Arizona Gourdscarving beautifully. Occasionally, we bring in carved wood, copper and bead elements...
Transcript of Arizona Gourdscarving beautifully. Occasionally, we bring in carved wood, copper and bead elements...
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Welcome to the December issue of the Arizona Gourds newsletter!
Enter your email addressand hit the submit buttonto join the class updatesnotification list.
I have to apologize for skipping a November newsletter! I keep so busy thatsometimes something has to give. Actually, this past month has been my ʺcatch upʺmonth. This is the time of year where I donʹt teach any classes and concentratemore on getting things done around the house and shop and perhaps finding timefor my own gourd art. Iʹm looking forward to Thanksgiving with the family andhope all of you enjoy the holiday!
My classes at the Wuertz Festival are both full, but if you didnʹt get a slot, donʹt hesitate toemail or call the Wuertz farm and ask to be placed on the wait list. Plans often change forpeople and there are usually places that open up before the festival.Note: This will be my last year to have a booth at the Wuertz Festival. I hope to continueteaching classes at the festival in future years, but doing both the booth and classes to the best ofmy abilities has become extremely challenging. I plan to offer some of my older pieces of gourdart at reduced prices at the fesitval in an effort to reduce my inventory, so I hope youʹll considerstopping by to see what is available. Some people have asked if I am getting out of gourds ‑ NO‑ I will still teach classes and run the Arizona Gourds website as usual. Iʹm just trying to cut backa bit.
New Lionʹs Paw shell heishi ‑ Real shell and looks like the much moreexpensive Spiny Oyster shell in mixed tones of oranges, tans and cream. These go well with the larger Lionʹs Paw shell disc beads, and the LionʹsPaw shell pendants. Heishi is on the Inlay supplies page, the shell discbeads and pendants are on the Bone Beads and Embellishments page.
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New on the Metal Page: New larger pewter feathers. Like the smaller size, theseare dimensional on both
New styles of inlaid earrings! Notonly are these great for gourdmasks ‑ they are perfect for giftgiving. The same earrings in a giftor jewelry store cost about threetimes more. Most styles on ourwebsite are $10 or less. See themon the Earrings and More page.
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Thank you! Your purchases madefrom Arizona Gourds and from ourAmazon links enable us to keep thesefree newsletters and the Gourd ArtEnthusiasts site available. Wesincerely appreciate yourbusiness.
Feature ‑ Wood and Gourd Artist Mark Doolittle
These scrapers have a sharpmetal head and work greatfor getting into tight openingsand under the lip edge ofgourds. On the tools page.
Note: In the 90ʹs, when I first got interested in gourds, Mark Doolittlewas one of the first people whose work really spoke to me ‑ it was creativeand different and stimulating all at the same time. I was fortunate tomeet Mark and his wife Kathy (who does the wonderful paper work onsome of his gourd pieces) at various trade shows and enjoyed visiting withthem and even purchasing a couple of pieces. I am pleased that Mark hasagreed to be featured in this monthʹs newsletter ‑ his talent is amazingand his pieces are very distinctive. He crosses over easily from wood togourds and both of them are equally superb. You can see more of Markʹswork on his website, www.markdoolittlestudio.com, or on his facebookpage: https://www.facebook.com/markdool
ʺThe trajectory of my art has been through science. During an eraof tremendous advancement in cell and molecular biologyoccurring in the 1970s and 80s, I gained a doctoral degree in thesefields from the University of California at Los Angeles. At thisinstitution, I pursued a career in biomedical research whiledeveloping a keen interest in woodworking and art. I began toseriously produce wood artwork in 2002, and have recentlytransitioned into a full‑time wood artist.
My style and approach are my own, greatly influenced by mybackground in biology. In my artwork, I try to express thedynamic form of growth and symmetry encountered in cells andtissues, as well as in whole organisms throughout the naturalworld. Without attempting to accurately portray biologicalstructures, I use organic shapes and abstract forms, like holes andfissures, to achieve the perception of biological growth in myartwork. Often my aim is for a sculpture to appear as if it arose bythe process of natural growth rather than carved by human hands. I also enjoy the use of biological specimens, such as fossils andbutterflies, as central features in my sculptures, playing off theirform and symmetry. Wood seems a natural choice of medium, asit is derived from the processes of biological growth that is thefoundation of my artistic style.
