About Gourds and My Process

Gourds are members of the Cucurbitaceae family that produce a hard-shelled durable fruit and are related to squash, cucumbers and melons. These vine borne fruits require long growing seasons with high temperature and well-fertilized soils.

Hard-shelled gourds differ from soft-shelled ornamental gourds not only because of their hard outer shell when dried but also because of their flowers. Hard-shelled gourd flowers open late evening so often manual hand pollination is required for an abundant crop. Gourds dry and cure partially on their vines and partially in a well-ventilated area. They can take anywhere from weeks to months to dry completely.

Traditional gourds have been used by many cultures worldwide as ornaments, birdhouses, food containers, utensils and instruments as well as artistic and spiritual mediums.

Gourds are 75% water! When green they are heavy similar to squash and when dried are surprisingly light and durable. During the curing process, the water evaporates through their outer shell leaving a moldy skin and sometimes dispensing a foul odor.

The first process in working with gourds is the physical preparation of the gourd itself. The gourd is cleaned by soaking it in water and using a wire scrubby to remove the outer moldy skin. Once the gourd has air dried, it is then cut open with a special jigsaw and cleaned out with a sanding ball that attaches to a drill to remove the dried membrane and seeds from the inside walls of the gourd.

After the gourd is cleaned, they are then cute with a special jigsaw to make intricate designs and accurate cuts. A drill press is used to make holes for the birdhouses and lamps. Tung Oil and Beeswax is used to make bowls food safe, and epoxy products are used to line the inside of the gourd vases to make them waterproof.

I use an array of techniques and material to decorate my pieces. I begin with paints, wood stains, leather dyes or inks to give base colours or accents. I adhere decorative organic materials that I have grown or collected in nature, such as pressed vegetation, rocks, seeds, or grains. I incorporate hand carving, wood burning and beading to the surfaces of the gourds to give my work another dimension. Using a variety of different finishes ranging from UV protectant varnishes, polishes and natural oils helps to prolong the decorative life of the gourd itself.

All of the gourds that I use are grown at a gourd farm located in southern california. They grow 375,000 gourds per year simply for the artisan market. Every year I drive down and pick out my own gourds - What Fun!!