The foundation for my art is deeply rooted in my respect and admiration for nature.  Gourds appeal to me because they are a completely natural product, seemingly waiting to be enhanced. They are, in my mind, “nature’s organic pottery.”

As a self-taught artist, I am directed by an intuition or inspiration that manifests in what seems appropriate for the shape of the gourd.  While creating, I find myself on a higher plane where I feel a sense of solitude and connection to something much greater.  It is a place of surrender at the core of creation where I respond intuitively to the gourd without any preconceptions.  Always driven with a sense of urgency, I am unaware of time or my surroundings.

My gratitude is profound for this gift to be able to enhance and preserve something that might otherwise be discarded or ignored without any perception of the gourd’s natural beauty that simply exists.   

My works are contemporary in design; with use of geometrics, symmetry and texture.  The creation of design angles and vessel openings with different perspectives is my personal signature.  Although more tedious, with little margin for error, I choose to work with the translucency of dye and ink to maintain the gourd’s natural integrity.  While my pieces may bear more resemblance to pottery than gourd, it’s important to remember that the gourd itself first inspired the end result.   

As in nature and life, each gourd’s imperfections individualize their uniqueness.

See more at:

www.prairiegourds.com
www.bridgethearts.com