All I ever really wanted to be was an artist.
Like most artists I've done many different things. I was a galley cook on a sports-fishing boat, a hair stylist, a hostess
at a restaurant, and technical liaison at a company that made nuclear reactors! I've taught and been taught. I have been fortunate
to have the love, understanding, and patience (lots of patience) of friends and family.
Thanks to all of you (and a very supportive husband) I have been a working artist for almost twenty years now.
The Gourdfolk are made from hardshell gourds. They are related to pumpkins, but dry naturally
and last indefinitely. They essentially become wood. My process to create the Gourdfolk has developed and become more refined
over the years. First I wood burn all the lines in. Because each gourd is different, no templates are used. Next I use stains
and dyes that I have developed over the years to resist fading and have just the right amount of translucence to enhance -
not hide - the natural mottling or graining of the gourd. Next they get a coating of clear acrylic to protect them and
they are finished with bits of sliver and gold paint to give them just the right amount of sparkle! Each of my collectible
Gourdfolk is signed and dated by me.
