Summer 2011

Well summer 2011 has flown by, with not much gourding done on my part.  I seem to have started a new career without really planning it.  I've been face painting almost every weekend this summer, and that seems to be where my creative juices are flowing.

I did promise my friend in Michigan that I would update my blog to show her Gary's latest works, so Lynette, this is for you.

 ART NOUVEAU VASE. 
This vase is fairly large, and is constructed from two almost perfectly round basketball gourds, and a couple of bits from other gourds.  The internal gourd is carved through in an open work design, and then painted and metal leafed.

A collar was created from a snake gourd piece, and added to the smaller ball to give it shape and depth.  The collar was carved and painted and attached to 'flying buttresses".
The buttresses were cut from the second basketball gourd, carved and painted and had joining pieces added on the bottom so that the outer gourd would fit snuggly.  The additional pieces were also carved from gourd bits.

The bottom section of the second basketball gourd was fully carved  and painted to look like a piece of bronze. It was mounted on a round section of gourd.

Notice the pegs on the top of the supports.  They fit into the buttresses and are glued to give strength.

This is the view from the top.  You can see that the added collar and buttresses have been smoothed to form a throat into the body of the gourd. You can also see the design in more detail.


The pieces were then glued together to form the whole.

Murphy's Law

Murphy has struck again!
Two of Gary's gourds that were given to family members, have met with accidents.


The large dragon gourd, which is about 2 feet round was shattered during home renovations by "unknown" assailants. I think someone dropped a 2X4 on it. LOL We've promised our niece and nephew that we will repair it if possible.


The Samurai Warrior was given to my son in North Carolina and was proudly displayed on his mantle. It is made up of several parts, all carved and decorated with Inlace, which has also been carved and inlaid with a second colour. His curious cat wanted to check it out, and bumped it off onto the floor. I'm not sure if we can repair it, since we haven't seen it yet.

Oh well, if pieces of art are going to be displayed I guess you have to expect that bad things can happen!

THE PARROT'S NEST
Gary has finished his 2011 spring project. Mine is still incubating (going on a year now, almost as long as an elephant's pregnancy!)


Just as many artists use cultural symbols in their work, such as Santa Fe, tribal motifs, eskimo art symbols etc, Gary likes to relate to his ancestry with Celtic weaving, and tie the cultural beliefs and symbols into his designs.
He is moving away from the traditional bowl configuration and is now working on sculptural pieces. His latest piece is along the same lines as his last sculpture, but a bit larger, and more detailed.
It's a canteen gourd that has been taken apart, carved and painted to resemble a bird's nest and put back together.
The front is a pencil crayon drawing of a Macaw, showing all the beautiful colours of the feathers.

The sides are a carved and painted profile of the Macaw with cut-outs so that you can see into the interior of the nest. Inside are 10 golden eggs.

The back is inverted and fully carved with a celtic motif of two parrots interacting. Rather appropriate for inside the privacy of their nest, I think!

The top is carved in scrollwork that says "Parrot Nest".

A friend found the following information on the site of Sacred earth-Sacred art.
CELTIC MYTHOLOGY: MACAW known for their higly coloured and exotic plumage, these birds are highly intelligent and resourceful creatures with a great sense of fun. The energy of this bird is said to symbolize bringing 'colour and vibrancy' back into our lives, and also aid our communicative skills. Also thought to help us with both 'emotional and physical healing'. The feathers of the Macaw are highly prized by some cultures and are used in ceremonial costumes. To work with Macaw energies is to link with the energies of Mother Nature. Macaw can help us to increase our psychic and spiritual development. This bird is also strongly allied to the energies of the Sun, and therefore linked with masculine energies, helping to bring balance to the male and female aspects of self. It is also believed that Macaw energies can aid us by helping us to heighten our perceptions, our intuition, our understanding of our inner voice. Thought also to help with calming emotional anxieties and bringing about a sense of balance.

September 20 update

We're back from the first Michigan gourd festival and all things considered, (rain and new event) it went very well. I hope they have it again next year.
Gary's gourd was well received and won the Best of Show ribbon. My last year's Bird of Paradise gourd got a first place in weaving. I really should have done another piece, but I'm obviously in 'drift' mode this year.

September 13 update

Here is the finished front of the gourd with the saddle attached for mounting. The sides have been left uncoloured, finished with Deft.
The centre and saddle have been painted with acrylics.







This is the inner disk that will be added inside the gourd to provide depth and contrast. It is a canteen gourd that has been shaped and reconstructed. Gold metal leafing has been applied, and it will sit on a small gourd to raise it to the correct level inside.









The base is a section of a canteen gourd that has been filled to add weight and stability. The surface has been left uncoloured, but sealed with clear sealer.








Assembly is completed. The gold insert has been attached inside, and the back panel replaced. The entire sculpture is centred with a 1 inch wooden dowel to hold everything in place. The drawing of a jaquar has been started on the panel using coloured pencil crayons.













By clicking on the picture you should get an enlargement which will show you the details of the pencil drawing. It is outlined in white and then coloured in a bit at a time.

Fall 2010

Well, it's been a lovely hot summer, but it's time to get back to work. We didn't do the Goderich Celtic festival this year, so we had the entire summer to enjoy. Now it's time to gear up for the fall shows.

Gary has started his latest carving. He's always more intense and dedicated than I am, once he gets started. He carves for several hours at a time. I admire his determination.

So far he has rough-carved the base, the front and three sides of the canteen gourd that he will be constructing. He is doing a Mayan theme again.


This is the decorative shoulder that the gourd will sit on. It reminds me of a large hair barrett.







This is the rough base structure that will be assembed once everything is done. You can see the carved shoulder on the top.







He had to do some infilling in the centre of the gourd where the stem was, to make it level. The carving is very detailed and intricate. This is a fairly thick canteen gourd.








This is one side of the gourd. It has a Mayan warrior figure.











This is the other side of the gourd. It is a very confusing carving, depicting the warrior being swallowed by a giant snake. If you look carefully you can see the body of the snake at the bottom. His jaws are spread wide and the head of the warrior is coming out of his mouth. Mayan carvings are quite disturbing!







To relieve the gloom and doom of the more complicated carving, the one across the top is more light-hearted and simple. It depicts a relaxing jaguar.






He plans to insert another gourd inside to increase the depth of the carving, but we'll have to wait and see what that will look like. Stay tuned.

Art of Coiling and Carving classes

Coming in May 2011, to Epping, New Hampshire. See the flyer at:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Blue-Whale-Arts/120803174626882