Winter Issue — #4

Feature Art & Craft Medium — “Gourds”

Many forms of art and craft have become familiar for all of us. Some art forms get a lot of attention and are almost synoymous with what art or craft is deemed to be all about. Some have a huge following, if that’s one way to describe their popularity. However, some are less known about, or not quite so common in the art or craft market place, or in art & craft enthusiasts’ experiences. One such art form is “gourds”.

As the Editor of the A&CNet e-Zine I’ve been wanting to get an article on gourds in our newsletter for a long time. They’re a fascinating and flexible medium to say the least. The fact that they’re not as well known as other art or craft mediums surely has nothing to do with them being a new art form…They’re in fact, one of the oldest, going back in time potentially to the dawn of civilization.

This is a different kind of article. I’m fortunate to have a daughter who is an up and coming artist with some experience in many disciplines. Gourds is a medium she loves working with. I’ve asked her to "open our eyes wide" to this fascinating medium…

So, if you want a revealing look into the interesting world of Gourd Art, read on…

The Evolution of Gourds

How gourds have been used in society has changed a great deal over the course of history, from a utilitarian role to modern art. According to many experts of anthropology, gourds have been around for thousands of years and were one of the first plants to be cultivated throughout the entire world. This member of the cucumber family has played an important role in many cultures throughout history and still today.

The gourd belongs to the “Cucurbitaceae” family of plants, of which the cucumber is also a member as well as squash, pumpkins, and melons, to name a few that we’re all familiar with. The gourd plant is a hardy forgiving plant that is relatively easy to grow. It will flourish in many different environments, from tropical to temperate. The plant can grow a 100 foot long vine in just one summer. The fruit of the plant, the gourds, are each unique with different shapes and sizes.

There are two main types of gourds —

Hard-shell gourds (lagenaria siceria) — These are light, durable, and water resistant. Hard shelled gourds once dried have a hard, woody shell. They can be machined, burned and carved, and are similar to wood. Hard shelled gourds take 110 to 140 days to reach full maturity. These heat-loving plants require full sun with 50 days of temperatures above 26 degrees Celsius (80 Fahrenheit). Hard shelled gourds must reach full maturity to develop a thick woody shell. If they do not reach full maturity their shells will be very thin or they will rot like a pumpkin. It is these specific characteristics that make gourd growing a challenge in the north.

Soft-shelled or ornamental gourds (cucurbita pepo) — These tend to have a thinner shell and are more delicate. Soft shelled gourds with their bright colours and unusual shapes are common in the fall at fruit stands and vegetable counters. They are often used for decorations during the Thanksgiving season. Most of these gourds will wither and eventually become compost. Soft shelled gourds are relatively easy to grow in the north, generally taking about 70 days to maturity.

After the gourds have been harvested they are left to dry, a process which may take up to a year, depending upon the gourd. The shiny smooth green surface soon undergoes decay, turning black with mold. A perfectly dry gourd ready for use, will be covered in mold and the seed basket inside will be dried out so that when shaken, it makes a rattling noise. The gourd is then soaked in a solution of bleach and water until the moldy skin starts to peel off; after a little scrubbing, a new healthy looking skin is revealed. The imprints of the moldy skin are still left on the gourd giving it its own individual fingerprints, a desired trait of gourd artists. At this point the gourd takes on a whole different image. When the gourds have once again dried it is only the limits of imagination that can curb the many uses and artistic expression that it can become.

Just as with any medium, there is a great variance of style and expression. From folk arty to native influence, to sleek, smooth curvilinear designs, the gourd is a veritable world of possibilities for personal creativity.

The most common tools used in gourd crafting are, knives, wood burners, saws, and Dremel tools. The shell of the gourd is hard like the bark of a tree, while the inside is soft and porous like balsa wood. Small knives or saws are used to cut into the thick skin and a wood burning tool is used to draw with. Natural or synthetic dyes, such as leather dyes, are used to color the gourd. Virtually any painting medium can be worked onto the surface. Vegetable dyes, berries and ???? Many artists incorporate elements of nature into the sculpting of their piece. Straw, pine needles, grasses, natural dyes and wooden beads, are just some of the materials used to create a finished gourd.

Very possibly, gourds were one of the first tools to be used in the prehistoric time of Neanderthals. In most cultures, they have been used as vessels and were an integral part of daily living.

Remnants of used gourds in Peru have been found and dated as far back as 10,000 B.C.
Evidence of gourd seeds have been uncovered alongside the bones of the great Mastodon in North America.
The Egyptians used the gourds as containers to hold offerings to the gods of Pharaohs buried in the pyramids.
In Japan, gourds are family heirlooms said to bring good health.
Natives of North America have used gourds for many purposes. They were among the first to use them for getting rid of mosquitoes. Fashioning the gourds into homes for purple martins, a bird that will eat up to 3,000 mosquitos a day, they posted the gourd houses around their camps to fend off the pesky bugs. Purple Martin bird houses are still in use today.

The ethnographic images, symbols, and decorative designs that we often see on the body of the modern gourd stems back to the drawings, etchings and burnings on the gourds that were handmade by native peoples, as treasured works of art.

Early settlers of the western world used gourds mainly as storage containers, vessels, dippers, spoons.
In China the gourd was used as a hat, among others.
In Africa the gourd was and is still used mainly as a versatile tool. Some examples include, bottles for feeding babies, jugs for hauling water, ladles, and drums. The later, however, is not only a common use of gourds in Africa, but also in most cultures around the world.
Gourds as musical instruments were used for ceremonial purposes, and entertainment. Many wonderful musical instruments such as rattles, horns, whistles, flutes, thumb piano, banjo, violin, and percussion instruments, can be made from gourds. From simple rattles, to the most elegant stringed instruments of India, the sitar, the gourd is proved to be highly resonant.

In virtually every documented culture in history, the gourd is present in myths and tales. They represent a pure image of mother nature, and the natural purity of earth. In India, the Vedas, also pay homage to the gourd. The sacred gourd possesses unearthly powers of the supernatural and can manifest deities or divas. Gourds as medicine rattles, masks, and ceremonial objects are in many cultures a link between worlds. In China it was believed that by looking ito the gourd, one could see the future and interpret the changes of the earth. Since the gourd was and still is in some places an ever present symbol of mankind’s versatility, it’s not surprising that it has been treated with such reverence throughout history.

The roots of gourd art, are not only utilitarian. There are many examples of gourds as art even in the earliest cultures. In South America, North America, Africa, and many others, beautiful pictographs, stories and legends were inscribed onto the face of the gourd. Many powerful and symbolic images, such as the eagle, buffalo or snake can be found on the shells of gourds. Just as the great Urns of Ancient Greece were used to depict myths and beliefs of the time, the gourd was used to portray a certain way of life, and the spirituality of the people and culture where it originated.

With the advent of technology and modern society, the importance of the gourd and it’s place in daily life changed significantly. With other materials with which to construct vessels and other practical tools, the gourd was primarily left behind. It is very possible that some of the forms we see of pottery have a direct connection to the forms visible in the gourds of the past and present. To this day, the gourd is still a part of life in many parts of South America, Africa, and other third-world countries. In the Western world the gourd has reappeared in a different light. It is only within the last 40 years or so that there has been a great increase in interest and the practice of gourd crafting. When many people hear the word gourd, they think of pumpkins and squash, but to some, the gourd is a whole other world. An all new level of arts and crafts, the gourd is taking its place among the ranks of fine art in collections, galleries and museums around the globe. Many gourd artists share the common belief that all gourds possess their own destiny, or "karma" and it is believed that the gourd speaks to the artist, and conveys its purpose. The creation of this organic art is a soothing, peaceful and spiritual practice for many gourd crafters. With its increased popularity among crafters there are now books, web pages, gourd societies and even festivals that celebrate the gourd.

It has been said that gourds are “nature’s pottery”. The gourd is a symbol of the rich history and culture of people throughout the world. It continues evolve today, as it has for thousands of years.

Janny Stratichuk is a young artist currently enrolled at Selkirk College in Castelgar, B.C., pursuing a career in Art Therapy. She's been a student of the Kootenay School of Art and has worked in many art mediums over the past 5 years, creating works in acrylics, watercolors, gourds, felt, pottery, and mixed media. She sells her art at various local fairs in the Kootenay region as well as Idaho. She's also done the artwork for a wonderful Children's Storybook, "The We Hug" as well as some websites. You may email Janny at at janny@the novelproject.com

We'd also like to thank the folks at Northern Dipper Farms for their gourd images. Located near Wilsonville, Southwestern Ontario, Northern Dipper Farms is Canada's largest supplier of gourds, gourd seeds and supplies. Visit their website at www.northerndipper.com Email: info@northerndipper.com

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