Creating Art for others to enjoy.
I have always needed an outlet for my creative side, and recently have fallen in love with gourds. Their natural beauty and versatility is amazing. I also love Native American pottery and design, so have decided to merge the two to create beautiful native and southwest inspired art pieces that can be displayed and enjoyed for years to come.
I wash all my gourds myself and clean the inside. This can be a very messy and time consuming process. Once cleaned, the fun begins. I am finding the hardest part is deciding which designs to do as i have so many ideas floating around inside my head.
All of my gourds are hand drawn and painted. They are meant to emulate native vintage pottery, which is not perfect. I feel this gives it a genuine, hand made feel. I am not Native American...I just have always loved and adored their pottery, art work, and culture. We have moved around a lot due to my husband's job in the National Park Service - but we have always kept a place in the beautiful Black Hills of SD which is where my heart is. The Black Hills is truly a spiritual place and when I'm here, I channel the Native American history and do my best to honor them through my art work.
Once my design is drawn on, I use ink dyes and some paints to adorn the gourd and give it color where it is needed.
I also love fall so I recently started making jack-o-lantern gourds for your fall decor! With my Jack-o-lantern gourds, I first create the personality by drawing on his face. This is my favorite part - each one takes on it's own unique character and personality. Then the design is carved out. I use leather dye to give them a fall color - each one comes out a little different depending on the coloring and grain of the gourd - which i love.
The outsides are then sealed for protection, and the piece awaits for it's new home. Is that YOU?
