What I like

Intricate leather stitching on amazing painted gourds

In the artists own words:

In my gourd work, I use my architectural background along with my connection to the natural world, tapping into its cycles and rhythms to guide me. The unlimited patterns, movements, and visual wonders provide an unending source of inspiration. My work also reflects an appreciation of indigenous people’s culture throughout the world and their relationship with the environment as expressed in what they made, the manner that they performed ceremonial activities, and how they expressed general beliefs and values.

The hand-picked gourds I use are dried, cleaned and tooled before utilizing leather lacing, permanent inks, and a sealer to complete each one of a kind piece. Sometimes I work directly on the gourd when creating the design work and other times the design is developed on paper and then later recreated directly on the gourd.