Gourd Art

Pat Murkland photo

I've been seeing some wonderful gourd art, so I decided to try my hand (and drill) at it.

It took a while for me to figure out how to open the gourd.

Then after some false starts I cleaned out the interior.

I decided to make a container, so I kept the top for a lid.

I experimented with carving art of bighorn sheep.

I added stains of purple and red inks, and gold paint with mica chips, to go with the gourd's natural colors. I stamped spirals and added a turquoise accent.

I tied some fibers around the lid and tacked them with a spot of glue.

Inside, I put some salves and soaps made from native plants (made by a friend, Pinyon Pine Botanicals).

My gift was ready!