Barbara M. Hallman, Art and Music

"Running of the Gourds" at Wuertz Farm's Annual Gourd Festival

2012-02-11T20:02:00.000-08:00

This was my first gourd festival at Wuertz Farm in Casa Grande, Arizona, and even though I mostly sat and stood with the gourds rather than run, I enjoyed this fun and quirky show. Much like gourd people, the show was down to earth and a little kooky!

The festival was held at the Pinal County Fairgrounds and is about 10 miles from the city of Casa Grande. Lots of agriculture and cows and although it was sunny and pleasant during the day, the early mornings and evenings were rather cold. We camped right next to the event in our trusty pop-up trailer, "Melvin."

The festival started on Friday and became very crowded. Almost half of my gourds went off to new places. One piece in particular, Gourd Circus, was a little tough to let go of, but the new owners assured me it was going to a good home.

As I walked around the show I saw some familiar faces from the Welburn Gourd Festival like JC Nan and his wife from New Mexico who make Apache inspired dolls and ornaments. I also met Kristin Johnson and her husband from Kansas. She does intricate burning, or pyrography, and is also an art teacher like myself so we had a very nice chat. I was surprised to see a few vendors from Alabama. One couple from Lacey Springs, Alabama, hand trains gourds while they are growing to make knots and twists.

One of the nice things about the festival was the musical entertainment. We camped right next to a family that plays Bluegrass music. Thursday evening they were outside practicing and the music was so nice and calming after such an exhausting day of traveling, setting up camp, and setting up for the show.

This family band is called Just 4 Mama. Really fun and happy music and a super nice family to boot!

I met Tony Redhouse and caught his inspiring and peaceful show. I just happened to take my break and heard him talking about letting go of expectations and that's exactly what I needed to hear because, for me, Saturday's sales slowed down to a pace of molasses on crutches. (Don't feel bad for me--Friday and Sunday made up for it!)

Even though it was quite an effort to get it all together and get out of the house, I'm glad I came! It was interesting talkin' gourd with other vendors and the folks who wandered into my space were very kind and supportive. I met many a snow bird, some locals, and a few that were being introduced to gourds for the first time.

It was also very enjoyable having quiet dinners with my husband (my roadie) and just getting out of the normal routine of daily life. Back at home my girls were enjoying some freedom and spending time with their grandma so everyone was a winner!

As we packed up and started to head home, I was finally able to relax and enjoy the Saguaro-spotted landscape. We stopped at Silly Al's Pizza in Quartzsite and had the best veggie pizza and were able to catch the last ten minutes of the Superbowl.

Thank you Wuertz Farm for a worthwhile and unique experience!

One Fish, Two Fish, Three Fish...

2011-12-06T18:37:00.000-08:00

Recently I finished this Golden Trout gourd as a birthday gift for my brother-in-law commissioned by my sister-in-law. It started out with just a few fish and slowly kept breeding!

Using One's Gifts to Help

2011-11-05T16:18:00.000-07:00

If you are ever in the mood for a touching and inspiring documentary, I highly recommend "Waste Land" (2010). It follows artist Vik Muniz as he travels to the largest garbage dump in Rio de Janeiro and meets some interesting "catadores" or pickers; the people who toil in the dump collecting recyclable materials.

As he meets these people you get involved in each of their stories. I was also intrigued by Muniz' creative process and how he went about creating these beautiful, large-scale, trash mosaic photographs. I probably shouldn't say any more...let's just say he uses his art to help each individual as well as the community of pickers.

I was telling my class of 7th graders about this film and you never really know what gets through to them (I have a 7th grader of my own at home), but when it came time for their school to do their annual pumpkin auction, many of the students couldn't wait to get their pumpkins and begin to decorate them. As a class we took one class period and each student was given a little gourd, a black Sharpie marker, black and white paint, some odds and ends and asked to create some type of unusual face.

It was a rather chaotic class but they came up with some great little faces which I placed on a wreath. Photos of some of the creative pumpkins can be seen in the OC Register. The great part about this auction is that the money earned will go to a homeless shelter and a college fund for two Nairobi students...everybody wins...and that's the greatest treat anyone could ask for at Halloween.

Sparrows in Psyche

2011-08-15T14:39:00.000-07:00

About a year ago I started making little gourd sparrows. I've never been a "bird" person, but it seems they have been in my awareness...maybe because I've been working outside more often and therefore have an opportunity to see them???

Maybe birds are "in" now as represented in this clip from a quirky new tv show called Portlandia.

Recently my family and I had the opportunity to help a baby bird who was hobbling along in a parking lot. Daughter #1 spotted it and daughter #2 immediately wanted to help. It was so tiny and didn't look very healthy, but I know sometimes the parents are close by so we continued on our way.

Well, we did end up bringing it home and a neighbor walked by who just happens to work at a veterinary hospital and she told us we could get baby bird formula which we promptly purchased at Petsmart. This took a little bit of effort but Birdie finally took the food with an eyedropper.

After a few days of emails and phone calls I was directed to Terry who rehabilitates house sparrows. We packed Birdie up in it's shredded paper nest and shoe box and got on the road!

It has been more than five weeks since we found Birdie and I am happy to report that she (yes, turns out she is a girl) is full grown, doing well, and is about to be released.

Daughter #2 and I had the opportunity to go visit her. Birdie still had that alert but calm sweetness to her. (Like I said before, I've never been a bird person, but this one is special!)

A huge bouquet of gratitude to Terry and all animal rescuers and rehabilitators--thank you.

Fantastic Festival!

2011-06-28T12:59:00.000-07:00

This was my third and final Gourd Festival and with each experience I've met different people and learned little interesting tidbits of information just from short exchanges of dialogue. One thing that has been a constant is the incredibly supportive crowd that always leaves me with something, even if it's just a smile or a thumbs up.

This was not only a gourd show but a camping weekend for my family. We loaded up "Melvin" (our pop-up trailer) and despite having a list if things to bring, we failed to look at the list and forgot towels and my sleeping bag. Forgetting things always seems to happen, but the nice thing about camping was spending time with my family. I don't know if it was the change in scenery or the lack of electronic media, but we had a nice time reconnecting. I couldn't do this without the hard work of my "crew"; don't worry, they were compensated with food after the festival at a great pizza place called New York Pizza and Bagel in Corona.

Saturday morning people came in waves--lots of pictures--lots of questions and I sold the most pieces during this time frame including my Frida Mosaic. I was pretty surprised she went so quickly. I did feel a slight pang of sadness as I was wrapping her up, but I'm glad she will go to an admiring Frida fan like myself.

Former customers came by to say Hi and some bought a new piece. I spoke to familiar gourd faces I see from time to time at these events; Dean was walking around with a beautiful yucca didgeridoo--still can't believe how long of a breath he can take! I also had a special visit from my brother and sister-in-law and our friends who made the long and winding drive to say Hello.

Despite all of the packing and unpacking, forgetting things, constant smooth jazz on a loop, a zillion trips to the port-o-potties (#6 was my favorite!), and needing a good nap, it was ALL GOOD! The Welburn Gourd Festival has been kind to me and I will miss such a pleasant venue.

Below is a short little video taken by my daughter.

Gourds in Strange Places

2011-06-23T13:40:00.000-07:00

I recently saw an interesting exhibit called "Art in The Streets" at The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA (Los Angeles). If I were a decade or two younger, male, and into spray paint, you probably wouldn't question me writing about this subject, however, I spied with my little eye...some gourds!

The artists are twins from Brazil called Os Gemeos (The Twins). This particular piece combined drums, electric guitars, speaker "heads", small boxed dioramas, and yes, gourd heads. I apologize for the quality of these pictures, but I was unable to use my flash. You can see better pictures on the Os Gemeos blog; scroll down to the May 3, 2011 entry.

Old Portraits/New Hairdos

2011-05-05T09:10:00.000-07:00

Most days I am surrounded by gourds--don't get me wrong, they are a fun and crazy bunch, but it is nice to do something a little different.

I will be participating in Fullerton's Art Walk this Friday May 6th at Salon 138/40 Lashes. Since it is a hair salon I wanted to do something about hair and use these old school trays that have been gathering dust. I love portraits, so I decided to take some of my favorites and give them a hairstyle that they might have worn if living in a different era.

After centuries with her hair down, the Mona Lisa (painted by Leonardo da Vinci) might enjoy an updo.

Pablo Picasso was a genius in the art world and was still alive when the pompadour was around, but unfortunately he had already gone bald.

"Business in the front, party in the back." Vincent VanGogh was a brilliant but awkward painter who seemed to live between fits of madness and lucidity.

Frida was a rebel who did many shocking things in her lifetime and I think if she were living now, a mohawk would have suited her just fine!

Frida

2011-03-09T09:31:00.000-08:00

Frida Kahlo, softball, and gourds--three seemingly unrelated topics, but on this brisk March evening at the top of the third inning, I begin to write this blog...and yes, I am watching my daughter's game, but there is a lot of down time.

I know am just one of the millions of Frida admirers out there in the universe. For me, the first time I saw one of her paintings it was her blunt visual honesty that slapped me in the artistic cheek and then her technical ability that slapped me on the other cheek--I was immediately hooked!

Through the years I have "borrowed" things from her work. Many moons ago I did a painting for my mom called They Live in Her Dreams that was inspired by Frida's Self-Portrait with Monkeys. I depicted my sleeping mother dreaming about her children in Mexico. (At the time she had just come home from volunteering in an orphanage in Queretero, Mexico and was missing her kids.)

The next "borrowed" item was from Frida's painting/collage called My Dress Hangs There. My painting is called My Bra Hangs Here and at the time I was thinking about where I was from (Colorado), where I had just lived (Guatemala), and where I was now (California).

Fast forward to the present day...I have been wanting to do something with the zillion gourd pieces that I just can't seem to throw away so I decided to attempt a Frida gourd mosaic. After many hours of cutting and gluing (including my own fingers) I completed Thinking About Gourds which is a light hearted twist on her serious painting entitled Thinking About Death.

Sidenote: My mom just returned from Mexico and sent me these pictures of the 500 peso bill that portrays Frida on one side and Diego on the other. Frida's influence just keeps going....

Next Show: Piecemakers

2010-11-30T20:31:00.001-08:00

Here are some new gourds going to the next show this Friday night and Saturday in Costa Mesa:

http://www.piecemakers.com

I'm hoping it rains after the show!

Miss Ya Marley

2010-10-27T19:24:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I work on a piece and when I'm done...and it's gone...I go through a little bit of a mourning period. I think what makes this mask special and different from other masks is that it represents an actual living dog named Marley. Being a dog lover myself I know how these furry souls can hold a special place in our hearts.

I had the pleasure of meeting Marley's owner, Joe, at last June's Gourd Festival. He was looking at a Tiger Mask and asked if I could make a Bulldog. Sounded like a fun challenge and sure enough about a month later I received two pages of images of Marley the Bulldog. Joe even brought Marley to my house so I could meet him...nice doggie...a curious and easy going guy.

I will miss Marley but I know he is going to a great home!

(By the way, I did a little bit of research on Bulldogs and learned quite a bit of their history. At one time they were bred specifically for Bull Baiting. I'm glad all of that aggressiveness was bred out of them and they are the sweet, lovable creatures that they are today.)

"Chuck" Joins the Clan

2010-10-05T08:51:00.000-07:00

Most of the time I go along making things and I'll find inspiration from all sorts of things, usually something from nature. As I'm in the process I'm enjoying myself but I never know if anyone else will appreciate what I'm doing (and for some pieces it seems I can't even give them away!). Sometimes it's a one-sided dialogue.

Then someone comes along, like my friend Helen, and challenges me to create something new. When two like intentions come together, special things happen! First she wanted a Moose...then a Giraffe...a Monkey...Tiger...and now a Turkey.

As I was working on Chuck and trying to figure out how to put this guy together, I was suddenly grateful to Helen for giving me this challenge. I guess I sort of felt like a surrogate mother; Helen's idea and my "body," so to speak, and it probably did take about nine months from finding the right gourds to putting on the last coat of varnish.

Chuck posed some interesting challenges and at times was a real turkey. He will be safely hanging around her son's room just in time for Thanksgiving.

Dean's Didgeridoo

2010-09-26T19:19:00.000-07:00

This short video actually belongs with the previous post when I talked about the Gourd Festival back in June. Sorry it took so long to figure out how to get a video on my blog!

Size Doesn't Matter!

2010-07-06T14:23:00.000-07:00

The Gourd Festival has come and gone and I'm slowly cleaning and reorganizing my work space to combat the pre-show tornado that always seems to happen. There were less artists/vendors/live entertainment this year and also less people, but it was still a great venue with a very kind and supportive crowd. I already signed up for next year where in addition to the festival, there will also be a Polynesian dance competition.

Although there were less artists the quality was still high. When I did a quick walk around, two booths caught my eye. One artist was Vanessa Hughes. I liked the graphic quality of her work. Each piece was different yet everything was cohesive. I didn't get a chance to speak with her but I did grab her card: http://www.nessysnest.webs.com/

There was also a booth of Peruvian gourds--neat to see how another culture approaches the gourd. It would be cool to have artists from Africa, China, or ?, at the festival as well. The vendors were fun to chat with and while they didn't have a business card, he said the website was easy to remember, Inkagourd.com. Well, I tried all sorts of spellings and combinations but could not find them out in the vastness of cyberspace. Perhaps I will see them next year?

Sunday Dean came by with his didgeridoo. I also received a didgeridoo healing. He said his didgeridoo is a low "B"--the tone determined by the length (size does matter in this case!). He aimed it at my back and I definitely felt it in my lower "B"! If you are interested in didgeridoos or vibrational sound healing, contact Dean at: DeansDidge@sbcglobal.net
All in all it was an exhausting weekend but good times were definitely had at the gourd farm whether it was camping with my family on the peaceful grounds, talking "gourd" with friendly folk, or having burgers&beans with friends who made the long trek to the show and stayed for supper. Hasta el proximo!

Ready or Not...Gourd Festival Here I Come!

2010-06-23T06:51:00.001-07:00

There are three things that always come to mind right before a show: "I coulda...I shoulda...I woulda...." However, at this point and time it just doesn't matter! Here are some of the gourds that will travel with me to Fallbrook, California for the 14th Annual Gourd Festival this weekend http://www.gourdfestival.com/ .

"Perfect Moment" CD Complete!

2010-06-15T09:35:00.001-07:00

I'm happy to report that I've just given birth to a nine song CD (in your face Octomom!). Most of the songs were written years ago with just a couple finished up in the last year. One of the most recent songs is Oh Gourd.

If you have some time, check out the CD on CD Baby http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/barbaramhallman or iTunes and have a listen. If you have more time, troll around CD Baby. There are so many independent artists out there making great music you will probably never hear on the radio. As I write this, a song by Mama Cass comes to mind:

"Make your own kind of music...sing your own special song...make your own kind of music...even if nobody else sings along..."

Viva La Primavera

2010-04-10T13:44:00.000-07:00

Springtime is always an inspiring and motivating time for me. Yes I know that I am in Southern California where a change of season isn't that dramatic as in other places, but I think of it more as an internal thing.

I realize that I don't "blog" very often and perhaps it isn't the most exciting of reads, but for those few who happen to find me, here is an update of what I've been working on. The next show my gourds and I will be is The 14th Annual Gourd Festival in Fallbrook, California this June: http://www.gourdfestival.com/

Last year was the first time I participated in this show and found the atmosphere to be very pleasant, down to earth, and I felt surrounded by kindred spirits. I met Dean at that show (I mentioned him in an earlier post) and he suggested that I do a Passion Flower, so that is what I'm working on now in addition to my usual Trumpet Vine carved gourd.

I'm also working on some masks. Since I did Brown Beauty, the subject of my last entry, I thought I might do some more equids. There is also an Aztec/Mayan inspired mask that I'm debating what colors (or not) to use. I'm almost finished with an African antelope called a Gemsbok. I included a picture of all of the masks...some completed last fall and some I've had for a while.

Don't get me wrong, I love gourds, but one can not live on gourds alone. Every time I go into my garage I usually see a pile of stacked trays next to the water heater. About a year ago a friend told me about some food trays that were for the taking in the workroom of my kids' school. She took some and I took a bunch and I thought I could paint something (anything) on them. Well, there they've sat until recently...could it be the Spring wind blowing my creative self off the couch?

For inspiration I looked no further than my vegetable drawer in the refrigerator. I have more ideas and will get going on these trays. I've gotten so used to painting on a curved surface than working on a flat space seems odd.

One more thing...you've probably noticed that my blog includes music in the title. So far all I've had representing music is a goofy song called The Bunco Song, but I hope to put out a 9 or 10 song CD next month called Perfect Moment. It will probably be distributed through CD Baby and eventually be available on iTunes. One song on the CD (I almost said album...have I dated myself?) is called Oh Gourd.

Well, I'm all blogged out...happy Spring everybody.

"Brown Beauty" Kicks Up Childhood Dust

2010-02-08T16:04:00.000-08:00

I recently completed a gourd horse mask for someone who has had a passion for horses since childhood. She had seen a zebra mask I created a year or so ago and asked if I could make a horse. I love doing special pieces for people because it forces me to do new things, however, it all depends on having the right gourds.

You can create illusions (the texture of fur for example) with two-dimensional media like paint, but that only goes so far on a three-dimensional shape. It reminds me of that Steve Martin movie based on Cyrano de Bergerac called Roxanne. He goes into a drugstore to purchase some makeup and the clerk tries to show him how to shade his nose to make it appear smaller, but of course it is so long it doesn't make any difference.

The stars aligned and I found the gourds for the head and muzzle. Those two pieces were attached and then I started searching for the all important eyes. Once the eyes were cut and secured, for me, it started having a real life force. I know they are just gourds and maybe my imagination can go into overdrive, but this mask had a peaceful presence in my art room...a real gentle soul.

The new owner came by to pick it up and said she would call her "Brown Beauty" after a brown Bay horse she played with as a child. We spoke about different kinds of horses and I learned quite a bit, but I mostly I sensed the love she had for equids. It also got me thinking about my own childhood interests and what has carried through to adulthood.

I stumbled upon an envelope with old papers and projects from elementary school that my mom had sent a while ago. I found a "Pupil Interest Inventory" from the fifth grade. It was a questionnaire (on a lovely ditto copy--remember that purple/blue ink?) where you had to fill in the blanks. My first reaction was to cringe because I went by "Barbie," but as I continued reading I realized I am not much different than that little ten year old.

I was surprised that I wanted to be an artist. I knew that I liked art but I didn't think I wanted to be an artist until I was much older. I also smiled when I read what things I would like to be doing as an adult. I'm pretty much the same. I draw and paint, we have a dog, guinea pig, and two mice, we go camping and hiking, I learned how to ski and enjoyed doing that for many years, and I did take piano lessons, but later found a passion for the guitar which I still enjoy today. How much do we really change?

The Lessons of Juan

2009-12-16T10:10:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine asked me to make him a Guatemalan gourd mask. We both served in Guatemala with the Peace Corps and witnessed the beautiful indigenous people so it wasn't an odd request. Immediately I got these wonderful visuals in my mind of how it was going to look: definitely female, regal looking, and with some type of woven cloth going through her hair.

I cut the gourd and started working on the nose. I wanted to make a prominent Mayan nose, but what I ended up with was a big nose and possibly that of a male. But I continued with that female image in my mind. Besides, there is nothing wrong with a handsome woman, right?

I cut out and shaped the eyebrows which turned out thick, and yes, very masculine. Lesson #1: GO WITH THE FLOW!

Once I accepted that it was male, things seemed to go more smoothly. I started working on the irises and eyelids and then the mouth. Parts were positioned and glued down and then I placed him on the wall to get a different perspective. Everything looked all right except for his left eye...it was googley.

O.k., do I rip that eye apart (don't do it) and redo the whole thing? I've pulled things off before and ended up with broken pieces or big divots and the repair work I have to do sometimes outweigh the benefit. OR, do I leave it alone (yeah, good choice) and accept that they are natural organic forms mimicking a person that is also an organic form.

Of course my artist ego stepped in and I pulled off the iris and eyelids (no major damage), repositioned and glued them on again. I put him back on the wall to view my handiwork and it looked 99 1/4 % the same! I did exactly what my kids used to do when they were learning how to write. I'd have them erase a letter and they'd rewrite it the exact same way in the old "grooves."

Lesson #2: BE PATIENT AND LET THINGS PLAY OUT TO THEIR CONCLUSION or HOW COULD YOU FORGET LESSON #1 SO QUICKLY?

By the time I reached this point, this wise gourd told me his name...Juan. I realized he was helping and guiding me the whole time. He made me think about my kids and how they will be what they choose to become regardless of my "vision" of them. He made me think about areas in my life where I've been resisting instead of accepting things and "going with the flow."

I have to say I was a little sad when I left Juan at the UPS store to be shipped to the other side of the country, but I knew he was going to a good home and that one day I would see him again. Gracias Juan.

2009-11-05T20:00:00.000-08:00

The next place I will tote my gourds will be to the Nutcracker Boutique, November 20th and 21st in Brea, California. If you can't quite read the flyer above, the address is 695 E. Madison Way in Brea. For more information please call 714-990-7771 or go to http://www.cityofbrea.net/. I'll be outside by the west entrance in spot #37...as usual, I'll be praying for good weather.

Check Out Bella Luna Arts

2009-09-06T13:59:00.000-07:00

One great thing I've noticed about gourd artists is that they take what they're good at and apply those talents to a gourd. At the recent gourd festival at Welburn, for example, I saw one artist who paints cars and applies that super shiny painted finish to his gourd pieces.

My friend of Bella Luna Arts takes a jewelry gourd and uses her jewelry know-how and creativity to craft these fun and personality-plus gourd ladies. She does a bunch of other interesting things too which can be viewed on her blog http://bellalunaarts.blogspot.com/

Nice to Meet You, Leiser Farms!

2009-09-05T10:19:00.000-07:00

As a full-fledged, card carrying member of the adult world, I take notice when I feel like an eight-year-old again. Somehow going to a gourd farm reverts me back to a child on her birthday!

I had the pleasure of visiting Greg Leiser Farms in Knight's Landing, California, just outside of Sacramento. Greg and Mary Leiser were very accommodating: Mary showed me around the gourd bins and she and Greg talked about their third-generation family farm.

There were some good bargains to be had and some different varieties I hadn't seen before so I chose a bag full and had to be on my way---I could have stayed longer, but I could feel my travel weary family's telepathic messages to hurry it up!

If you're ever in the area it's worth checking out. They host an annual Gourd Art Festival every May and from what I saw and read in my latest edition of The Golden Gourd, it was quite a success and the gourd art featured was top notch! Their website is http://www.gourdfarmer.com/ (Sorry, my link to this site is not working, but I hope you check it out anyway.)

Murals, Part Deux

2009-09-04T16:07:00.000-07:00

*WARNING: the following entry may be too long and bloggy for some sensitive readers.*

A recent road trip from Southern California to Portland, Oregon sparked thoughts about murals. Growing up in a suburb of Denver I remember driving through North Denver and seeing eye-catching and thought provoking murals. These images remained dormant until my last semester in college when I was completing an internship with an English/Spanish/Jazz/KPFKesque radio station. As my final project I decided to do a piece on the murals of North Denver...yes, I NOW see that murals are visual and I was at a radio station and perhaps I should have concentrated on something more auditory, but I didn't.

I'm glad I didn't because my search lead me to Emanuel Martinez, a Denver born and raised Chicano artist. He was the creator of the murals that stayed implanted in my brain. I had the opportunity to interview him at his studio way back in 1987. He now has a website, http://www.emanuelmartinez.com, where I found a picture of one of the murals from my childhood called La Alma painted in 1978.

He briefly studied with David Alfaro Siquieros, one of Mexico's three influential muralists (Jose Clemente Orozco and Diego Rivera are the others). I've always admired them because they brought art right to the people with their murals and let them (the people) see themselves in the present and past and made them feel proud of their heritage.

O.k., now back to the road trip where I saw many a fun and quirky mural. Here are just a few that added a little extra eye candy to my already picturesque trip.

The first one I was able to take a picture of was in Eureka, California. We stopped to eat lunch at a neat little restaurant called The Golden Harvest Cafe and there it was right across the street on the Bucksport Sporting Goods Building. The mural was created in 1996 by Duane Flatmo, http://www.duaneflatmo.com/. I love the movement and the colors (if you go to his website you can see a better and more colorful picture), but that black and white figure off to the side adds so much more interest for me. I love when there's a bit of mystery!

The next mural was found at an old elementary school converted into a Portland-layed-back-cool-community-fun-place called McMenamins Kennedy School. (There's lots more info. on their website, http://www.mcmenamins.com/) My niece took us there for dinner and as we waited for a table we checked out the artwork that somehow relates to an event, memory, or teacher from the 82 year old history of Kennedy School.

This mural entitled "Passing On the Torch of Knowledge" at first glance was a little eerie. The children look like those Renaissance paintings where babies have adult faces and they don't look too excited about the "knowledge" they are passing. As I read more about it, I like how the artist, Lyle Hehn, put as many symbols as possible without making it look like a Highlight's "Hidden Picture" page. The cherry trees, for example, were donated to the school in 1939 by a Japanese family and those "adult" kid faces are actually somewhere on the building itself. I ended up liking the mural and appreciated the artist's ability to incorporate different elements into one cohesive composition.

My husband pointed out this mural as we were walking to the Farmer's Market held at Portland State University. It adorns the Sovereign Hotel (1923) which is now the Oregon Historical Society. Richard Haas, http://www.richardhaas.com/, was commissioned to design this mural in 1989 (along with another one that I didn't see, but it can be viewed on his website). This is a shining example of trompe l' oeil or French for "fooling the eye." Yes, the imposing figures of Lewis, Clark, Sacagawea, her son Baptiste, a slave named York, and a Newfoundland dog are impressive, however, the painted architecture was dumbfounding! As I look at my photo now there are some areas where I can't tell what is real and what is paint.

Murals, Part Un

2009-09-04T10:12:00.000-07:00

I received an inquiry about some murals I had created. I've painted around a dozen, some are gone now, and some are really not worth showing, but this past year I painted two and look forward to doing more. It's nice to go from gourds, which can be very tedious work, to a large scale mural.

This first mural was created in a boy's bedroom. He wanted Angel's Stadium and the mom wanted to brighten up some plain closet doors.

It turned out to be more difficult that what I expected but I learned a great deal, did things I'd never done before, and I sharpened my math and taping skills!

The fun part was personalizing it as much as possible: the family, including the dog, is placed in the "dot" crowd and I was able to put myself in there as well which you can see as the icon for ABOUT ME.

The second mural is of a potted lime tree with birds. She wanted something pretty to look at while sitting at the kitchen table and after some thought she decided on a lime tree. I was somewhat nervous because I would be painting on a wooden fence. If it's an interior wall I always have the option of painting over it, but in this case once I started there was no going back!

This type of subject matter is a little more comfortable for me because I've painted leaves before and there's more "looseness" to the brushstroke which leads to more spontaneity... which for me equals fun...which hopefully translates to a good painting.

I Feel the Love at the Festival!

2009-07-04T11:30:00.000-07:00

The remaining gourds have been placed back on the shelf, tables and chairs are back in the garage, and the dirt has been scrubbed off of my ankles. The 13th Annual Gourd Festival held at the Welburn Gourd Farm last weekend (June 27th and 28th) was exciting, interesting, warm, inspirational, thought provoking, warm, fun, tiring, and did I mention that it was warm?

It actually wasn't that bad under the arched oaks. My spot (booth #7) was in mottled shade and with just a bit of breeze, it was very tolerable. Around two o'clock is when I wanted to string up the hammock, leave a tin can in my booth with a sign saying "Leave Money Here--Thank You!".

The best part about the festival was, of course, the people. Pretty much all gourd fans or spouses, significant others, or friends of gourd fans. Could I be in a more supportive environment? I really appreciated peoples' comments, questions, or maybe it was just a "thumbs up." I soaked it all in like a sponge!

One thing that surprised me was all of the paparazzi, or should I say "Gourdarazzi," because no one wanted my photo (except my mother)! The gourds were center stage and that's perfectly fine with me!

I enjoyed chatting with A.C. Contreras, my neighbor in booth #8 who drove from Socorro, New Mexico with his Native American art. I could hear how passionate he was about his craft and his people. His calm and humorous manner reminded me of my grandfather who was also from New Mexico.

I met Dean, a free spirit walking around with his didgeridoo who gave me and my family a fun demonstration. He was friends with Michelle (booth #43) who made rain sticks. I could hear the sticks being tested throughout the day. Maybe that soothing rain sound kept me from overheating???

Carrie Dearing (booth #1) stopped by with her family. Every time I made my trek to the port-o-potties her booth always had admirers. I spoke with Norma Prickett (or Diane Calderwood?) from booth #15. I'm sorry if I have the incorrect name it's just that it's difficult to break eye contact to look at someones chest (i.e. their name tag). I like the direction her gourd jewelry is going.

I briefly spoke with Gloria Crane (booth #21) and learned this was her 11th festival---I admire her carving technique. I met Dianne Connelly and stopped by her booth shared with Pat Shallbrack---beautiful animal painting and weaving.

I met Bill from Worcester Glass Works who came all the way from Maui, Hawaii with glass gourds---great organic shapes and layers of visual texture and color. In desperation I found Marilyn in Betsy Robert's Galaxy Gourds booth. She glued an ear back on for me using the Gluesmith's glue (booth #26)---best glue demonstration ever!

I could blog on and on about the gourds and people I met. If I didn't mention an artist or booth it certainly doesn't mean I didn't appreciate them!

One last shout out to the Welburn Gourd Farm for hosting such a great event, the California Gourd Society whose volunteers do a bang up job with the competition, and to my family, whose help and PATIENCE deserve a Wayne and Garth "I'm not worthy!!!" bow!

*The gourds pictured in this entry have gone on to new homes.

2009-06-23T07:35:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my little spot in cyberspace. This is my very first entry so if you're reading this you probably saw me at the 13th Annual Gourd Art Festival and grabbed one of my new business cards. I hope I said "Hi" to you or we chatted and swapped gourd stories. If I wasn't there you probably saw my husband, kids, or my mom, who flew out from Colorado to witness the event, although we all know it was a good excuse to see the grand kids.

This was my first time exhibiting at the Festival although I have entered the California Gourd Society's Art Competition twice. Pictured are two entries that did well in 2007. The mask below is called Frida Picasso, entered in the category of "Inspired by the Masters," and Giraffe, was placed in the "Mask" division.

2009-06-23T07:10:00.000-07:00

I'll talk about the Gourd Festival later (like when it actually happens!). I do want to tackle two questions I frequently get asked: Why do you work with gourds? and How did you get started?

Somewhere in the mid-1990's I was an art student by day and taught English as a second language by night. The school I worked for required that I attend an inservice to enrich my teaching skills. I looked at the list of lectures and workshops and was surprised to find an art class.

I can't remember the teacher's name but I do remember her tattoos and the gourd she placed in front of me. I held it in my hand and thought how cool it looked, felt, and how the seeds sounded inside, and yes, even the smell! I was hooked and thus began my slow but steady journey into the world of gourds. Above is the first gourd I worked on at that inservice entitled, Peruvian Guy.