi said. "Two different colors don't play well together in heat or melt at different temperatures. Knowing the science behind it -- and constantly making mistakes -- is how you learn to make a pumpkin."
All three on-site artists started the pumpkin-making back in February to fill the gallery for Cedar Creek's annual Pottery and Glass Festival, the first two weekends in October.
Visitors can purchase pumpkins, watch artists at work, and even take part in a raffle featuring special pumpkin stacks made together by all three artists.
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Proceeds go towards artists impacted by natural disasters. Last year, the gallery raised more than $10,000 to help those affected by Hurricane Helene.
"Artists helping artists, people helping people," Oakley said.
For glassblowers, the fall tradition is about more than artistry -- it's about joy.
"Folks can oogle and google over whatever strikes their fancy," Harper said.
"It's exciting when people get excited about something you create," Pope added.
Especially when it's North Carolina-made.