A pumpkin is not the willingest of canvases.

There are dips, divots, scuffs, and the over-sized fruit seems to drink the paint.

That’s not even mentioning the inevitable spider left over from the pumpkin patch that caught a ride on the behemoth.

But with the great pumpkin deployment, the pumpkins have been placed from Damariscotta to Boothbay Harbor and points between. The deployment and decorating — where artists paint, dress up, stage and carve the massive pumpkins the Damariscotta Pumpkinfest and Regatta is known for — is the unofficial kick-off to a weekend dedicated to monstrous fruit.

While downtown Damariscotta and Newcastle host the most pumpkins, there are still some waiting in the Boothbay Region.

Those include a pumpkin donated by Alvin Winslow at the Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce and painted by this reporter

These pumpkins are the safe ones: They won’t be shot into the water, dropped onto a clunker or raced around the town landing. These painted and primped pumpkins will linger for a good chunk of the month.

Or, until a good storm comes and washes the paint off.