Valeriano Fatica, a self-described "painter, sculptor, performer, and carver of fruits and vegetables," has been creating intricate fruit sculptures for the past four years.
He channels his love for art and sculpting into the sculptures he creates for his family's restaurant in Oratino, Italy.
"Since I was a child I liked art, but working in my family's restaurant I didn't have time to spend with sculptures or paintings. So I decided to use fruit to express myself," Fatica told BuzzFeed. His family then uses the fruit for parties and banquets.
Though watermelon is his favorite, he also carves sculptures out of pumpkins, potatoes, bananas, and pineapples.
Out of all of his work, he is most proud of his open-mouthed dragon and his Joker pumpkin.
"It's hard to choose, because I had a great time doing them all, and I also have beautiful memories about them," he said.
Though a lot of his work is inspired by fantasy and mythological creatures, he not particularly interested in science fiction or fantasy.
"I like pretty much H.P. Lovecraft's stories. I prefer manga," he said. This manga influence can be seen in his Dragonball Z sculptures.
For those who aren't in Italy to see his work in person, Fatica also creates videos on his YouTube channel so people can see his sculpting process from start to finish.