Before wood, I began carving on gourds since my wife, Kathy, whois an accomplished gourd artist herself, encouraged me years agoto try gourds as an artistic medium. While there are many speciesof gourds, the ones used for artwork are ʺhard‑shelledʺ gourds,which grow on a vine (like all gourds and pumpkins) but whendried, develop a hard skin much like wood. Once dry, the insideseed‑bed is removed, resulting in a hollow gourd vessel; the wallof the vessel can then be decorated, stained and/or carved in a
sides and are veryinexpensive accents.
Also on the Metals page arenew Celtic Knot conchos. These are a special purchaseand limited to stock onhand.
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variety of creative ways. Over her career, Kathy developed aunique and beautiful style of surface embellishment by applyinghandmade paper to the gourd, followed by woodburning toachieve a stained glass‑like appearance. It did not take us long tostart a collaboration with gourds featuring her paper appliquestyle with my carving, creating what we believe are artworkvessels that are truly unique.
Gourds are a very forgiving medium for carving, being relativelysoft and having little grain structure. Thus, gourd carving is,relative to wood, fast and easy, and the carved surface can bestained using a variety of wood dyes and pigments. As a result, Ioften use gourds to try out new and different styles of carving,including adding color enhancements to achieve interest andvariety. Like my wood pieces, I often feature fossils or polishedstone cabochons as central elements in my carvings, and I enjoyplaying with various textures as well. Kathy finishes each piece byapplying her paper applique style to the surrounding (non‑carved)surface, bringing in rich colors and textures that sets off eachcarving beautifully. Occasionally, we bring in carved wood,copper and bead elements as well.
My style and approach are greatly influenced by my backgroundsin biology andscientific research. In my artwork, I try to express the dynamicform of growth and symmetry encountered in cells and tissues, aswell as in whole organisms throughout the natural world. Withoutattempting to accurately portray biological structures, I use organicshapes and abstract forms, like holes and fissures, to achieve theperception of biological growth in my artwork. My aim is for asculpture to appear as if it arose by the process of natural growth. Ialso enjoy the use of biological specimens, such as fossils andbutterflies, as central features in my sculptures, playing off theirform and symmetry. Wood seems a natural choice of medium, as itis derived from the processes of biological growth that is thefoundation of my artistic style.ʺ
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Arizona Gourds Newsletter Index See all our old newlsetters from the past 9 years!
Articles and Tips are indexed.Newsletter Index
Special Feature ‑ A Trip to the Heard Museum in Phoenix
Some of you have written me in the past about things to do in Arizona after or before attending the Wuertz Festvial. A couple of yearsago I posted photos and a story about the Musical Instruments Museum in Phoenix, where many gourd instruments were on display. Recently, I visited the Heard Museum, which is another fantastic place to visit in the area. The Heard specializes in Native Americanarts. There are examples mostly of southwestern tribes, but also pieces from other areas. If you enjoy beading, basketry, katsinas,weavings and pottery, then you will enjoy the museum. There are even some pieces of gourd art on display by Native artists. The photosbelow are just some examples of what you will see there. Itʹs well worth a stop.
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Readerʹs MailboxHi Bonnie, My project from the Desert Rabbits classis finished. Painting is the hardest part. Thank youfor sharing your knowledge. Wanda Sparks ‑ NM
Readerʹs MailboxHi Bonnie, I thought you would enjoy seeing mysecond basket carving gourd. This one has morecarving and some color. Madonna Watermon ‑MO
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Tip of the Month: Some Handy Measuring Tools
Some handy but lesser know measuring tools! Thank you to Michelle Green for sharing info about the QuickDraw Measuring Tape. Imight not use this as much on gourds as I would on some of my other projects ‑ but I can think of a lot of great uses for this one!
