My First Gourd

What a wonderful feeling it was when I completed my first gourd. I looked through my stash of dirty gourds to find the perfect one for my anticipated project. I cleaned and scraped the skin and mold away. Every step when completed was a feeling of accomplishment. Holding my breath, I sawed, sanded and wood burned (pyrography), and then carved with my Dremel. As I progressed, I decided it was worth finishing and wouldn't have to end up in the gourd cemetery. A little leather dye and spray finish to complete my project and I was done. It deserved a beautiful plant and became a gift for my son and daughter in law. The plant has long since died but the gourd sits proudly on their piano. How did I feel you ask, very proud.
I will post a photo of my first gourd in the near future.

Before you create a beautiful work of art out of a gourd, there is work to be done. The gourd comes from the field dirty and moldy. It will have skin that must be removed by soaking and scraping (not an easy task). If you cut open the gourd, you will probably find a nasty collection of moldy seeds and dry gourd guts. The gourd must be cleaned down to the bare wood. I think this is part of the challenge, taking something ugly and turning it into a piece of art.

Then comes the creative part, what do I do with it? It could be a bowl, a dipper, a doll, a vase or what ever your imagination can think up. I will share some of my creations in future blogs. For now, a gourd is calling me to be beautified.

Gourd Inspirations

My gourd inspirations come from finding beauty in Gods creation of nature, rocks, dried beautiful leaves, aged trees, bark, twigs and gourds.
I was introduced to gourds as a canvas for art creations four years ago. I will share some of my inspirations as we go.
The gourd on the left was done in a class by Judy Moody. I was especially happy with my dolls ragged shawl. I create a lot of gourds with a southwestern influence. This gourd was made from a banana gourd for the body with a small gourd for head and pot.
In my next post I will share more about the gourd from field to canvas.