It's Decorative Gourd Season
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http://www.allfreecrafts.com/nature/botanicals/gourd-crafts/
<header class="entry-header">Gourd Crafts
</header>
Source: Ben Earwicker
www.garrisonphoto.org
Gourds: The Hottest New Medium for Crafters
by Phoebe Welburn
When people first hear that gourds are rapidly becoming the most popular medium for crafters, their first reaction is, “Gourds? You mean those squash-things they make birdhouses out of?” Exactly. Only now gourds have evolved way beyond birdhouses. Not only have gourds expanded into every reach of the craft world, they’ve also made it into the art world as well. Gourds that can be classified as ‘fine art’ can sell for as much as $20,000 and are now displayed in art galleries across the nation!
Gourds can be grown on the ground like pumpkins, or on a trellis or arbor, and take a full year to grow and dry. While growing they are green and quite heavy, but after 4 months of drying time they become hard like wood, very light weight, and are completely hollow inside except for the dried up pulp and seeds.
The difference between hard-shell gourds and the colorful gourds you find in the supermarket in the Fall is that they don’t rot on your kitchen table. Hard-shell gourds can last indefinitely and have actually been found in the Egyptian pyramids intact! The durability and consistency of the hard-shell gourd make it the perfect medium for arts and crafts.
While some gourds are now readily accepted as fine art, most of the gourd work you will find out there falls into the category of crafts.Anyone who has wandered into a craft store to pick up just one item, only to emerge hours later with five bags of goods, knows just how captivating crafting can be!
If you consider yourself to be passionate about crafting, you may very well find your next crafting project will involve gourds! So what do you need to know to be considered ‘savvy’ in the gourd world? Here are some gourd basics to get you started:
First, gourds have a look and consistency similar to wood. This means gourds can be cut, carved, sanded, stained, painted, glued, beaded, polished, etched, wood burned (burned into with a pyrography tool), and practically anything else you can imagine.
Another appealing factor with gourds is their whimsical shapes. Spend any amount of time with gourd lovers and sooner or later you will hear something to the effect of, “Each gourd has its own personality. When I pick up a gourd, it speaks to me, it tells me what to create with it.” And if you’ve looked at any finished gourd pieces, you’ll know this to be true.
The reason gourd crafting is becoming one of the fastest growing trends is the incredible versatility gourds offer. Do you love basketry?
One of the biggest trends in gourd crafting is fiber art. For instance, weaving pine needles or other natural fibers along the rim of a gourd bowl creates a beautiful look and is often one of the first gourd projects a beginner will create.
Perhaps designing with colored pencils is your passion. Colored pencils are absolutely stunning on gourds and have resulted in some of the most famous gourd art pieces. In fact, everything from water colors to acrylic paints are used on gourds. The American Society of Decorative Painters has embraced gourds as one of their most popular mediums. Adding color to a gourd can really bring the project alive.
More.
I can't help but hear Ana Gasteyer and Molly Shannon reading this article as one of their NPR spoofs on SNL.
Gasteyer: Gourds are so versatile. Enhancing their beauty is limited only by your own artistic vision.
Shannon: I'd call those gourds gourdgeous.
Gasteyer: Oooh! Good one.
Shannon: Thanks.
Gasteyer and Shannon: Gourd times.
<header class="entry-header">Gourd Crafts
</header>
Source: Ben Earwickerwww.garrisonphoto.org
Gourds: The Hottest New Medium for Crafters
by Phoebe Welburn
When people first hear that gourds are rapidly becoming the most popular medium for crafters, their first reaction is, “Gourds? You mean those squash-things they make birdhouses out of?” Exactly. Only now gourds have evolved way beyond birdhouses. Not only have gourds expanded into every reach of the craft world, they’ve also made it into the art world as well. Gourds that can be classified as ‘fine art’ can sell for as much as $20,000 and are now displayed in art galleries across the nation!
Gourds can be grown on the ground like pumpkins, or on a trellis or arbor, and take a full year to grow and dry. While growing they are green and quite heavy, but after 4 months of drying time they become hard like wood, very light weight, and are completely hollow inside except for the dried up pulp and seeds.
The difference between hard-shell gourds and the colorful gourds you find in the supermarket in the Fall is that they don’t rot on your kitchen table. Hard-shell gourds can last indefinitely and have actually been found in the Egyptian pyramids intact! The durability and consistency of the hard-shell gourd make it the perfect medium for arts and crafts.
While some gourds are now readily accepted as fine art, most of the gourd work you will find out there falls into the category of crafts.Anyone who has wandered into a craft store to pick up just one item, only to emerge hours later with five bags of goods, knows just how captivating crafting can be!
First, gourds have a look and consistency similar to wood. This means gourds can be cut, carved, sanded, stained, painted, glued, beaded, polished, etched, wood burned (burned into with a pyrography tool), and practically anything else you can imagine.
Another appealing factor with gourds is their whimsical shapes. Spend any amount of time with gourd lovers and sooner or later you will hear something to the effect of, “Each gourd has its own personality. When I pick up a gourd, it speaks to me, it tells me what to create with it.” And if you’ve looked at any finished gourd pieces, you’ll know this to be true.
The reason gourd crafting is becoming one of the fastest growing trends is the incredible versatility gourds offer. Do you love basketry?
Perhaps designing with colored pencils is your passion. Colored pencils are absolutely stunning on gourds and have resulted in some of the most famous gourd art pieces. In fact, everything from water colors to acrylic paints are used on gourds. The American Society of Decorative Painters has embraced gourds as one of their most popular mediums. Adding color to a gourd can really bring the project alive.
More.
I can't help but hear Ana Gasteyer and Molly Shannon reading this article as one of their NPR spoofs on SNL.
Gasteyer: Gourds are so versatile. Enhancing their beauty is limited only by your own artistic vision.
Shannon: I'd call those gourds gourdgeous.
Gasteyer: Oooh! Good one.
Shannon: Thanks.
Gasteyer and Shannon: Gourd times.
look ma no hands.
king of kings
All Hail
I rest my case piggy .
What? Looks like a gourd to me.:shrug:
