Bat Infestation

Our gourding friend, Mike, from the Laugh & Scratch gourd patch in Lynchburg, VA dropped in today to show us his latest work for the Halloween display he's preparing. He's done pumpkins in the past, and ghosts, but the Bat Infestation was a special treat!  Thanks Mike for sharing your creative bounty -- on these hot days of summer, it's fun to look ahead toward the fall!

That's one gourd box full of bats!

...and then it's time to leave

The Gourdacious Dappled Apples enjoyed their time at the Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum and have already signed up for the same quarter of Artist-in-Residence time next spring. So, until then, have a Cracklin' Gourd Time! Those Dapples will be back with more gourd times than you can shake a stick at.....




...but come on, who does that?  Shaking a stick....

Other Projects at the AiR

Here are some other projects visitors to the Museum watch gourd artists make. Some are more involved than others which certainly garner interest over the several weeks it takes to make them.  It turns out the long term projects are an ongoing fascination and makes the studio became the place to check out each time regulars visit and newcomers stumble onto by happenstance!

OK, granted, this  wasn't on display
for the children but it's genius
 - but the adults loved it!!

A Berry Nice Cat needs a gourd
mousy friend with gourda cheese!

The Chicks and Bunnies Project

We're at the beginning of our residency at the Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum and the Gourdacious Dappled Apples gourd patchmet at the studio for their monthly project - this time chicks and bunnies using Sculpy. Many gourd patch members had not used this approach to gourd art before, but our fearless leader brought all the supplies and offered everyone the opportunity to learn new skills. The results inspired many variations on the theme!

The AiR program in Practice

The Artist-in-Residence program at the Museum has been an eye-opener for the staff at the Museum but for the gourd patch participants. The time spent there was so much fun. Several factors came together to make a remarkable visit. Most stunningly, members stepped up to put in more hours than the agreement required so in the end the SVCM had a full time studio.  Hundreds of hours were logged, making a consistent presence. That was pretty amazing and thank you to all the gourd artisans who donated so much time and enthusiasm to the effort. The President of the chapter mostly made the AiR a full-time position and became the anchor overall.

Note the moldy gourd is in a fish tank
for safely sake.

We slid back the glass doors and set up a daily educational table. It was a terrific opportunity to talk about gourds, some history, and some techniques for decorating them. It just took one child to step over and see what's going on, and then others would join in with family and friends. We passed out a LOT of brochures about the workshops weekend we sponsored during the summer!

We talked about dehydration,
washing, and decorating.

A benefit that came as a surprise has been how the members have begun to see how much they get accomplished when devoting a regular period of time to doing their gourd art. It is easy to move from day to day without realizing time is passing and before long chances to start (and then finish) projects passes. Now, most of the gourders see they have developed habits of weekly art time with their gourds and plan to devote a block of time for 'studio work' when they returned to their regular lives.  In my personal case, I hope that works in practice as it sounds in theory!

Dappled Apples at the Discovery Museum!

For three months - April through June, several of the Gourdacious Dappled Apples gourd patch members have been artists-in-residence at the Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum. While this creative bunch was there, lots of education happened!  Lots of creation happened! Lots of gourd encouragement happened!  We'll show some of the projects, post by post, but wow!  To be a gourd artist in a studio devoted to the hard-shelled gourd!  Awesome crackling fun!

This was the studio on 3rd floor the gourd artists took over!

Oranges in a Simple Bowl

Quick idea - a simple gourd dish with a woodburned interior that reflects similar leaf images on the outside. It's been burnished with beeswax for a waterproof surface. It is a delightful way to serve sections of clementine oranges!