For most of my life I was busy working towards a paycheck, in a field I felt I
showed some talent.
A
few years ago a family situation required action. My husband and I agreed that I would stay at home to
care for his ailing 95 year old mother. With this decision came the realization that I required more to
occupy my time and mind. I pulled a 2 year old business card from my wallet and made a phone call.
That phone call resulted in two things; the development of a wonderful friendship, and a new path for my creative soul.
I grow my own gourds in rural
Davenport, Iowa. I allow them to dry outside through the winter, salvaging them to the barn as they become
dry enough to blow around in the cold winter Iowa wind. In the spring and summer I clean them and
they are then allowed a place of honor in my basement studio.
Once inside, I have usually already decided what each of them will become, however,
on occasion the idea changes, or I find I am at a total loss. If this is the case, my mind works overtime
throughout the night determining what the “unnamed” gourd should become!
I love gourds because each is shaped differently,
has a different thickness, reacts differently to liquids of all types, thus, no two gourds may ever be completed identically.
I do not even try!
I walk the museums, gift shops, craft stores, flea markets and browse all catalogues in an effort to collect creative
ideas, color combinations and texture effects. The options are endless. There is no
item that could not be used on or in gourd art. If only I had more time to create!
I finish all of my projects; whimsical, practical
or decorative, with a sealing finish that will protect it for many years. Items that are displayed outside need to be resealed
each season.
The
most important part of discovering gourd art is the people. I find them to be loving, giving, caring, sharing,
wonderful people. In my quest to return what so many fabulous people have shared with me, I try to teach and share as
much of my knowledge as anyone is willing to absorb!
