The gourds
When the frost hits the Mancos Valley, the gourds Rob and Mary have grown are ready to be harvested. The Wilsons also purchase some of their gourds from around the Four Corners region. They use all types: cannonball, corsican, martin, long-neck, short-neck, birdhouse, egg, penguin, Hopi rattle and more. The gourds are dried for up to eight months before the Wilsons prepare their "canvas" by scraping and sanding the outsides and hollowing out the insides.
Design
Ideas for Rob and Mary's designs are abundant in Southwest Colorado. From petroglyphs and Native American pottery to the stark desert and lush mountain terrain, inspiration is just outside the kitchen window. When a specific petroglyph design is used, it is identified on the gourd by its location. Some of the designs, specifically those found at Mesa Verde, have been destroyed by fire. Other petroglyph locations that the Wilsons have used include the San Rafael Swell, Shavano Valley, Nine Mile Canyon, Glade Park, the Dolores and Uncompahgre rivers, Canyon de Chelly, McElmo Canyon, and Galisteo Basin and more.
The initial design is sketched with a pencil and then burned into the gourd with a wood burning tool or re-drawn in wax using a kistka, a tool used to apply wax to Ukrainian (Pysanky) eggs to a create a design in wax resist. An electric engraver may be used to "peck" designs into the gourd much as early man pecked them into the sandstone cliffs with a stone tool. The creative process is continually evolving and experimentation is part of the fun!
Finishing touches
Most of the gourd rims are stitched with natural fibers such as sagebrush bark, vines, box elder bark, yucca fibers, cattail, pine needles, flax or wild grasses. All the gourds are signed, numbered and in many cases, include a reference to the location that inspired the design. The gourds are finally hand polished with several layers of wax and buffed to a high gloss.
Caring for your gourd
Thank you for your interest in Art of the Southwest Gourds. To help preserve their beauty, minimal care is required. Do not place them permanently in direct sunlight. Dust them occasionally with a dry cloth. Do not apply water or cleaning solutions. Once or twice a year apply a coat of Kiwi Neutral Shoe Polish or any hardwood floor wax and buff it to a sheen.
Learn More about Gourds and Gourd Art
Online go to www.clubgourd.com; look at the website of The American Gourd Society at www.americangourdsociety.org; or check other websites under general headings of gourd arts and crafts; gourd supplies; gourd festivals.
..these Gourd Art sites!