Readerʹs MailboxHi Bonnie, Here is a bas reliefcarving of a lady slipper flower Idid in white pine. Iʹm thinkingabout doing it on a gourd now. Ithank you for your instruction andfor selling the right tools. John R.Williams
Readerʹs MailboxHi Bonnie, Here is my finishedbirdhouse that I did in the Basic PowerCarving class. I think it turned outgreat! Gisela Haley ‑ AZ
Readerʹs MailboxHi Bonnie, I truly enjoyed taking myfirst class from you. I hope it becomesone of many because I really learned alot from your great instructions anddemos. I finished my Pueblo Ladygourd and was okay but I like thesecond attempt better. Many thanks,Gloria Penner ‑ NM
Readerʹs MailboxHi Bonnie, I wanted to share this recentlycompleted gourd which is heavily inspired by yourtechniques and wonderful classes. This has manyhours with sanding sticks and rifflers, but it is one ofthe gourd Iʹm most proud of! Leslie Robins
The QuickDraw Measuring Tape has a built ingraphite marker ‑ watch the short you tube video
Readerʹs MailboxPam Donnelly of California did this whalegourd in a class last May. She wrote to tellme that she was donating it to a BreastCancer fundraiser event, and wondered ifshe needed to put a disclaimer on thebottom since it came from patterns used inmy class. I told her it was fine and nodisclaimer was needed.
About that same time, well known artistLora Irish published a great piece on the useof patterns and the difference betweenpersonal use and distribution. It is wellworth the read. Read it HERE.
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Featured Books:Featured Gourds of the Month:Solitary Traveler I and II
Gingko and Manzanita editionsCannonball gourds, hand carved basswood
hummingbirds.
Nature's Touch - Basketry by Hand was released earlier this year. It combines weavings and gourds. I have not yet seen a copymyself, but it has some good reviews on Amazon
Creating Wall Pockets
Southwestern Pottery - Anazazito Zuni REVISED
Pottery of theSouthwest
All photos and designs copyright © 2015 by Bonnie Gibsonand may not be used without express written permission.
Nature's TouchBasketry by Hand
to see it in action; click on the photo or the linkabove to read more about it on Amazon. Thisprobabaly has more uses for woodworkers, but Ican see some potential for using it on gourds aswell. Graphite refills are available.
Below: The IncraRule is a steel ruler with micro‑fine marking holes and slots every 1/16ʺ, 1/32ʺ and1/64ʺ to mark a sharp pencil point EXACTLYwhere you want it. No more squinting as you tryto line up your pencil on that blur of lines alongthe edge of your old ruler. (And that is the truth ‑my eyes need all the help they can get thesedays!) Available in 6, 12 or 18ʺ sizes.
What could be handier than peeland stick adhesive masking tape?
The 14‑in‑1 MeasuringGauge is made forsewers and quilters, butitʹs a really handy littlemeasuring tool whenyou need to mark smallincrements from 1/8ʺ to1 3/4ʺ. I have one ofthese in my tool bag.
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Gourds with SouthwesternMotifs by Bonnie Gibson
Out of Print ‑ some copies stillavailable through Amazon andthey are at a reduced price.
(Click on book cover forordering information.)
Newsletter Index ‑ article and tipindex from all the past newsletters
Newsletter Index
*Want to see my listing of top gourd books? Here is my ʺListmaniaʺ listing on Amazon
Creating Wall Pockets is a new release by Sammie Crawford. It isavailable for preorder and will be released in March of 2016.
Southwestern Pottery - Anazazi to Zuni is a new revised edition ofone of my favorite books. Wonderful for reference as to potterydesigns and full of eye candy. If you are interested at all insouthwestern Native pottery, then this is a great book to own.
Pottery of the Southwest - Ancient Art and Modern Traditions is agreat companion piece to Southwestern Pottery. It has one of thesame authors as the previous book, and includes great imagesand descriptions of pottery through the ages. You can see moreabout the two pottery books by visiting the Amazon pages andclicking on the "Look inside this Book" feature.
I often get questions about shipping costs that are added to shopping cart sales. To clarify things, Iʹve added a new page to the website,Shipping Policies.
I am using a no‑frills shopping cart program that has limitations and little flexibility. By not paying for expensive software, I can offeryou lower prices on the website merchandise. Iʹm not looking to make a profit on shipping; if you order lightweight items you willlikely get a refund or some freebies to make up for it. Please take a minute to look at the shipping policies page for clarification andexplanation of how things work. If you ever have any questions, please feel free to email me directly. I value your business!
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